To wall or not to wall

[foto4peter]

Hello All! As you can see I've join Airforums back in early November just before we (gf and I) purchased our first Airstream.

Our 67 Overlander was purchased completely gutted, nothing inside short of two damaged end caps, random pieces and some appliances, which I have yet to determine if they are usable.

Most of November and December I lurked around the forum reading, reading and reading some more... during those two months I also sanded the frame down, applied POR-15, ordered bits and pieces, laid a floor with no template (cut, lay, drill, remove, seal, lay & bolt down - oh the joys I had).

There were also holes (exterior) to patch and sections of the frame that needed some welding, which was a first for me so lots and lots of learning. All good cuz I love projects like that, especially with snow up to the knees.

By the end of April, early May I should be able to get back in there and get to work, travel plans and family "stuff" have kept me from doing anything since early January.

Anyway... as I mentioned our Overlander was gutted! So I'm at a research point and trying to figure out what to use for my interior walls, on the inexpensive side. I personally would love to put aluminum panels up but at todays prices it's just not an option.

So what are my options..?
? pvc panels
? fiberglass reinforced panels
? veneered plywood
? painted plywood

What does everyone suggest (pros & cons) and at what thickness?

Any input is greatly appreciated!!!
cheers Peter

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by foto4peter

Hello All! As you can see I've join Airforums back in early November just before we (gf and I) purchased our first Airstream.

Anyway... as I mentioned our Overlander was gutted! So I'm at a research point and trying to figure out what to use for my interior walls, on the inexpensive side. I personally would love to put aluminum panels up but at todays prices it's just not an option.

So what are my options..?
? pvc panels
? fiberglass reinforced panels
? veneered plywood
? painted plywood

What does everyone suggest (pros & cons) and at what thickness?

Any input is greatly appreciated!!!
cheers Peter

Belated welcome to the AirForums!

It might be worthwhile to also check out some boatbuilding forums (woodenboat in particular springs to mind) to see what materials they use and how they install interior bulkheads.

[HiHoAgRV]

The original builds were very light and seems to have held up well if kept dry.

In my '63 rebuild, I've replicated the original walls that were 1/4" ply. The cabinets are 1/4 ply over stick build frames of 1x2's with a few 1x3's tossed into the mix.

Cabinet tops are 1/2", I did cheat and use some metric 3/4" which is just over 5/8"

Like Protag' said, it's similar to some boat methods, lots of small stuff in a strong framework.

I cringe when I see a rebuild that is underway using 2x4's and a frame nailer...

[foto4peter]

thanks for the input! I've started reading some posts on the wooden boat forum, quite a bit of info...some beautiful builds on there by the way

I'm curious to know if anyone has used something like this "1/4 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. Moisture-Resistant Plywood Underlayment", it seems to have potential because of it's moisture resistance, thoughts?

To give you a bit of insight into my rebuild vision, sorry purists, I'm turning our Overlander into an in-law studio/storage/office and park it on the family property. A little oasis for when we come visit the family or need to get out of the city. So it will be a very striped down and open space, a sleeping area, storage space, electricity and work space.

When I get back to the States I'll start a new thread to show what I've already dealt with and all the future progression.

cheers!

[webspinner]

The walls don't get a lot of moisture, except for the bathroom walls. I can't see if this underlayment is more or less expensive than other plywood, so I can't comment on value. I know that the birch ply we had to special order came with two good sides (or one good side and one decent side) and was fairly stiff. The wall is only held up at the edges, so stiffness helps.

Our construction is the original aluminum extrusion framing that was apparently only in use around the early '70s. Each wall in our trailer has a special aluminum edge that provides a lot of strength and stiffness.

Good luck with making this into the trailer you want. A blank slate gives you a lot of freedom.