materials for wood siding

[Terri]

Hello, I have read many threads concerning exterior siding and I'm currently comparing my choices. We bought a vintage trailer and completely gutted it. We are now ordering materials for the sides. We do not necessarily need to keep the same look that our camper originally had, and really like the looks of the wood sided units on this site. Some of them are just gorgeous. Can someone who has used wood for the siding (not clapboards) please let me know what you used and what you did to coat it to keep it looking so nice? I would appreciate any help that I can get on this. Thank you!!

[Chuckles]

I would say that most use a higher grade of plywood (birch core) with a nice looking grain pattern. Others have used cedar strips just like they do for canoe building. The strips are typically only 1/4 inch thick and have a cope on one side and matching bead on the other so they go together nice and tight. If you want to go that route google cedar strip canoe building for some ideas and methods.

I used 3-inch wide cedar boards that are 1/4 inch thick with a ship=lap joint on the edges. I nailed them on with copper nails.

As for finishing, for plywood sides, some get by with spar varnish alone. The next step up is epoxy coated with a spar varnish finish on top for UV protection. If you use cedar strips or planks like I did you will probably want to use fiberglass and epoxy for the added strength then the spar varnish top coat for UV protection.

Like wooden boats, woody campers with a clear finish require some special care. If you can garage them when not in use the clear finish will stand up for a long time with little or no maintenance other than a good washing. Sun is the enemy of any clear finish. If the camper is stored outdoors you will have to sand and re-coat with spar varnish occasionally to maintain the finish. On wooden sail boats this is typically an annual event! I store my camper indoors when not in use (and its only a year old) so I haven't yet had to do any maintenance of the finish. Perhaps some other woody owners can share their experience.

Chuck

[Terri]

Chuckles, you don't know how helpful this is. Seriously. I love the look of wood and have sections of our house with urethane covered pine on them and they are amazing, so I was hoping that I could use them on my trailer. I think the overall appearance will be enhanced with the wood. Thank you again!!!

[aggie79]

I built my tongue box using 3/8" tongue and groove cedar wainscoting over plywood framing.



First I constructed the frame. Then I applied the cedar.





To give the wood an aged look, I applied TransTint wood dye on the outside of tongue box.



After several days to allow the water to evaporate from the wood dyes, I applied 3 coats of epoxy on the inside and outside surfaces. I then applied the aluminum edge moldings and primed and painted them black. Lastly I applied 3 coats of EmTech 9300 from Target Coatings to provide UV resistance.

[Terri]

Aggie, love, this. It really adds to the unique flavor of you TD. We were are also thinking of putting one of these on our front of our camper and yours will definitely help me with the design. The black painted metal really brings it up a notch. Thank you. Terri