Wanting to make my plywood on my trailer waterproof/weather proof. Paint? Epoxy?

[Jeremysp1993]

I have this trailer http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...iar-to-teardrop)?p=980594&posted=1#post980594
I want to paint the outside so it wont deteriorate from the enviroment. I will however have it undercover when not in use, so when i do use it i would want it to be waterproof. Not sure what to use. I am kinda on a budget or i would fiberglass the whole outside. Maybe an epoxy? Not sure really. Maybe epoxy for garage floors? That seems pretty cheap and should work. If i dont like the color of the epoxy, i can paint it cuz then the wood would be sealed, i think. Thanks!

 

[UK4X4]

If you want long lasting - use epoxy resin

do a couple of coats as the first will soak in

Then sand and paint any color you want.

done

 

[4xdog]

Epoxy is a fine choice. There are a number of high durability paints and finishes that will do the job. Think two component mostly, although there are waterborne urethanes now that might be an option. No matter what, choose the right plywood grade. The adhesive systems and performance specifications differ a lot. You probably want even better than normal exterior grade -- marine grade, IIRC.

 

[wjeeper]

My vote would be to use fiberglass resin, lightly sand and then apply your paint of choice. Either epoxy or regular resin would be fine IMHO. When I took plywood storage slide out to be bed lined they said I had to first coat it with resin. When I did it it took two coats as the first coat soaked into the plywood. The resin made a nice hard waterproof shell for the bed liner to adhere to.

One more word of advice and take it FWIW......Dont use bondo brand fiberglass resin. It had a short pot life (time it takes to set harden) and it had gloopy chunks in it. I have been using 3M brand resin on my kayak recently and it has a much longer pot life and its chunk free. Guy who lives a few doors down from me has a plywood canoe that he coated in fiberglass resin, the canoe is 15-20 years old and the plywood has not delaminated......seems workable for a trailer body!

 

[compactcamping]

From my experience I've have found a coat or two of CPES (watery penetrating epoxy) as a grain sealer then 2-3 coats of Durabak roll-on bedliner material works great for protecting plywood trailer boxes. With the CPES your goal isn't to encapsulate the wood, it's to seal the grain / pores to keep it form outgassing and causing pinholes in the top coat. For the Durabak I like to use the textured version for the first coat, then the smooth version for the next two coats. Get it more of an orange peel finish that is easiler to clean.

 

[Jeremysp1993]

All above are good suggestions. Polyester resin etc...
I am in favor of the cheap route, Just good quality paint over correct primer.
Especially so if its stored under cover most of its life, I dont think its worth the extra cost of resin finish.

Whatever the finish is,,, Start with all the joints where water could seep into being generously sealed with suitable caulking. This even means caulking edges between and underneath its wooden parts, trim strips, etc.before they are screwed together.

What kind of primer should i use? On the bottom of my floor, where it is exposed underneith to the road surface, has Kilz Oil based primer. Could i also use that for the exterior? I was told that the oil based is better for exterior applications as it will shed the water better.

 

[McZippie]

You want an inexpensive wood waterproofing...
Cut canvas to size so it overlaps the plywood enough so that it can be stapled to the back side of the plywood. Apply an extra thick coat of paint to the exposed side of plywood. While the paint is wet use a hard roller to work the canvas into the paint and staple it tight. When dry the canvas will be stuck tight to the wood.

Disclaimer; I never did the the above, but as a kid watched my Uncle use it to cover a wood fishing boat. It actually looked pretty cool and lasted for many years.

 

[Jeremysp1993]

Ill just prime the wood instead and paint it because it will be undercover most of the year anyways. On the whole front/roof (not the sides) will have a rubber roof material that is found on top of travel trailers or such.

I thought about the white sno-coat type of stuff for the whole trailer. They use it on roofs on travel trailers to prevent water from seeping in, so why wouldn't it work for the sides of my trailer? Seems like a good idea.

 

[johndeniel]

If you have painted properly then it would increase the drying capacity of the woods. Epoxy would be quite good for keeping the high dryness. It also resists oil stains. You can also use good sealants with the proper placing.

 

[TheThom]

I agree w/ the CPES vote. I am making a wood floored trailer and from the info it was clear I should use CPES. I used CPES and then roll-on bed-liner (Grizzly Grip). Should work great.

CPEA actually penetrates like mineral spirits or xylene, but then it hardens to a firm epoxy within the wood.

 

[jackswwagar]

Well, I guess you got your way of doing it, so try cpes and it will help you in protecting your trailer.

flooring milton

 

[jim65wagon]

We used the West System 105 Epoxy on all of the external and kitchen areas of our trailer. The interior got a few coats of fast drying flooring polyurethane.

 

[mgeiger]

+1 for West. But it is $$. First coat as runny ( thin consistency ) as possible. Can add filler in subsequent coats to build the surface for sanding and later finishing. Their stuff is great to work with.

 

[Woods]

If you're storing your trailer in direct sun, I wouldn't use epoxy alone. A great finish is to use epoxy then finish with a paint coat over it.

 

[wilbur970]

I second what Mr. Wood said - 105 West. As a wanna-be boat builder, I use plywood as the primary material and then West Systems epoxy to seal it up and make it float. Just my .02...