Total Re-skin. Possible?

[Cruiseomatic]

I've got a '06 Cavalier. The skin is in rough shape. Thought about patch panels for some areas. Then I got to thinking about just replacing all the skin with a more common type and for the fresh paint. So not only does the current skin need patches, It also needs paint. What would I be looking at with this? Thanks.

[Cruiseomatic]

I always see people replacing the fiberglass with the foam insulation but I always wondered, Is the R value consistent or does it change like with fiberglass? Also, How does it strengthen the structure as it is not "attached" to the studs? This is slowly becoming a rebuild. Once completed, It will be a fully custom unit that will hopefully last years. Was thinking of using 1/8" luan wall board as sheathing all around followed by DuPont vapor barrier fully enclosing the unit.

[Gjac]

Clips like the ones you want to use are used all the time to attach skins to stringers and frames.

[westend]

You can treat the structure of the TT anyway you wish but a lot of older rigs are still in use without any metal braces. I found that construction adhesive used in the joints had a benefit. Also, if you replace the original fiberglass batt insulation with a rigid foam panel, you will increase the structure's strength quite a bit.
I would give PPL Motorhomes a shout and see if they have a recommendation for siding that's local to you.

[Cruiseomatic]

Will work on getting a picture or two uploaded this week. It isn't really structural damage. You're right its mostly cosmetic. Another thing I'm wondering is, Can I make the framing too stiff? Instead of relying on just staples, to use a panel that is used to join two pieces of wood together? Something like this: Wood joint panels

[Gjac]

Worked for an aircraft company and seen a lot of skins repaired both by patches and total re skin of 30 yr old air frames. If you post a picture it would help in the assessment. But in general there are a lot of patches on Black Hawks due to bullet holes done in the field. More extensive damage is sent back to the factory for overhaul and repair. If the damage is locale and not compromising the struture I would try to fill and paint or cover it with decals. From your description it sounds like it is not a structural issue more cosmetic.

[Cruiseomatic]

Problem with the siding is holes, worn paint, screw holes destroyed, Etc... Looking to either replace the siding or a more labor intensive method and pull all the siding, rivet patch panels behind bad areas then paint. Not sure which is better. Another reason for pulling panels is to re-wire, add cable and electrical outlets, better insulate, add vapor barrier, etc...

[Cruiseomatic]

soren wrote:

Gjac wrote:
Not familiar with Cavalier construction is it Al sht bonded to foam laun?

Cavalier was the brand name Gulfstream used when they won the contract to bang out a few thousand FEMA trailers after Katrina. They were built about as cheap as it gets, including old style sticks'n'staples walls with wood framing, and aluminum panels stapled directly to the studs. They are noted for two issues. They are not self-contained, they had no storage tanks at all, since they were designed to be hooked up to public utilities on a semi-permanent basis. They also had extraordinarily high levels of outgassing formaldehyde. due to interior finish materials.

"Sticks'n'staples" Is used on more RVs than one might think. Also, Most dealer units that have Al siding are stapled to the studs. Secondly, Units on the dealer lots had time to air out. Fema units went straight from factory to site. There are a lot of misconceptions about these units.

[Gjac]

soren wrote:

Gjac wrote:
Not familiar with Cavalier construction is it Al sht bonded to foam laun?

Cavalier was the brand name Gulfstream used when they won the contract to bang out a few thousand FEMA trailers after Katrina. They were built about as cheap as it gets, including old style sticks'n'staples walls with wood framing, and aluminum panels stapled directly to the studs. They are noted for two issues. They are not self-contained, they had no storage tanks at all, since they were designed to be hooked up to public utilities on a semi-permanent basis. They also had extraordinarily high levels of outgassing formaldehyde. due to interior finish materials.

I guess I still don't know the problem with the out side skin. I thought the OP was referring to delamination at first but there is no laminate to begin with. Buckles in Al skins between frames are quite common and nothing to worry about.

[soren]

Gjac wrote:
Not familiar with Cavalier construction is it Al sht bonded to foam laun?

Cavalier was the brand name Gulfstream used when they won the contract to bang out a few thousand FEMA trailers after Katrina. They were built about as cheap as it gets, including old style sticks'n'staples walls with wood framing, and aluminum panels stapled directly to the studs. They are noted for two issues. They are not self-contained, they had no storage tanks at all, since they were designed to be hooked up to public utilities on a semi-permanent basis. They also had extraordinarily high levels of outgassing formaldehyde. due to interior finish materials.

[Gjac]

Not familiar with Cavalier construction is it Al sht bonded to foam laun?

[Cruiseomatic]

Bump...

[Cruiseomatic]

Does anyone have a good wholesaler or distributor for the panels? Preferably around Houston so I can pick them up myself.
When or if I can find new panels, How would I go cutting holes for windows, extrusions, Etc...?

[soren]

It's important to understand that siding a house has NOTHING to do with siding a trailer. I have sided too many homes to count, and re-skinned two "sticks n' tin' trailers. The big difference is that residential siding is "hung" on a building as a exterior finish, NOT a water tight skin. trailer siding is tightly attached with a lot of sealing and detailing at every point where water might enter. Building siding is quite the opposite. The ends and edges of home siding panels are loosely slid into various trim pieces to hide them. I guarantee that if you decide to let a local siding contractor take a shot at it you will have one of two outcomes. First, the honest, competent ones will refuse the job, the others will give you a job that will leak like a screen door, and rot the structure out in a hurry. As for any type of aluminum siding being available at a local distributor, good luck. Here in the northeast, my local guys can order a few limited styles and colors of the stuff. In this area, it pretty much disappeared as a commonly used product about 25 years ago.

[Cruiseomatic]

Bump...