how to make poor mans fiberglass look good 

As an artist and a commercial industrial painter, I know something about this. Quite a lot actually. I only use Tightbond 2 for adhering my linen canvas to my panels. The best way to do it is to cover the panel/wood surface with TIghtbond 2, letting it dry for an hour. Then thin the Tightbond 2 down by about a cup of distilled water to each quart of glue, the coat BOTH backside of the canvas and the panel/wood you are covering, then mate the two WHILE wet, roll them out, and then brush on more glue to the face, BEFORE it dries. DO NOT STRETCH THE CANVAS. This gives a totally sealed bond between the canvas and the wood, never to be removed. It will not delaminate, ever. I have artwork over thirty-five years old using this technique, and it works. Once dry for at least a day, you can sand the rough off the surface using 220 grit to a smooth surface. I prime the surface using my own primer mixture, consisting of titanium dioxide, plaster, PVA (tightbond2) and pumice. This thick mixture covers and seals the surface, sands wonderfully smooth, and hides any blemishes. It is porous, so any type of paint will adhere- I recommend epoxy paints to cover an outdoor application trailer. This will look and feel industrial, and you will never have issues. If you just use paint over top of raw canvas, then your durability goes WAY down.

I built a small kayak using this technique and was able to get a smooth surface and a shine on the kayak. I saturated the cloth on the inner and outer layers with the glue, to achieve a fairly smooth surface to start. I then went over the entire surface with white "Flex-Seal" which made it nearly smooth and semi shiny. I thought the "Flex-Seal" would also ensure it was waterproofed pretty well. I was then able to paint accents on the surface with a Krylon plastic friendly paint. Overall it came out pretty good and fairly smooth with a shiny surface!

Great job ! I used a cotton bed sheet & it didn't have a heavy texture to it & the over lap seams didn't stick out either I also used a little filler once exterior glue completely dried to hide any unsightly transition that I did not want seen .. of course there's sanding involved .. body work takes detail & can not be rushed .. over two years of service with no issues .. As thin as a cotton bed sheet is I was amazed how well it actually works .. that's my personal choice .. I have seen airplane skins up close & they are thin & saturated with a dope mixture and than panted very smooth .. @ the auto body shop I used to work @ we painted the final paint coat on the skin & it came out beautiful & shinny ! My build only had a 1/8 thick plywood skin of which the bed sheet was glued to ..I had removed the metal roof from a car I owned & raised the roof using that thin skin & bed sheet PMF I live in Florida & it was exposed to harsh weather extreme rain / blistering heat with no failure what so ever ! I sold the camper car to a guy here that loves it & when I see it .. it's still looks new with no issues !

Lots of good tips for PMF, you wouldn’t believe the flack I got for tearing the blue camper down.

Roll the 1st base coat of glue down then apply fabric and iron. You should use more glue on top of the fabric top provide a better saturation and add more strength. Use a RUBBER GROUT FLOAT to work the top coating of glue into the fabric and it will come out smoother. Don't understand why people use tiny bondo scraper when a 4x8 grout float works so much better. Thanks for your video. UPDATE: I called TitieBond Tech Support an was told that both Type II and III will in fact bond to each other when applied even after full cure. The caviot was that Titebond only test wood to wood applications, but not bonding cloth to wood. I believe it has been shown many times that this method works extreamely well. Good luck on your builds.

Great looking squaredrop! I built one a couple years ago and love it. I ended up using PMF on just the roof of the camper and seams of the plywood, because I wasn’t sure I would like the finished appearance on the entire trailer. Followed up with several coats of Dutch Boy Max Bond exterior paint on everything, including the bare plywood, and so far its holding up well and have had no water issues. You were much more thorough than I was with the entire PMF process. I’m sure you’ll get many years of good use out of that camper. Nice job, thanks for the video!

I really appreciated how much you interacted with the project and gave insights throughout! very helpful.

Dope-and-canvas was used to build aeroplanes in the early days, well before fibreglass was used. Durable, light, strong and waterproof.

I think Lucy has the best instructions for pmf (and I've watched a lot of them). I notice you didn't follow her instructions to the letter, but your finish turned out really well. The best thing about pmf is the fact that it 'hugs' the trailer build. The biggest frustration I have read from other home trailer builders is leaks. The pmf will hold and hug the wood together and help prevent separation at the seams from the vibrations of travel. I hope you and your wife have many years of enjoyment from your trailer. Great job!

