Protecting interior wood finish

[exmx_racer]

We have a 2012 Fleet with the light wood cabinetry (birch veneer we think). It is very susceptible to stains from water - leaves pale black spots. Does anyone have any experience with oiling or sealing the interior wood? Thanks.

 

[Alley-Kat]

I've used several different brands of water based Polyurethane Clear, Satin (my favorite choice) or Gloss. It will turn Birch a shade of yellow when applied and dried, however, it will be waterproof where it is applied.

You might find this interesting reading...
What's the difference between Polyurethane, Varnish, Shellac and Lacquer?

 

[BFH4N]

For what it's worth, someone at FWC told me that it's not actually a wood veneer on the surface but something more like paper, with the wood grain printed on it. I didn't know about the water-staining problem - it hasn't happened to mine yet. I wouldn't think that a wood finish product would hurt such a surface and would probably waterproof it just like wood. But, I'd try it in an inconspicuous place first and it's probably not a good idea to sand it! I use BonaSeal on furiture I make.

- Bernard

 

[BobM]

Paper is right. I found out the hard way when I opened the panel under my refer to add a remote relay to my rear flood lights. It didn't take much for the paper veneer to peel away

 

[moondawg]

Original poster: How did you manage to fix the issue?

I too have a fair amount of mold/water damage from the camper sitting outside. It is pretty upsetting for a 2010 to show that much damage to wood that should handle moisture. My wood interior slats on the roof, all have damage from mold, and when I cleaned them the "paper" layer just came right off.

I think I need to remove all of them, sand them down to remove black spots and then re stain, with a more weather resistant protective product. It seems like a lot of work for a camper that is 6 years old.

 

[strayDog]

I have a 2013 Hawk with the veneer (paper). FWC told me to clean it with a 50-50 mix of Orange Clean multi purpose cleaner and Windex. Seems to do a nice job.

 

[Wallowa]

Our 2016 Hawk seems to have solid wood surfaces on cabinets..actually I am impressed with the apparent quality of the cabinets.

Phil

 

[Squatch]

I've thought about eventually coating the paper surface in my Eagle as well. In the past I've used some poly acrylic on similar stuff. Think water based poly varnish.

I have some left over clear plastic edge guard for sheetrock corners. As soon as I get time to do some upgrades on my Eagle I intend to use that to cover the high wear edges just inside the door. In my shell there are a couple of places the hand goes everytime one gets in or out of the camper. The edges of the propane, furnace, stove box.

 

[Bill D]

I was thinking of adding a small strip of checker plate to the bottom portion of the floor. We try to be careful, but we are always loading up wood, bins etc. If anyone has a pic of checker plate or some other form of protective strip, please post, or provide a link. I'd love to see it.

 

[BFH4N]

I've had some further experience with applying finish to the paper "veneer" on my Fleet cabinets. I cut some openings and banded the exposed plywood edges with birch veneer, Then I sealed the birch with my favorite water-based finish, Bona Seal and Bona Mega. The Bona that got on the paper "veneer" didn't stick at all -- it just peeled right off after drying.

Maybe some kind of furniture wax could be used to protect the surface. I'll try it on one of my left-over cutouts, when I get some time...

- Bernard

 

[DavidGraves]

Howdy Folks

One thought about the paper faced paneling is that in my case it was simply screwed over the floorpack plywood.

One need only unscrew it and, presto chango, one has a lovely template for cutting any nicer sort of paneling, bead board, etc you may wish to install .

For the ceiling it would seem wise to replace the lift boards with something a little more durable.....long lasting.

Just my thoughts for my Hawk which was built as a shell.

Happy travels

DavidGraves

 

[Wallowa]

Ok...does FWC still use a paper covering on cabinets? Also I did not know that "veneer" could be 'paper'...

Short question is when did FWC stop using a paper type product to cover cabinets; assuming that they have.

Thanks,

Phil

 

[Squatch]

I've had some further experience with applying finish to the paper "veneer" on my Fleet cabinets. I cut some openings and banded the exposed plywood edges with birch veneer, Then I sealed the birch with my favorite water-based finish, Bona Seal and Bona Mega. The Bona that got on the paper "veneer" didn't stick at all -- it just peeled right off after drying.

Maybe some kind of furniture wax could be used to protect the surface. I'll try it on one of my left-over cutouts, when I get some time...

- Bernard

That's good info to know. Thanks.

 

[Lighthawk]

Original poster: How did you manage to fix the issue?

I too have a fair amount of mold/water damage from the camper sitting outside. It is pretty upsetting for a 2010 to show that much damage to wood that should handle moisture. My wood interior slats on the roof, all have damage from mold, and when I cleaned them the "paper" layer just came right off.

I think I need to remove all of them, sand them down to remove black spots and then re stain, with a more weather resistant protective product. It seems like a lot of work for a camper that is 6 years old.

