Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hey, thanks for all the info!

Well, water definitely beads up instead of soaking in.

I think that Primer I sent my wife for only comes in spray cans. Oh, well.


Yes, “it’s what I have” is familiar. We picked up a gallon of Hunter Green Rustoleum, which as about three quarts more than needed for the trailer frame. So the plywood deck gets some of that. I’m thinking (hoping) that when I build the foamie to set on the trailer, I can paint it a complimentary pale green. Hmmm... now to go see if that “Metal Mist” I bought years ago from an employer surplus auction is really pale green.

I am surprised at how much mix the wood soaked up. But if it really preserves any wood that’s structurally adequate for the job, it sure beats buying that ridiculously high priced dark colored treated marine plywood.

Turns out I didn’t have to throw water on it. Tonight’s rain made the waterproofing obvious.

Ham , it was many years ago when I started bowmaking ( bowyer) that I learned the true nature of wood … Wood is essentially many little cellulose tubes weakly glued together … tubes that carry water and nutrients to the leaves …The Mix seals off these tubes , so water and bacteria can no longer get in . And it works on paper products too ( cellulose fibers ) … like paper ,cardboard , chipboard , OSB, particleboard, plywood , and yes even CANVAS too ... Waterproofs all that … And we’ve used it around the house for many years now … Really makes outdoor things last and last … So Cheap too compared to other alternatives … And we KNOW this works … well tested ...

I’m getting ready to soak some 4” X 4” posts in a bucket of the mix for some time ( a Test) … The intent to waterproof the support posts of a little timberframe entryway cover over our front door . Up until now when we needed to bury posts , we used the NBS ( Nasty black stuff) On the wood to be buried , worked good so far …( not pretty , the bottoms of the posts black )

AS far as I know it all started with Chuck Felton , making cardboard plane models , and gives "the mix" just a casual mention , a couple lines in his explanations on page 3 under Construction tips … waterproofing … http://www.feltondesignanddata.com Naturally we took that information and ran with it !!! … Living in a WET climate ( probably like you too ) waterproofing is esential ..

20 years ago we could buy “floor poly which was a thick yellowish polyurethane that was terrible to use (took forever to harden) but was perfect for the mix and about 20 USD a gallon .. ( CHEAP !!! )

Answered my own question and sharing... what's the difference. Price difference in my area is Thinner $6/gallon, Mineral Spirits $11/gallon.

Paint Thinner vs Mineral Spirits
• Though mineral spirits are a kind of paint thinner, paint thinners are in general considered more toxic than mineral spirits.

• Mineral spirits have the odor of kerosene though there are more refined spirits without any odor.

• Paint thinners are cheaper than mineral spirits.

• While both perform the work of thinning of paints and cleaning of objects, mineral spirits are known for their ability to work as excellent degreaser to clean machinery and tools.

• Mineral spirits are more refined than paint thinners and have less odors than them.

• Paint thinner evaporates quicker, mineral spirits evaporate more slowly and generally leave a smoother finish.

Helped me hopefully this is useful for someone else. I choose Paint thinner.


Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

We tried both , both work for the mix …

getting ready to start my first build, will Thompsons water seal work for the bottom?

Thompsons water seal work for the bottom?

It's wax in solution (and light on the wax, heavy on the thinner). I quit trying to get it to waterproof wood twenty years ago. It's also got formaldehyde in it so you wouldn't want that vaporing into a closed space.

Use The Mix.

Tony

Thank you Tony, that's all I need to hear.

Just picked up a quart of Varathane Ultimate Satin Oil Based Polyurethane and a Gallon of Kleen Strip Paint thinner... total cost around $20. I'll pour the quart in to a clean 1 gallon container and then add paint thinner til full and stir. That should get me the 3:1 mix all you experts suggest. I'll be liberally applying to the 1/2" plywood that will be in contact with the trailer facing the ground. And then I'll do it again and again and again Once installed on the trailer, I'll glue & screw 2x4's on top for strength/support at the seams and start applying again to the 2x4's and the 1/2" plywood. Insulation will fill in the gaps and then it all gets covered with 3/4" plywood (which will also have lots of the mix keeping it protected! )

I wanted to thank everyone for the 14 pages of information! I've read it all and then re-read sections again to ensure I got it straight.

Matt

That's an awful heavy construction..... If you check some more builds,
you should see lighter is possible.

So I mixed 75:25 paint thinner to urethane. I painted 5 coats on a 4x8 sheet of 1/2" ply over the course of 2 or 3 days. It was runny but I laid it on as thick as i could get it. Ultimately, this plywood will be face down facing the road.

Initial impressions:
I was a little surprised there wasn't more of a sheen. I'm used to Poly being shiny when applied. 24 hours after the last coat dried, I was trying to remember how to test to see if it worked. I remembered somebody said to pour some water on it and time how long it takes to soak in. Well I poured about half a cup of water on it and watched....nothing happened. I checked back 15 minutes later and it was still there. 90 minutes later, no change. I wiped it off after 2 hours. I used a total of >maybe< a half gallon for the 5 coats plus some extra pieces... still lots left.

So, I guess it worked! I have the rest of the 1/2" plywood pieces to paint with "the mix" and then of course the entire outer shell before PMF.

THANK YOU!!

Matt

Yes , it does work !!!

J’, we just try to keep the inside dry !!!

I found the easiest way to apply the first couple of coats of the Themix was with a pistol grip spray bottle. I used 75% thinner 25% poly and just squirted it on with my left hand and wiped it in with a brush or rag in my right. I think I even did a coat of 50/50 this way as well. MUCH less time to apply than more conventional methods.

One thing about the Mix we were unaware of , if you have some leftover and let it sit in a jar , it will Gel … So use it up while you can …