It's definitely a good option and definitely lasts for ages and waterproof. My Grandad did it to a caravan (trailer) way back in the late 1950's and all he did about every ten years would paint over it again just to refresh the look and it kept it waterproof. He told me that the way that he did it was put paint on the surface then lay the canvas over it, smooth it out then paint over the top and let dry then do another coat of paint. He didn't use any glue. Interesting to see glue is used now. The caravan lasted until the early 2000's when we discovered a beehive taking up the whole front storage under a bed. To get to the bees they had to open up from the outside. When mom died in 2005 my siblings simply pulled the van apart and threw it in the skip. :'( Otherwise I would have brought it home and repaired it and it would still be going. You have done a nice job. Thanks for all the good tips. Enjoy!

As a remodeled, renovation, repairman, restoration guy (plus many other hats I wear), I thank you for the effort and study you put in! I have learned to take my new roller covers and wind 2" masking tape around them BEFORE using, to remove loose lint. The flap overlaps I suppose one could bondo and texture a bit with a roller before it sets up so it doesn't come out TOO smooth, and match the paint texture, tho I haven't had time to build one yet.

Great video, I learned from another guy that if you put canvas on the sides first, wrapping up over the roof top about 4-6 inches, then cover the roof and razor the edges of the roof canvas the seams seem to look nicer.

This technique has been used on boat bottoms and campers at least 70 years ago. Today's paints are even better than before.

If I may offer a couple of things to those that are planning on using this technique. First, coming from the perspective of a house painter, yes, absolutely buy a good quality roller. Do not use box store budget stuff for your final finish. They are fine for applying the glue, but not for final finish. Second, if you want to use a sprayer, that's fine, they will make short work of the job. HOWEVER, a paint sprayer is not a replacement for a roller. The roller is still the tool of choice for getting that final finish. The paint sprayer only puts the paint on the wall. You MUST back roll after the paint is sprayed. Spray it on real wet, don't worry about runs, you will take them out with the roller. Do not roll in a zig zag pattern, straight vertical strokes, end each stroke in the same direction, either up stroke or down stroke, personal preference. Give a good 50% overlap on the roller strokes. A paint sprayer is not required, but if you don't use one, just be sure to get plenty of paint on the surface, brush strokes and roller tracks will show up if you go too thin. Brush/roller must be fully wet. If you hear that sticky sounding, almost velcro sound while rolling, you are too dry, get that roller wet. Always remember paint does not hide anything. Paint causes things to change color, that's all. If you have imperfections, painting them will only create colorful imperfections. Third. as far as lint goes, Use the tightest nap you can, this is still personal preference, however in this application, you want a smooth finish. The nap should be enough to get paint into the weave of the canvas, but no more. Drywall would use a very tight nap, stucco would use a much looser nap, for canvas, you'd want something closer to drywall. Keep in mind the bigger the nap, the more lint. And use painters tape to wrap around the roller. Wrap it up all the way with one length of tape, then peel it off. The loose lint will come off on the tape.

Love the build! Looking great!! Can't wait to see it finished.

You need to use a water proof Wood glue because once it drys moisture cant and will not affect it in anyway. I would recommend one coat to lay down the canvass and one coat over the top the canvass to seal it and then paint...

Good idea listening to Lucy, she has the best PMF finishes

This is great!! Your trailer will bring you years of memorable adventures. Both you and your wife enjoy. Thanks for sharing.

You did a great job 👍 i would never criticize your finish , its for camping not a car show and hounestly i like seeing that it was hand made not bought , it shows your willing to give it a try and thats more then alot of us do , bottom line is its more waterproof then any you can buy i garentee that , todays campers are designed to fail after 5 years , keeps you comming back , ive seen bottom skins that overlap siding , instead of siding over bottom skin , thats going to allow water to funnel right into the bottom wall studs and rot , cant tell me the manufacturer didnt realize this , then they cover the seam with trim and sealant, knowing that after a couple trips the sealent will fail now allowing water to enter 10 inches above floor line , but from the outside so by the time you notice inside its already to late , my sisters 35 foot had this failure so i looked at others and man they build them so poorly i would never buy one , building is the only way you will spend your money wisely.......love it and thanks for inspiring.....

