Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-19-2009, 09:39 PM   #1
Rivet Master
 
Bowmans's Avatar
 
1979 31' Sovereign
1950 22' Liner
Powhatan , Virginia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 521
Blog Entries: 52
Good shower wall covering on reno?

Does anyone know of a clear coat paint product that will seal 1/2 pine board walls so they can be used as walls to the shower? If not, how about a paint that will stick to both the aluminum curved wall and wood walls and seal it off from soaking any water into it from the shower?

Background:
We have a 1979 31' center bath AS. I am just about complete with the exterior and ready to move on to the interior. We have stripped all paneling, walls, cabinets, etc. out and stored everything for now. I pulled out the walls for the bath and left the shower pan, toilet, sink/medicine cabinet in place. I have to do a little fiberglas work on the outside corner of the shower pan and we plan on using that Retrobright to get the plastic back to original color.

My plan with the bath is to redo the walls in pine 1/2 board frames with paneling inserts except the shower walls which I will use pine 1/2 boards as the walls toward kitchen and hall. I was hoping to find a clear, water-resistant sealer I could paint on the inside of the shower walls to keep the wood finish to the inside but according to Olympic, no clear coat will work in that wet of an environment. I have come up with many ideas but they all add additional weight to these walls (aluminum, plastics) and I would rather keep it wood if possible.
Bowmans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2009, 12:57 AM   #2
Power to the People !
 
Maryw164's Avatar
 
1972 31' Sovereign
SAN DIMAS , California
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 447
Images: 1
Blog Entries: 5
Send a message via AIM to Maryw164 Send a message via Skype™ to Maryw164
Very interesting question.

What about outdoor deck/fence type sealers? Sure you'd have to re-seal every year or two, but it would be worth checking out.

Mary
__________________
Happy Trailering !
Forums member #29232
Check out my new Blogs (work in progress):
https://www.airforums.com/forums/blog...-maryw164.html

https://1972airstreamsovereign.blogspot.com/
Maryw164 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2009, 03:56 AM   #3
Rivet Master
 
Happycampers's Avatar
 
1979 30' Argosy
Havelock , where we park it
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,652
Hello.... We used a pieced shower kit and used that , took off the vinyl coveriing on the shower walls and used contact cememt to glue it on with .... painted the curved wall and shower pan seat with Por 15 Brilliant white.... we used eraserboard for the walls in the bathroom area... it is standing up very welll....
__________________
Marvin & Annie
Niki (fur baby)
1979 Argosy 30 (Costalotta)
WBCCI 10103
"Happiness is a warm Puppy" Charles Schulz
Happycampers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2009, 05:45 AM   #4
Silver Mist
 
LI Pets's Avatar
 
Currently Looking...
Riverhead , New York
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,011
Images: 28
Have you considered the weight of those boards?
__________________
Bob


LI Pets is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2009, 06:46 AM   #5
4 Rivet Member
 
Cantrell's Avatar
 
1985 34' Limited
1960 24' Tradewind
Summerville , South Carolina
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 382
A marine spar urethane would be a good solution on wood that is going to be wet often. It is going to be a maintenance deal where you are going to have to recoat it as needed to protect the wood. It would be wise to insure your shower walls are made in a way that they don't allow water to sit on any flat surface (no horizontal flat parts, for example). You could bevel any horizontal boards to force water to roll off them.
Marine urethane can be had at most good paint stores and I think the big box hardware stores carry it. It is about $40 to $50 a quart. 3 to 4 coats a day apart sanding very lightly between coats. It is a solvent based product--keep the fresh air moving.
My bigger concern would be how to seal all these wood parts to each other and to the existing vinyl wall so that you would not allow water behind the panels. In water environments, simple is better. That is, the less the number of pieces of material and joints you have, the less likely water will find a way in and cause trouble.
Good luck.
__________________
Bill Cantrell
AIR 24338
TAC SC-1
__________________________________________________
Easily distracted by shiny objects.
Cantrell is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2009, 04:22 PM   #6
Rivet Master
 
Bowmans's Avatar
 
1979 31' Sovereign
1950 22' Liner
Powhatan , Virginia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 521
Blog Entries: 52
Thanks for the responses.

Happycamper - Was the pieced shower kit a bunch of plastic panels? Did you get it from Lowe's/Home Depot type store? That sounds better than re-sealing the wood often as far as maintenance goes.

Cantrell and Maryw - My plan is to use straight board on the shower walls so there will be no lip/flat area to hold water. I plan to screw the boards together from the outside (side that goes toward the kitchen hidden where the track doors are) and against the aluminum curved wall from the outside with aluminum angle (re-using the original angle piece). I will seal all abutments of the boards inside with a colored silicone bath caulk. I am keeping the shower pan and seat area original (plastic stuff) so the flat areas will be there. Thanks for the info on the marine sealer type Cantrell.

