First ever build...

[steve_29045]

Hello all...

Always been very mechanical and creative, and had this thought in my mind for a few years now. Just purchased the infamous HF heavy duty 4 x 8 trailer and she is assembled in the back yard waiting for me to start work.

Being my first build, I am trying to keep it as simple as possible, and going with more of a box shape for my first attempt as I have never "bent wood" to get curves for a teardrop.

Here is a general idea of what I want to do, so correct me if I go wrong with my thoughts here...

4 x 8 x 3/4 plywood for the floor bolted down to the trailer with (10) 3/8 bolts and drilling holes where the bolts are already so she sits flat

1/2" plywood for the walls, and 1/4" plywood for the roof

Thinking of 2 x 3 framing for the walls for added strength and to give a window and door a solid frame to work with

No outdoor galley, will use the extra space inside for shelving and storage

Thinking of a fold down table / cooking area from the rear outside wall


Taking a different approach for a finished look and going to coat the outside in Rustoleum Restore (10x thicker than paint product) which goes $24 a gallon at Lowes which can be tinted many colors

http://www.lowes.com/pd_466030-90-49104 ... um|Restore


Thinking of going with (2) off the shelf windows at Lowes which are cheap and would fit within the wall framing with some outside trim work to seal it in

http://www.lowes.com/pd_4381-32909-VSH1 ... facetInfo=


The problem I have is a door... are there cheap RV doors I can install? I can build one, but I need a high level of sealing power as in SC we have fire ants, black widows, and brown recluses which you do not want in bed with you while camping! Does anyone know of a off the shelf door I can buy?

Going to cover the outside of the 3/4" plywood floor (the side that side down to the road) today in the Rustoleum Restore and see how it comes out, I got the "moss" color tint

Anyone with door recommendations, or thoughts of how my plans are?

[steve_29045]

Just painted (term used very loosely) the underbelly plywood of the build with the Rustoleum Restore... WOW!!!

That stuff is like painting with near dry cement.... broke two sticks trying to stir it

It goes on super heavy and splatter something terrible, but seems to dry pretty fast outside

Just for reference to anyone who wants to use it..... one gallon gave me exactly two careful coats to one side of a 4 x 8 plywood.... one gallon = 32 sqaure feet of coverage with two coats

[eggsalad]

2x3 is (IMO) more than you need for framing if you're using 1/2" ply. My walls are 1/2" ply, and I used 2x2 for my framing. And by "framing", I don't mean "residential-style stud walls" - I simply used the lumber at the edges of the plywood sheets in order to give the screws something to bite into as I assembled my corners.

My build is much smaller than you're planning, but feel free to take a look at my build thread (referenced below in my sig) to see how little "framing" you need for 1/2" ply walls.

[jbyrd]

Just painted (term used very loosely) the underbelly plywood of the build with the Rustoleum Restore... WOW!!!

That stuff is like painting with near dry cement.... broke two sticks trying to stir it

It goes on super heavy and splatter something terrible, but seems to dry pretty fast outside

Just for reference to anyone who wants to use it..... one gallon gave me exactly two careful coats to one side of a 4 x 8 plywood.... one gallon = 32 sqaure feet of coverage with two coats

that stuff is hard to work with and looks like stucco when finished i don't recommend it unless you don't have another choice.
I used it on my first build and hated it so much i sold that trailer just to get it gone.

and close up

If you insist on using it put it on with a brush you will get a much smoother finish and use less of it.
not trying to tell you how to build your trailer just letting you see my bad experience with that product.
as for your cheap doors on my first trailer I used cargo doors off of ebay, seller "bottomdollarsurplus" for about $25 a piece

[steve_29045]

I agree with you jbyrd.... that stuff is extremely hard to work with and splatters everywhere, and kind of expensive at $24 for 32 sq ft of coverage

I did the underbelly of the trailer with it and I think that is all I will do with it... I will find a better choice

Just checked the seller on Ebay... he has 520+ sales but nothing listed right now

[jbyrd]

sorry i listed his name wrong.
its bottomdollarsurplusinc
here is a link to one of his auctions
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RV-CARGO-DOOR-R ... 5afe12c596
it's a little small but could work for a decent price.

