method for installing frp siding...aluminum too?

[bfitz]

I used fiber reinforced plastic (flexible, tough, continuous, and cheap!) for my siding and roof. It was recommended to use contact cement to install. With the do or die nature of contact cement, we thought long and hard about how to install this accurately, and easily...this is an account of what we came up with.

Applying contact cement: mfg recommends roller or brush. Bad idea, if you ask me. We used a trowel with 1/16 x 1/16 notches, followed by brushing to fully distribute. Went on perfectly even with no globs/goobers, or other annoying things that will make the surface uneven.

SIDING:
1. Cut oversize, but not too much so.
2. Dry fit.
3. Contact cement the heck out of everything.
Take note of the photos: The strip at the bottom of the TD is a strip of scrap frp. It is clamped in place. Clamping this here allowed us to align/adjust the placement of the finished panel without fear. Also note the squares of plastic all over the side. These are bubble wrap insulation, that are sticking to the marginally tacky contact cement on the sides.
4. Approach the TD with frp, using one hand to align lower edge of frp to lower edge of TD (allowing a little slop). Adjust L/R to ensure full coverage. At this point, the FRP is flat along the bottom, and is rolled towards the worker folk, like a banana peel coming off from the top of the TD.
5. Roll the FRP onto the side, pressing in the middle of the frp where there are no bubble wrap squares. This one location will hold the panel in place.
6. Working from the initial point of contact, reach behind the frp to pull out the bubble squares, press as you go.
7. When all bubble squares are removed, unclamp the lower edge, remove, and the side is on.
8. Use a wall paper roller to apply pressure, as required for contact cement.
9. With a flush cutting bit, use a router to get an exact fit.

ROOF:
This was much scarier to do. It required a 15 foot roll, slightly oversized in width (a bit heavy, and everything was above the head.)
1. Dry fit, so that the front of the panel is EXACTLY where it needs to be.
2. Using tape, mark the exact location of where the panel is laying on the galley walls. Mark both the location on the wall, and on the panel. Use an "x" or arrows of some sort to mark both horizontal and vertical location.
3. Contact cement the heck out of everything.
4. Roll the panel so the glue is on the outside and the front of the panel is on the inside of the roll. This required that we flip the panel upside down. To avoid getting grass/dirt/dust/etc on the panel, be sure to put something clean where the panel is going to be flipped.
5. Again, put a piece of scrap (2 feet worth) on the roof, abutting the galley. Be sure to tape it…the roll will move it in the next step.
6. With a couple of feet of the panel unrolled, we placed the roll on the scrap. The scrap allowed the trailer to take the weight of the roll while we nudged it to align the markings on the frp with the galley walls.
7. When the alignment is “perfectâ€

[grant whipp]

Hey, Brian!

Great looking trailer and a really nice little tutorial on applying the siding & roof. All of your methods will work well on aluminum EXCEPT the use of CONTACT CEMENT! Contact cement is a "hard-setting" adhesive ... aluminum needs to move during its expansion & contraction through temperature changes, so using a "soft-setting" glue is highly recommended, something like RV rubber roof cement or upholster's vinyl-top glue, and I DO NOT recommend gluing the aluminum on the roof ... let it "float".

BTW - I used to work in fiberglass (over 25 years) ... you get used to (almost immune to) the itch ... ...!

CHEERS!

Grant

[steve smoot]

Brian, thanks for the post. You did an excellent job on the tear.

This will be helpful to me, if I ever save enough cash to buy the FRP.

Steve

[glassice]

if this came from home depot are a box store sad to tell you this keep in side no uv it going to oil can and with in 5 years it will crack at ever nail you put in it if you go to the people that make this web site not to be use out side are high heat ares the guy on fle bay that sell a tear made this way try to get us to build 1 that had the look so he could show at shows made the statement if they lasted 4 years so what he got his money

[afreegreek]

nice job!... but next time you can save yourself a lot of work and get an even better bond.. the product is called Sta-put.. it's a sprayable solvent based contact cement. it even comes in it's own spray tank/gun..it's the best contact adhesive out there at this time. it's very easy to work with too and is available in red (to see) and clear..

http://www.sta-put.co.uk/

[Endo]

I used fiber reinforced plastic (flexible, tough, continuous, and cheap!) for my siding and roof.

Brian

Where did you purchase your FRP?

[Shadow Catcher]

Much of the Filon is attached using 3M VHB tape which allows some movement. Both the 3M site http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebse ... 6E666666--
and Crane http://www.craneco.com/Profile/73/Filon.html

[bfitz]

Thanks, all, for the kind words.

Ok...no aluminm!

The first recommendation was a spray on contact cement. I couldn't get it lolcally, and was under intense time constraints to finish. As it was, I pulled an all nighter and finished at about 9 am the day I had to take the camper on its maiden voyage...canned, gel contact cement had to work.

Fortunately, the frp was surplus from an rv supplier...desogned as roofing for uber expensive rv's...uv stable, so they say. It was purchased at bontrager's surplus near constantine, mich...62 cents a square foot. I did the whole trailer for 240 + contact cement. Many many deals to be had there...the door on the egg was only $45, the aluminum wheels with tires were either $75 or $85

[klaatu]

What did you use at the corner between the walls and the roof?
Is it the FRP outside corner product? You have about the same outline
as mine will.
I'm waitijng for the temps to drop alittle before building mine.

Klaatu

[bfitz]

Wall/roof interface/trim:

I was hoping to get deadsoft corner molding, but time was too short (poor planning). I ended up using a powder coated aluminum corner molding (1/2 x 1). To get the bend, I had to anneal the trim multiple times...heat, bend some, heat, bend some. The top and front was no problem. The hatch required some extra hands, as the bend was pretty springy. The wheel wells...much swearing, but I got it to work.

As I've already strated to make this an ad...the trim was $0.50 per foot at the aforementioned surplus store, available in up to 16 foot lengths.

-Brian

[Wild Bill]

I sent you a pm before I saw this post, I think all of my questions have been answered. I have "advertised" for Bontragers myself, they have just about anything you need to build a trailer and I do mean everything.
Your trailer looks great. It has been so hot that I need something to modivate me get out there and work. I need to be weather tight for the winter. Enjoy many happy campouts in your trailer. Bill