Mohair roller covers leave nothing behind and would allow you to lay down more paint on each pass versus spraying. Also rolling the paint on in my opinion works the paint in for a better bond to the previous coat 😀

Thank you for all the details you shared! This is very helpful!

I really like the overall look of the shape of this trailer. Excellent job, in my opinion! Your PMF looks great in camera Haha Lucy’s channel was the first channel I came across dealing with this subject. She has great tutorials. I made my comment at the beginning of your video. Now I’m almost through and you are officially in my number 1 slot of tutorials on PMF. Most excellent job!!! Yes that’s 3 exclamation marks 😂. Thank you for taking the time to make this video

Great Video and very helpful. My experience with PMF is that using the Glue to adhere the cloth.. then going over with two coats of glue after.. Strengthens the fabric and basically turns it to plastic. It's far more durable than just coating it with latex paint. And also far superior waterproofing. My next build I will finish coat with grey Raptor liner.

Just wanted to come back and let you know how helpful your PMF video was. I finished my PMF yesterday and I am so happy with the results. YouR tip on investing the time in ironing made all the difference. Watched yours and Lucy’s videos over and over. I also kept mine off the trailer and flipped so I could PMF on flat surfaces. Thanks for taking the time to do these videos.

Perhaps some day I will build a supper light insulation sheet foam camper with PMF inside & out with perhaps 1/8 plywood sheeting on the two inside side walls ? Strength comes from it's design & how it's put together The floor of course will be more than just the sheet of foam lol still using the most light weight material possible .. It's fun to explore all the possibilities while brain storming ! This guy's build on this post has helped me see his process is fantastic rotating up each surface to work on it .. perhaps building a rotisserie to rotate the build ? I don't know just ideas for now !

Since its an undercoat, when doing the 50/50 mix just add color as you do each coat, shouldnt take much, just enough so you can tell where you've been, ie start white, then add some red so it becomes a light pink, then add some blue so it becomes a purple etc etc

her Theory is correct but its a quart of water to a gallon of paint. Thats recommended when you paint Porous material

Interesting thing to make gluing the cloth on the surface is to use the fact that the glue melts. Thus cover the surface with glue and even can water down the glue to get a more even coat. Could even put multiple water thinned coats on. Then use an iron to flatten the canvas and melt the glue at the same time. I did this to coat a balsa wing with plastic.

Builders have been making painted canvas canoes for over a hundred years. Definitely waterproof (and good looking).

Great video. Thank you for all the detailed explanations.

Thanks for an excellent share. That was a ton of work to complete AND document, it is appreciated that you shared all this info.

Nice looking trailer, thanks for the video. My trailer is aluminum only on the outside. Closed cell spray-foam inside for additional strength and sound proofing. Then 3/8 ply on the inside for a strong light-weight wall. I might try the PMF over a styrofoam wall for ultimate lightweight trailer. Thanks again for sharing.

for cutting the seam and having to deal with fraying, pinking shears might be a better option than straight scissors. they are designed to cut a zig zag pattern that prevents fraying. So you end up with a saw tooth edge on the fabric but i'd imagine doing that and making sure to cut it well would look pretty good still. though not sure how effective they would be on canvas fabric.

The auto body man in me screams a skim coat of Duraglass on everything then go back with a skim coat of body filler if you want a really nice finish. The trick to duraglass and body filler is in the mixture. The less hardener you add to your mixture the longer you have to work with it and the mixture becomes much harder after it cures. It's kind of counter intuitive, but it's how the stuff works. Less hardener, harder surface. More hardener, softer surface.. Unfortunately if you do it that way it demands a LOT OF sanding to get smooth, but air tools makes quick work of it. A good, high quality dual action sander works best and always keep the surface of the sanding pad FLAT to the surface instead of tipping it on edge. Since most of you are going for low budget, quick work you're probably not going to all the trouble, but it'll last far longer. You can even fill completely empty holes with duraglass..Back in the days of completely rusted out body panels that's how we did that foolishness..Slap it on a sheet of wax paper then slap it over the hole and no more hole..Hard as a rock..

Build is amazingly awesome and all but a thumbs up for watching Joe.

I think it looks great. I prefer a few imperfections as it gives your camper it's own character. Super job.