[steve_29045]

sorry i listed his name wrong.
its bottomdollarsurplusinc
here is a link to one of his auctions
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RV-CARGO-DOOR-R ... 5afe12c596
it's a little small but could work for a decent price.

Thank you sir for that lead, I just won the auction and it looks like it will serve the purpose well!

[steve_29045]

Being my first build and not being a huge woodworker in my past, I opted for the simpler square box as my first build... I need the experience before going for the sexy curves of a real one!

Lots of progress made on the build... got the underbelly of the floor painted and bolted it down. went out and got 19/32" OSB floorboard for the walls and ceiling. And did a few hours of building today.

All floor bolts are grade 5 with lockwashers, and all screws are decking screws from lowes that are pretreated with rustoleum

Got the walls up today and framed around them with 2x4 to give some meat to screw into to and keep her sturdy. The exterior with from outside wall to outside wall is 49 9/16" after squaring it up and only being off by a mere 1/16" when measuring opposing corners of the sidewalls.

The Rustoleum Restore is OUT of the running for a finish now, it is way too hard and too messy to work with and is not cheap!

Got a gallon of Duramax from Lowes which has very high ratings and reviews, going with a darker grey color and see how it comes out, it is said to go on very heavy and sticks to almost anything under the sun.

Please look over my attached pictures and give info or tips if you would like, this is my first build and am open to listening... just as a note, the 2x4's across the top from wall to wall are not screwed in, so they are not flush sitting yet

[steve_29045]

Only got in about an hour of work this morning before the rain showed up

Framed all the wall corners and tops with 2x4 and just now waiting to put the roof on and square it up which will make her nice and tight

More later when the rain stops

[steve_29045]

Making progress slowly but surely it seems...

The outside is painted now with 5 coats of exterior paint, the last two coats being sprayed on

The inside is now painted with two coats and came out pretty nice in my opinion, a lighter greenish tan

I have vinyl tiles I found for a killer deal at Lowes to lay down on the floor inside and make it look pretty

the window is semi installed right now waiting for the drill battery to recharge, it is in and flashed right now

Got my Ebay RV door in the mail the other day and looks very nice for ~$40 or so winning bid... made a template of it to draw on the wall to cutout

Used to sheets of ply for the roof and siliconed the heck out of it and then covered the seam with roofing tar adhesive I found for a caulk gun and seems to be fully dried now

Things to do.......

Finish installing window

Cutout the door opening and install it with a wood frame to screw it into

Put on the front and read wall when I am done inside ( for ease of entry and extra light to work in )

Find and install some type of 12 volt lighting for the inside of her

Build shelves / storage in the front nose area ( I will leave 20" from the front wall to the side of the door for this area



More importantly.... things I learned the hard way so far

Should of kept the trailer at an exact 48" width for ease of plying over

Will skin my next one in a very nice sheet of birch for aesthetics and a better finish to work on ( particle board sucks for a finish )

I am sure this list will grow before I finish


I can honestly say it has been a very good learning experience and very stress relieving for me to do this... I am already thinking of selling this one and working on my next one with better materials and ideas

Will post a ton of pics soon... promise

[jbyrd]

otherwise it didn't happen

[steve_29045]

Back from vacation now and have off today, tomorrow, and monday and ready to work on her some more

Went to the ebay link and am now the proud owner of a few doors and vents for this and future projects!

SOOOOOO... the only problem right now is..... I am really NOT liking the particle board finish, and I see the paint is already getting bubbles in it, and this is NOT good

Unless someone replies and tells me to stop, I think my next move is to take her apart and remove all the particle board, and find a new cheap way to finish her skinning

I really like birch, but at 52 bucks a sheet it is not cheap! I like the foam sheet idea but I have no knowledge of how to do it that way!

Someone please offer me some ideas or insight please....

[jbyrd]

you could skin over it with luan and paint that fairly cheap at 10 bucks a sheet and has a really smooth side.

[lthomas987]

You could probably canvas the particle board. Heavy tarp and glue then paint. No need to remove anything.

Some of the foamies have used Harbor Freight drop cloths.

[pchast]

Steve,

Please help us avoid the same concern...

How did you prepare the particle board for painting?
How bad is the adhesion failure?
Can you show us pictures?


Canvasing could cover many ills if the bubbling is minor.
If large areas of the paint are loose I'd be reluctant to
just cover it.