Question a Woody Side Wall Repair

[cdnred]

I broke down and purchased a used woody teardrop. It's in need of a few repairs to buff it up. On the exterior sidewall, it appears they had used a luan covered plywood on construction. I see that on both sides there's need from some good coating (4) of varathane for protection. Also noted there were some tears in the luan as pictured. Is there any method of repairing this prior to coating or is the varathane coating the only option..? Any feedback would be most helpful..

[Pmullen503]

Any plywood, especially cheap luan, will eventually deteriorate with just Poly or paint. The wood is constantly expanding and contracting with changes in humidity and temperature. Any finish alone will not stop this process.

Short of sanding down to the bare wood and covering it with epoxy and glass cloth, and then maintaining a UV resistant poly or varnish finish, the key will be to limit the temperature and humidity swings. So park it in the shade or garage it. If you tarp it, make sure that air can circulate around it so humidity doesn't build up. Plan on sanding and recoating with Poly every year or three and inspect carefully for any sign of damage, especially under the aluminum trim at the bottom of the sides.

Mostly, enjoy your TD. You'll have to invest some time and care in maintenance but if you are vigilant, it should last a long time.

[tony.latham]

...there's need from some good coating (4) of varathane for protection.

The only remedial fix is spar varnish since it''ll get bombarded by UV rays. Varathane makes one, but I don't know how good it is.

Unfortunately, it should have been fiberglassed/epoxied to prevent the plywood from checking. You might be able to sand those spots down and attempt to match the stain before the spar varnishing, but it'll look a bit rough up close. It is what it is.

Tony

[cdnred]

I think I'll try to clean it up the best that I can and see about putting a good spar varnish on it. Might be best to find at a marine store since boats have the same issues with water and UV. I got a tarp with it so I was plannign to cover it for the winter or else park it inside the garage if I can make room..

Thanks for the tips..

[tony.latham]

I think...

That's what I would do.

Tony