LI Pets - We have been going over and over on the weight issue and took a long time to decide whether to keep the original interior or rebuild it. Seeing all of the original "sticker" wood grain peeling off the paneling and the plastics for all of the tambours rotting and breaking, I was mainly concerned with maintenance issues that we would run into since everything seemed to be on its last leg. We will be working with paneling mostly, just framing it in with 2" x 1/2" boards, using a joiner to cut a groove to hold the paneling. After taking out what was in there and seeing the construction, the increase in weight with a sample piece framed was minimal in some cases and equal in others.
Bowmans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2009, 05:48 PM   #7
3 Rivet Member
 
airstreamjudy's Avatar
 
1968 24' Tradewind
Largo , Florida
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 130
Images: 2
Take a look at Sikkens which is made by Cetol. I used this product on my sailboat deck and other teak trim for years. Try westmarine.com. Sikkens comes in Marine Light, Matural Teak, Marine and a Gloss @ about $45.00 per quart. Call the vendor to discuss your useage @ 1 800 631 7481. You need to put 3 to 4 coats on and may not have to replace it for 5 + years. You touch up when you see a spot that needs it. I'm speaking from experience in the marine environment - using it in your AS you may have a much longer time before removal and replacement is needed. Great product for wood around water.
__________________
JudyW
airstreamjudy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-20-2009, 06:53 PM   #8
Rivet Master
 
Happycampers's Avatar
 
1979 30' Argosy
Havelock , where we park it
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,652
We just used the corner piece of the shower surround to make the corner a smooth finish and have some built in shelves for soap etc. the other straight panels we used dry eraser board. We got the surround at Home Depot and the eraser board at a lumber specialty store. I don't have any pics of the shower but I can take some Wednesday as I will be out of town till then.

Marvin
__________________
Marvin & Annie
Niki (fur baby)
1979 Argosy 30 (Costalotta)
WBCCI 10103
"Happiness is a warm Puppy" Charles Schulz
Happycampers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-21-2009, 06:04 PM   #9
Rivet Master
 
Bowmans's Avatar
 
1979 31' Sovereign
1950 22' Liner
Powhatan , Virginia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 521
Blog Entries: 52
I would love to see pictures of how you did it when you get the time to. Thanks.
Bowmans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2009, 03:48 PM   #10
the zenman
 
zenman's Avatar
 
1972 31' Sovereign
wakefield , Quebec
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 18
Images: 10
clear plastic

have you considered clear plastic skin over wood

z
zenman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2009, 08:18 PM   #11
Rivet Master
 
dkottum's Avatar
 
2012 25' Flying Cloud
Battle Lake , Minnesota
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 7,714
My experience with lots of exposed wood on the outside of our house is that urethanes or varnishes will not hold up at all. The absorption of moisture in this environment, expansion, and subsequent contraction of the wood when drying will crack the finish, allow water to penetrate, and its all downhill from there. Pine also does very poorly when exposed to moisture. Best to start with a water tolerant wood such as cypress (clear grade), that is also one of nature's most beautiful woods, and apply a top quality clear preservative such as Sikkens. Cypress has been used in showers, but needs to be wiped dry after each use. I would think there may be a mold problem, and standard shower panels would be better.
dkottum is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-23-2009, 06:39 PM   #12
Rivet Master
 
Bowmans's Avatar
 
1979 31' Sovereign
1950 22' Liner
Powhatan , Virginia
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 521
Blog Entries: 52
Thanks for all of the responses. I think I am going to take the safe way out and go with a plastic surround. I found some 4' x 8' plastic sheets at a box store and corner trim that is self sealing. It is very light so shouldn't have any weight issues adding that in. It only comes in almond and white unfortunately and probably won't match the shower basin. I really didn't want to epoxy the plastics but we'll see what color the bath gets with retrobright and see if almond is close.
Bowmans is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 07:16 AM   #13
the zenman
 
zenman's Avatar
 
1972 31' Sovereign
wakefield , Quebec
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 18
Images: 10
plastic

Have you considered clear plastic panels inside of your preferred finish. You would have to leave a small airspace between the panel and wood with a small air intake vent (very small) at the bottom in the outside layer...wood. The heat from the shower would cause the airspace to heat up creating an upward draft in the air space to prevent condensation or clouding. Just a theory.

z
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	shower.JPG
Views:	215
Size:	61.1 KB
ID:	87636  
__________________
Gerry "the zenman" Morgan
"72 Sovereign..."the Ronnie"
Recording studio on wheels
www.theronnie.com
zenman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 07:23 AM   #14
the zenman
 
zenman's Avatar
 
1972 31' Sovereign
wakefield , Quebec
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 18
Images: 10
added side note

A transparent shower enclosure might be worth a look. These are complete and don't leak.

Shower Enclosures, Glass Shower Enclosure, Shower Stall, Bathroom Shower

z
__________________
Gerry "the zenman" Morgan
"72 Sovereign..."the Ronnie"
Recording studio on wheels
www.theronnie.com
zenman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 08:22 AM   #15
3 Rivet Member
 
BWH-Utah's Avatar
 
1965 22' Safari
Salt Lake City , Utah
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 114
Images: 3
Other Options and considerations

If you really want wood your best bet is probably:
WEST SYSTEM EPOXY
They have products that are very good at penetrating into wood for a better bond. They are also very water resistant.

