BEULA - a foam Winter Warrior with aero front

[Fred Trout]

Big progress ! Looks like there is plenty of room inside too. It's coming together, keep goin.

[GPW]

Moving right along !!!

[cpowell243]

Back at it. Since my reading suggests that it is easier to cover interior walls before they are installed, I will first cover the interior of the right side wall, which will have no chases for wiring. Will start at the back and move forward as GPW describes in the Foamstream thread. I also plan to leave a 3' overlap in front so I can glue canvas to the interior front/headboard after nose is installed. Covering my first surface will canvas should give me sense of how well the canvas covers deformities or minor divots in the foam. I have minor deflection on the wall where it meets the door frame, silly mistake made when gluing together. Hope it will cinch in place when the spars and the bottom brackets are in place.

[Fred Trout]

Good luck !

Suggestions/Tips
- Sand or roughen the foam for fewer bubbles & use plenty of glue.
- Small amounts of water in TB II like 5% makes application easier & drying out slower.
- There is actually sometimes no rush to do the overlaps where they are needed but it IS easier to do them right away. You can use an iron to soften hardened edges so that they sit flat when done much later. Where you can't get at the overlaps like inside corners, do right away or trim flush.
- It works better to apply the outside coat after the glued canvas has dried out well.
- Steak knife trims off glued hardened canvas very well.

[cpowell243]

Thanks Fred - today was spent filling seams and divots. I remember Glen using standard drywall mud and tape so tried this and will see how it works. All GS had to be at or below surface of foam. to get a smooth cover. Will cover inside walls Wednesday. I noticed that slight thinning of TBII helped when I glued canvas to my wheel well covers - tip appreciated. Did you cut out the seams in the canvas before gluing to Breadbox?

[Fred Trout]

Ran the tarps through the wash & then cut out the seams on the lengths where they pucker the material. The seams that unravel need to be sealed with white glue & left to dry 1st if you cut them or they will make a huge mess. I just put the tarps thru the wash to avoid shrinking but have no experience w/ NOT washing so it might work better or worse.

Trim wet or dry glued overlap margins with a razor blade cut that goes into the foam - will make a very crisp & easily controlled edge and leave a cut in the foam that is invisible and filled with paint later, so some canvas factory seams can be left until the material is glued down with no problems. The seams that have 'wrinkles' that can not be removed on application are the ones that must be cut out ahead of time. If you need to glue the "material-entire" for complete coverage, do NOT wash since those wrinkles mean it will look like hell

If you take the time to do a careful prep of the surfaces to remove every single bump, scratch, joint divot & hole, it will improve the appearance after canvas is on. The worst you leave behind will certainly be there for all to see if you do not

Enjoy and take your time.

[cpowell243]

Fred,
So if I'm getting this - to remove a seam brush glue on either side and cut the seam out, then use the smaller pieces with the joining method you describe (overlap and cut through both). Based on your description no real advantage to using one continuous sheet as the places where two sheets meet cannot be detected.
Ch

[cpowell243]

But did you really have to put in that "every single bump, scratch, joint divot & hole" bit? Using a wood pillar and gluing 1" to rabbited 2" is not the best for achieving a perfectly flat surface. Probably best that I'm starting with interior that only we will be looking at.. and that my eyesight is poor. Will be counting on others to be polite when they comment on it.

[Fred Trout]

So if I'm getting this - to remove a seam brush glue on either side and cut the seam out, then use the smaller pieces with the joining method you describe (overlap and cut through both). Based on your description no real advantage to using one continuous sheet as the places where two sheets meet cannot be detected.

If I recall correctly, long seams on the HF drop cloths do not unravel but the short ones do. Try a small cut of an inch or two and pull the cut edge-weave toward the outside (where the seam was); if the threads stay put, no glue is required. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selvage] People say that using pinking shears will also keep the edge from unraveling but I never tried it.