Wow! Amazing work my friend. Never seen any video where ironing needed to be performed. Awesome build!

I built a teardrop a couple of years ago and used this process. I bought a couple of gallons of miss mixed exterior paint from Home Depot. Seemed to work out great. I sold the camper awhile back still in good shape.

Great DIY video! I also liked Joe R. in the podcast in the background!👍✌

I personally used foam or mole hair rollers for applying large areas with glue, I also purchased my glue in five-gallon buckets when finished for the day I would set the grid and roller down in the bucket and put the lid back on. Excellent job by the way.

Thank you for posting this video. Seems like many home builders of teardrop campers are in haste with the canvas. And seems as a result they get a finish that looks like the dogs breakfast

This technique has been used in the boat building industry for hundreds of years originally with canvas and linseed oil based paints as decking on boats and also as a waterproof layer under teak decks. Naturally as soon as water based acrylic paints turned up that took over. It was a well established and trusted technique well before fiberglass was invented and may have even been the inspiration for the development of resin infused fiberglass laminating.

When I used to paint our plaster horse hair walls, in a circa 1918 house, it used to take forever, lots of paint, couldn't see where I had been. Then I learned to load the roller and paint a overly huge wet W, then quickly go to the left, upper top, of the W, start rolling down, working across, getting rid of the W. You can paint a wall quickly. The W will have the Lion's share of the roller load, and even running down the wall, the roller will pick up the extra paint as you move left to right across the W. I'm not sure you can paint your panels that way, but it saves paint, time as not going over painted areas you can't see. You basically roll down, can judge where to pick back up at the top, the W will heavy paint helps judge your position.

First off, I would like to thank you for this video. I am building an 8x8 cargo trailer and have been trying to figure out what to use for finished exterior.

For car bodies with some sort of shape to them, applying too much bondo and sanding back is necessary. But screw holes on flat surfaces, like when dry-walling, are better done in two or three passes, scraped flat each time. The extra passes fill shinkage and there is minimal sanding required. I used to hold the dumb end of a tape measure in construction and I've mixed my share of body filler I know things.

I did this method on an interior wall with craft paper on poly insulation. It was only supposed to be temporary but was so durable I rode with it for at least a year before building walls.

Nice job. Thanks for all the info and tips.

FRP panels are only $39 for a 4'x8' sheet at HD... providing a MUCH easier surface to clean and MUCH faster and pain-free installation. Thanks for sharing!

Yeah, yeah. Great video. (Me looking past the camper to the beautifully built sawhorses in the background. "That's how my grandpa did it. His lasted sixty years, even when exposed to the weather. These could use a couple coats of paint to protect them a bit from water damage. Other than that, those are some mighty fine sawhorses... Wonder how he organized his small parts...")

Ive heard of people using that lawn mesh....instead of heavier cotton duct cloth tarp Good idea washing it before use

Came apon this channel at random this method is one I've not heard of before will definitely have to try it for the inside of my RV.

Enjoying your series!

Looks great and I appreciate the improvement ideas.

Did an outstanding job! I like the texture of it.

Great Video , I love the detail and info you offer, thank you !

I wonder would a exterior gloss or yacht varnish work well. The bed liner sounds like a good idea super durable and water proof.

I like your build. Not sure if this has been mentioned before but if your going to build with this technique again, tight bond lll glue is waterproof, tight bond ll is for interior applications. It’s a few dollars more per gallon. Well worth the money.

Funny enough you can use old bedsheets for this instead of canvas Because it's thinner it allows the glue to get better bonding Because my dad did that with his And he also put 2 layers of wire mesh for windows Every few layers Of the bed sheets, also he watered down his glue to let it impregnate the fabric Better. When building the camper in his truck And it's what I plan on doing And I know it's not the poor man's fiberglass anymore After I put a layer of epoxy resin on the outside Just for that extra strength And I plan on doing the same thing for inside on any frame Parts Because I mean in the end it's just really fancy paper mache

It looks awesome, you did terrific on fiberglass and paint

You can also use paint in place of the glue... you can apply the paint, put the cloth on and then immediately paint again so the paint lays can cross contact and be a really good seal... you can also use styrofoam boards skinned with laminate wood to make it lighter, stronger and insulated... maybe cheaper too... fiberglass screen can be painted into the surface to add strength if needed...

