Exterior Ply?

[wlivesey]

So it's time for me to install my exterior plywood skin. What do you think I should use? Good old plywood? Luan? Oak Ply? Masonite? Whatever I end up with, it will be covered in aluminum.

Also, do I need to seal my exterior skin prior to covering with Aluminum?

Here is what I'm covering...


Thanks again!

Bill

[greekspeedoman]

I'd go with Luan. It is plenty strong for the side of a sandwich wall. You could seal the trailer before aluminum but if you put a good trim on the corner you shouldn't need to. Just guild it. A friend of mine did the aluminum and just glued it on with carpet glue. It looks great & no leaks. He didn't seal the trailer first.

[aggie79]

Bill,
I really like Russian Birch plywood (very similar to Baltic Birch.) Plywood Company of Fort Worth has the stuff in 3mm thickness increments (~1/8"). They come in 5'x5' sheets and some are available in 4'x8'. They are not open on Saturdays, though, so you need to swing by during the week. http://plywoodcompany.com/application/home/main.aspx

I've used both the 3mm (ceiling) and 6mm (upper and lower floor skins) in my build, and I will be using the 3mm on the exterior followed by aluminum. On the floor I used 3 coats CPES, 1 coat epoxy, and (by Saturday afternoon) 1 coat rubberized undercoating. I will probably use CPES on the exterior plywood, because I have some left, but I think any sealer, like a water based poly would be sufficient.

Tom

[wlivesey]

Since the visible exterior is going to be aluminum, I think I'm going to use luan. It really only needs to provide a firm backing for the aluminum. I think a coat or two of a poly sealer would be a good idea too. It any water makes it through the poly should go a long way toward preventing any rot.

Thanks for all the input!