The visibility depends on how you end up with sheets meet edge to edge. When you razor off the two meeting overlaps, detection is difficult or impossible when covered by many coats of paint. But the overlap is usually there to provide added strength where needed like over the floor to wall joint or roof to wall joint. In your build, you included the extra strength in the actual structure so overlapping the canvas is not as critical as it is in my build. For example, I will be using an additional piece of canvas to completely cover the exposed underside of the floor wrapped around to the first few inches of wall. Then I will cover the wall and overlap underneath by an inch or two as well and the overlaps will stay in place for strength and there will be no cuts except at the first canvas piece perimeter edge where needed and no cuts on the second piece at the bottom.

When you need to continue a job with another piece of fabric, like on a long side, you can cut the overlap with the razor and remove both overlaps for a nice seam. The overlap is not needed for strength there, so yea, that's the example you use above.

For the inside walls, it's more about appearance and making the job easy - so I razor off the "excess overlap" and leave an even inch or two of overlap behind.
You could also just cut ALL the excess canvas off at the panel edges with a razor and just run a bead of caulk in the corner to make a finished edge if the overlap is not needed at all. If you want an overlap, do the roof panels on the flat & cut the edges off even with the panel. Then you can put any overlap on the wall pieces if you think you need it. Doing the ceiling after assembly is a major pain so, so do that one on the flat if no others.

[Fred Trout]

But did you really have to put in that "every single bump, scratch, joint divot & hole" bit? Using a wood pillar and gluing 1" to rabbited 2" is not the best for achieving a perfectly flat surface. Probably best that I'm starting with interior that only we will be looking at.. and that my eyesight is poor. Will be counting on others to be polite when they comment on it.

Heh, hey, you should see my interior. I should do a bloopers page two on it. Anyway, that is what they make Great Stuff, vinyl spackle, and sand paper for. You can make almost any disaster disappear if you take the time to fix them before you canvas.

[KCStudly]

You will notice an overlapping seam. I forget who it was, but one builder went to the trouble of sanding a little step where the lower edge ended so that only the edge of the upper layer was visible.

It is important to note that regular white glue (Elmer's) is recommended for binding where you plan to cut. White glue is not waterproof and will dissolve when it gets wet out by the TB2, letting the fabric become flexible again.

At least that is what I have gathered from reading other people's accounts.

[Fred Trout]

You should be able to make canvas overlaps much less conspicuous by faring w/spackle & sanding between coats of paint. After all, they have been doing that on dry-wall for decades. Feathering edges with spackle is easy if you get the practice needed to hone the "soft touch".

Some people like the overlaps.

[cpowell243]

Just finished gluing canvas to the right side interior wall. Canvas and TBII covered minor divots pretty well. I used Fred's technique of overlapping canvas pieces and cutting down the middle of the overlap, then reglued and ironed the fabric down. Minor spackling will be needed in a few places and a few wrinkles, but paint should help cover and overall I'm happy with result. I'm more about make it work and last vs. cosmetics. This weekend I cover the left interior and paint both sides, then glue the nose in place and attach the two walls to the nose. Will document and post pics Sunday night, hopefully.
Big relief that my first attempt at canvas turned out OK.
Ch

[S. Heisley]

Just finished gluing canvas to the right side interior wall. Canvas and TBII covered minor divots pretty well. I used Fred's technique of overlapping canvas pieces and cutting down the middle of the overlap, then reglued and ironed the fabric down. Minor spackling will be needed in a few places and a few wrinkles, but paint should help cover and overall I'm happy with result. I'm more about make it work and last vs. cosmetics. This weekend I cover the left interior and paint both sides, then glue the nose in place and attach the two walls to the nose. Will document and post pics Sunday night, hopefully.
Big relief that my first attempt at canvas turned out OK.
Ch

It sounds like Fred knows how to wallpaper. I've only seen professionals do that.

I'm still peeking in from time to time, even though you seem to have become discouraged with posting pictures or else your camera broke.

[Fred Trout]

Congrats !! It's not hard until you do the ceiling after it's installed and its > 90 F. Then you sweat like a pig and have minimal patience- or at least I did.

It is fun to do it on the flat or even vertical walls and you step back after it's done with a big smile when it looks about right