Just seen your video, good job! I was in construction as a younger guy building homes. I learned then nothing is perfect in construction. Like we used to say, ain't building no piano! You always notice the imperfections more than anyone else would. Like I said good job!

I'm going to be doing the same thing to waterproof/repair the roof of my caravan. I plan to use an outdoor epoxy resin as my material with paint over top as I think as far as longevity it may last longer.

Looks awesome!!! If I can offer some advice... spraying would also work however you should still backroll it. There is a product called peel bond it’s a primer that will fill many of those imperfections, lastly run tape around your roller skins before using...it pulls off lint and dust!

You did a nice job I’ve seen a lot of these poor man’s fiberglass and I give you a 10 compared to the others. Look forward to seeing it finished.

Thank you for the time and effort. Great video. Great content.

If you attempt to do it again try using an airless sprayer for the blended paint

Wow that's incredible. It came out beautiful

Honestly, this process seems like the perfect candidate for something like raptor liner. Or some other bedlining product as a final outer coating.

Thanks for your input was curious on how to do this if my build ends half as good I'll be happy

Awesome, been thinking about stuff like this, now it has a name!

I really like the design and shape of the camper. I'm planning to build one this Spring, but I'll just go with siding.... not so time consuming. 😊 but I'm using your camper shape/style.

I used a similar method with oil-based paint, but used bed sheet cloth which is finer woven and leaves a smoother surface.

Hi, Thanks for sharing all this. I noticed that cell B31 in the material list doc needs to be updated to =sum(E13:E30) the sum of the wood was a little high.

What a great concept, canvas as the base. I never thought of that. Thank you man.

Right, a paint sprayer would help. To buff something out means to sand it first if it has orange peel or other imperfections. But if the imperfection is too big you will rub thru, so it works to sand between coats and to make sure you have enough paint on it, to have that end result of a smooth sealed surface. But i would suggest using a sanding primer filler. It fills it faster and sands easy so you can get that perfection easily. Then you put layers of paint after the primer layers, but the paint layers require no real sanding unless you make a run or something, only enough to get any dirt out of the paint job. In this case using PMF i would do what Lucy said and use real paint watered down first for the first few coats, and then maybe i would do one coat of full paint, then begin using the primer filler and sand between coats and it will be pristine surface for the last layers of paint. But you have to sand until the surface is totally smooth to a 220 grit, it will feel smooth when you run your had on it. You only use what ever primer you need, it is a filler designed to fill those imperfections, if the surface is really rough and you sand the first layer of primer but the surface is still not smooth and it is beginning to expose the layer under it, then it needs another heavy coat, and do the same thing sand to a 220 grit. Do it until you can sand the entire surface with 220 grit, it means that a 220 grit sand paper on the sanding block used flat against the surface scratches every last bit of the surface, then you need no more coats of filler. It will now have possibility to look like a show car finish, depending on what kind of paint you choose, and how well you spray it, and buff it if it is needed. I know you sanded between coats and that helped, but you only sanded off the dirt and garbage from the roller that got into your paint job, you didn't sand the paint long enough to to actually smooth the surface for the final coats of paint. IT takes alot of sanding, you need a DA, it is an orbital sander for that, primer filler also makes it easier and faster to sand, and using less sand paper. .Because really that was not paint work technically, it was body work that needed to be sanded to a 220 grit first, NOW it is paint work. Then once you get the surface smooth you paint that last layer on with a spray gun mixed right for the weather so it flows correctly, and don't stir up dirt, , and then after it dries just a quick easy rubbing in this case, if any rubbing is needed which it might not. If you mixed the paint right, and it flowed good, and it made only little tiny orange peel just beginning, or maybe no orange peel at all, and o dirt in the paint job, then it is done no rubbing will help it, only hurt it. You can never get out all swirl marks, you will use the swirl mark remover and think you got it, but under the right light conditions, it appears like they all show up.. . But with that final surface you have on that camper, no rubbing will get it right but it can help maybe, but it will still not look right because you won't be able to sand those imperfections out and still have enough paint on it to rub now. But that is the first step, get it SMOOTH first, then paint it the last layers. It can still be done anytime, just sand it until it is smooth, then paint it again. You can also pin point the problem areas and spray another coat on those and sand more, smooth, remember smooth. lol You do realize to buff a surface that the last piece of sandpaper that touches the paint job is a 1500 grit? Then it is still not done, it needs the buff wheel and polish.