But, I agree the problem you will continue to fight is swelling of the wood from any moisture getting in. No matter what you do water will eventually get in, especially in a hot, humid, confined shower area. The wood will expand and contract and ANY finish you put on will not move at the same rate as the wood. That will eventually cause the finish coating to separate from the wood. The best way to solve this is to make sure the back side is well ventilated, not an easy task on a shower install.
Another consideration, it is important to finish/seal the back side as well as the front. If this is not done then the back-side well swell more than the front-side and you will get cupping: back ( front. This is true for any wood finishing project (cabinets, counter-tops, any interior walls, etc.)

If you really want the wood-look without the hassles, you could look into a wood grain "Formica" counter top type product.

Good luck,
BWH
BWH-Utah is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 11:09 AM   #16
2 Rivet Member
 
1989 25' Excella
Hershey , Pennsylvania
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 60
Images: 13
I used white Formica to cover the walls in my shower. I built a shower this way years ago in a bus conversion very sucessfully. The advantage is that you can use the same material on the curved outside wall and on the flat plywood wall. You can see a picture of my shower in progress at this thread http://www.airforums.com/forums/f446...wer-49425.html

Good luck with your project!

Ed
89Excella is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 12:54 PM   #17
Rivet Master
 
InsideOut's Avatar

 
1956 22' Safari
2015 27' Flying Cloud
Vintage Kin Owner
Conifer/Evergreen , Colorado
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 12,702
Images: 108
We used stainless steel...

Shari
__________________
Vintage Airstream Club - Past President 2007/2008
WBCCI #1824 - DenCO Unit Past President (2005)
AIR #30 - Join Date: 2-25-2002

RMVAC | ACI - CO Unit (Formerly WBCCI) | BIRDY - our 1956 Safari | 1964 Serro Scotty
InsideOut is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 01:08 PM   #18
Rivet Master
 
Happycampers's Avatar
 
1979 30' Argosy
Havelock , where we park it
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,652
This is what our shower looks like. The only part that is the shower surround is the one with the shelves on it, the other flat panels are dry erase board all fastened with contact cement after the vinyl was peeled from the partitions, the curved part is painted with POR 15 brilliant white and the shower pan with POR 15 also.

Marvin
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	004 [].JPG
Views:	257
Size:	16.6 KB
ID:	87647   Click image for larger version

Name:	005 [].JPG
Views:	267
Size:	18.9 KB
ID:	87648  

Click image for larger version

Name:	006 [].JPG
Views:	235
Size:	19.0 KB
ID:	87649  
__________________
Marvin & Annie
Niki (fur baby)
1979 Argosy 30 (Costalotta)
WBCCI 10103
"Happiness is a warm Puppy" Charles Schulz
Happycampers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 01:14 PM   #19
Rivet Master
 
Happycampers's Avatar
 
1979 30' Argosy
Havelock , where we park it
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,652
Quote:
Originally Posted by InsideOut View Post
We used stainless steel...

Shari

That looks nice Shari. Really clean looking.



Marvin
__________________
Marvin & Annie
Niki (fur baby)
1979 Argosy 30 (Costalotta)
WBCCI 10103
"Happiness is a warm Puppy" Charles Schulz
Happycampers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-24-2009, 02:08 PM   #20
3 Rivet Member
 
rd tighe's Avatar
 
2007 25' International CCD FB
South , South Dakota
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 154
Images: 13
shower

Bowmans
In the kitchen and bath business we do not recommend wood in a shower . What I have seen is clear core acrylic laminates for the wall’s you would get a look that will wow anyone who see’s it the color’s are great and some are wood look alike and it is suitable for shower stall’s. It is .060 thick the exposed edges can be polished to join at the wall. I would recommend axiom silicone we use it in the solid surface business it is made to join none porous surfaces like corian and one again the colors are great when it comes to calking we apply the caulk in a descent bead then we spray with Windex and wipe with a wilsonart laminate chip that you can get at any home center it will leave a perfect cove and make you look like a pro . attached are the links to the products I have spoke of. In all projects cost get’s to be an issue. but my motto has always been Quality doesn’t cost it pays!
Good luck

Dean Tighe
wbcci #5617

P.S. if you can't find these items we run a kitchen and bath business and we can get them for you

shower walls
Advanced Technology

caulk
Axiom

caulk install

Axiom Caulk Line Instructions
rd tighe is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
original interior wall covering Beverly II Upholstery, Blinds, Walls & Interior Finishes 1 10-08-2008 11:14 AM
White fuzzy wall covering grantb4 Upholstery, Blinds, Walls & Interior Finishes 3 08-16-2007 08:38 AM
interior wall covering material mouse 1987 - 1989 Excella 2 04-09-2007 04:11 PM
Shower vinyl wall covering replacement. capehoorn Sinks, Showers & Toilets 0 05-19-2006 02:03 PM
Delaminated wall covering? balrgn Upholstery, Blinds, Walls & Interior Finishes 15 02-20-2006 12:09 PM


Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Airstream, Inc. or any of its affiliates. Airstream is a registered trademark of Airstream Inc. All rights reserved. Airstream trademark used under license to Social Knowledge LLC.



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:41 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.