Painting vs skinning

[Jimbo]

I'm about ready to cover my TD and I have to admit, the cost of skinning is giving me sticker shock. Has anyone tried using a good exterior grade paint to cover with. I believe the original Teardrop for Two camper used paint as the covering. I was curious how it worked out.

BTW, been away for a while but hope to be more active now. Still plugging away on the TD and plan on making a 5' Square Weekender once this one is finished.

[gerry boucher]

Hi Jimbo,
I too am having sticker shock. So I have been thinking about what to do
about covering td. I think I'm gonna (red) paint over sealed luan. I will have a seam running lengthwise down (4' panels on 5' body)but I plan on covering it with elmers wood filler, and then get some plastic moulding and silicone it to the painted luan. They will look like luggage straps. I am going to use Ace Hi Gloss Acrylic Latex Enamel.
We have used it at work at the golf course and it holds up very well.
The finish is like a plastic layer. When I get to it later this spring I will post pictures
Gerry

[mikeschn]

Have you guys checked out the Uniflex 255 from the Rot Doctor. That the same stuff they put on boat hulls. You want to protect the wood. As I understand it, regular paint is too porous...

There's more information here...
http://www.mikenchell.com/weekender/skinning.html

Mike...

P.S. Maybe it's time for DanL to chip in and tell us about the paint job on the Cargo Pod... and how it's holding up???

[davel]

We've decided that we are going to go with a white house paint on ours. The wife is then going to paint her bluebonnets on the sides and then we are going to coat it with Glisten PC. It's a little expensive, $155 per gallon but one gallon will take care of the tear.

http://www.por-outlet.com/shop/product_info.php/cPath/22/products_id/171

[mikeschn]

That Glisten PC stuff sounds pretty good, especially since you can put it on polished aluminum! Dave from CampADK could probably use some of this for his Hunter!!!

I see it's a 2 part product, just like the Uniflex 255!

Mike...

[ALAN GEDDES]

I have painted all three of my Tears with Behr Premium exterior latex after rolling on a gallon of their best primer (usually 2 or 3 coats. Works foe me.

[brickz]

I couldn't afford the aluminum either. Someone else here said they did two coats of sealer/primer and three coats Alkyd high quality exterior paint to finish so that's what I did. I just finished painting this weekend so way too early to tell how it will hold up over the years. Used Benjamin Moore IronClad on mine (white) and it looks great now. Have a few finishing touches and I'll be posting some pics soon. Good luck with yours. Brickz

[DANL]

Got your message, Mike...

The paint is holding up fine. The POD has been sitting outside, uncovered, all through the winter. A bit of leaf dirt and the usual airborne garbage but otherwise it is doing great.

Since I will be making modifications this summer, just touching up with some more paint is an easy way to go. I've contemplated the whole skinning and finishing topic and have come to these personal conclusions.

1. If you want to keep expenses down and you aren't concerned that your trailer must last 20 -30 years... Paint is fine. Just keep in mind that you will have to do touch-ups now and then. I have quality latex paint on the outside of the house and we only repaint every 10-12 years.

2. If you have created your personal masterpiece and you want it to survive for a long time or you just don't want to have to do maintenance other than washing... go with Uniflex 255 or the fiberglass product of your choice or aluminum.

From what I have read here on the forum, I get the impression some folks can bang out teardrops in their sleep while others will take a lot longer. Some are going mainly for a functional unit while others are creating masterpieces of the woodworking art. Some folks are skilled with tools and equipment while others are learning as they go. Some might even toss the first one after a few years or uses and build their "ultimate" TD or TTT based upon what they learned from the first one.

Anyway, Just go with what seems appropriate but think about this... choose the solution you can live with.

Would I paint again? I have great confidence in paint and will continue to use it for the next "experiment" BUT when I do get around to building my "ultimate" trailer, it will probably be covered in aluminum or glass fiber panel.