Nice work. I built a similar camper 4 years ago. The finish is holding up great! Should last you quite some time.

Instead of watering down the paint it'd be better to get primer, like BIN 123. It will soak in alot better and it will be thicker and drip less

FYI : Two costs of Tremclad oil based paint would all you will need to cover this once and for all . Makes it water proof as well .

Thank you for making this video!!!

Yeah. I ran across her some 4-5 years ago. On her 1st build. She’s a sharp person.

You could have used body filler to remove the seam line on the canvas wrap after your first or second coat.

Use a micro fiber roller and Rustoleum above the waterline paint as the top coat… results in a very smooth finish.

The adhesive seems like it would be a much better idea than body filler for a trainer than is going to endure an extreme amount of vibration, shock, and flexing. Especially in major joints. Id go so far as to use something like Infinity bond EP 100 flex in a build like that to help ensure better longevity

You can use small amounts of Lacquer Thinner to thin down your filler to where it will spread easier and stay where you want it.

Did you try using a foam roller, they lay down a much smoother texture. Also if you don’t dilute your first coat with water, you can sand and get a really smooth surface

Why not use Marine Epoxy as your final coat?? I’ve used that on plenty of art projects to builds & it is 🎯 bc it’s designed to repel water & UV - plus it’ll give you the “high gloss” finish if that’s your end goal - Awesome work!

Just a suggestion, but I would have used the same tape that fabric winged aircraft use over joints. It’s Serrated, which gives you 50% more edge, that’s glued down. And it looks like a professional job. Cheers

The finish looks beautiful for it's intended purpose. Unless you are planning on entering it in mini-tear drop rv finish contests.

The 50/50 paint water mix is probably ment to be that liquidly tho even if more difficult to apply it's so liquidy it can saturate into the canvas or fabric a lot better. Meaning that even if it when an out crack of paint occurs it still may not through the inner saturation that's solidified. Turns the canvas into a good protection layer in it's own. Then once sealed n ya go over it again ya end up with an outer protection layer as well.

Fraying fabric - sewers know about it but those doing PMF probably would not. FRAY CHECK! It is a clear liquid you put on the cut edge to keep fabric from fraying. There are a few products similar to the original fray check liquid and I'm sure they work just fine - a litte goes a long way - no need to squeeze a ton on one spot - just keep a steady hand moving while squeezing gently and you'll have a cut fabric edge sealed from fraying.

For straighter, lay flat seams with no fraying, trim edges slightly longer than desired & seize with glue, before adhering edges to the body. Where corners converg or terminate, use clamps to establish your overlapping folds. (on these terminal corners where more than two walls converge, perhaps insert wax paper or other barrier to adhesion, ahead of finishing fabrick trimming) When dry, you can now use a straight edge instead of scissors, for an unfrayed finishing edge, ready to be glued flat & straight.

I like the idea of using the angle aluminum as a marking guide. To minimize fraying, before marking and cutting the canvas, put painters tape over the cut area first, then mark and cut. Leave the tape on and peel it off as you glue it down. It should make the edge cut straighter and the final seam cleaner.

Excellent instructional video!

good quality. and i watched l wood too earlier today before I found your video. She did some clever stuff. You do great work. I do prefer the foam for weight but the plywood looks better i'm thinking. clever choice of extra materials in your trailer. I like how you covered the entire body also. looks like most people aren't covering the bottom.

Blue seal rubber paint would be cool over the whole trailer

Thank you. I'm learning and practicing using PMF. Right now I'm building dog stairs, but I will be building a foam kayak. I love the cost and durability of PMF, but I'm discouraged because most people's finished product looks like dog shit.

You should've sanded between coats to get a smoother finish. And don't water down latex paint. it's the same as using cheap paint then so you wasted your money.

Use rust oleum top coat boat paint. It costs more but it is designed for a gloss waterproof finish

Thank you so much for the video!!! Great advise. Was the 1/4 inch leeway you left around the holes enough space? I'm building mine now and I have left about 3/8 inch and I wonder it that will be too much.

one of the best videos i have seen. thanks