Vancouver Island is a high humidity environment, which I am sure is forming condensation on the aluminum ribs in the roof with drips of water staining your wood battens with the vinyl "photo finish". Our 08 Hawk also has a very low quality vinyl faced plywood everywhere and vinyl-faced finger-jointed battens stapled to the roof ribs. During sub-freezing temps I frequently see frozen droplets on those battens. Our staples have loosened, and I can only tamp them with a finish hammer, but they continue to work loose. Considering the owner of the camper will stare at this workmanship, I would have designed a better product.

I suggest you consider replacing those battens with something inert. Possibly a vinyl trim strip from an automotive / body shop supply.
I would also install with (self-tapping) screws and would never expect a pneumatic staple to perform in a camper designed for Four Wheel adventures. Personally, I find the cabinet/trim package to be substandard, but I've heard they have improved their product.

 

[DavidGraves]

Ok...does FWC still use a paper covering on cabinets? Also I did not know that "veneer" could be 'paper'...

Short question is when did FWC stop using a paper type product to cover cabinets; assuming that they have.

Thanks,

Phil

MAJOR CORRECTION

I want to make an apology for a poorly worded mis statement.

In my 2012 Hawk shell model the overlay panels along the side appear to be plywood with a vinyl or paper overlay.

My tongue slipped when I said "composit board panel"....no harm intended.

DavidGraves

North Oregon coast

 

[Bill D]

My FWC is a 2013 and they still used a paper type coating. It's not a veneer, as a veneer is a thin sheet of real wood. It's definitely a thin paper type product, that has a "wood look". I stuck a piece of velcro to it. When I peeled the velcro off, it pulled it off. A bit disappointing, but I can live with it.

I think 2014 was the year FWC changed to:

The interior cabinets are now built from a high quality plywood with the exterior finish having a “painted” on wood grain look coating. The new cabinetry we are currently using are more durable, harder, and have less of a tendency to scratch.

 

[2020]

My tool guy tells me that the cabinet exterior in my 2014 Grandby is a VINYL type veneer, and he's usually right about such things.

 

[Bill D]

Paper thin vinyl veneer.

Now is everybody happy

 

[Rusty]

I recently bought another Alaskan Camper to refurb and the owner had a small heater he had built for the winter...the camper was purchased in Gig Harbor Washington...in the woods...very humid/cold/drippy.....and the interior of the camper was as dry as a bone...stored outside under an aluminum cover open to the weather.....with this little heater inside

Heater: porcelain base light fixture, mounted on 8" plywood square with a small column of aluminum sheeting coiled to about 6" and mounted to the plywood with a small airspace at the bottom....mounts are small angle brackets and the aluminum sheeting is screwed together along it's side...simple, effective and it works....of course the interior is real wood plywood....as are the cabinets (some solid stock too)

Wood and water do not mix....any wooden boat owner will assure you of that...it's a constant maintenance issue....but the very best way I've found to preserve interior woodwork...is entirely old school....sand smooth, white shellac seal, when dry, sand smooth again....and 3 coats of spar varnish sanding between coats ... at least an overnight dry for each coat....wet or dry 300 grit sand the final coat and 0000 steel wool for a satin finish that is not only as close to waterproof as it gets but you can use it for setting wet things on without stains appearing. cloths, glasses, bottles et al

I've used this on furniture for a very long time (50 years plus)...and I've never had a stain....exposed to the sunlight it will uv degrade and must be kept up like any exterior surface finish....

any organic material will develop fungus/mold and rot before your very eyes...the smaller the pieces of organic material the faster it goes...hence, flakeboard's instant degradation...the vinyl film just helps to retain the moisture in the base

mold spores are one of the most prevalent things on earth...they're everwhere

 

[moondawg]

Vancouver Island is a high humidity environment, which I am sure is forming condensation on the aluminum ribs in the roof with drips of water staining your wood battens with the vinyl "photo finish". Our 08 Hawk also has a very low quality vinyl faced plywood everywhere and vinyl-faced finger-jointed battens stapled to the roof ribs. During sub-freezing temps I frequently see frozen droplets on those battens. Our staples have loosened, and I can only tamp them with a finish hammer, but they continue to work loose. Considering the owner of the camper will stare at this workmanship, I would have designed a better product.

I suggest you consider replacing those battens with something inert. Possibly a vinyl trim strip from an automotive / body shop supply.
I would also install with (self-tapping) screws and would never expect a pneumatic staple to perform in a camper designed for Four Wheel adventures. Personally, I find the cabinet/trim package to be substandard, but I've heard they have improved their product.

Thanks for the reply, and the shared ideas on replacing the original manufactured pieces with something different. I should also mention that the pnuematic staples that where used to install my battens have also rusted, and stained the wood as well as the mold. Yes, Vancouver Island is a very wet climate and I expect some mold to have to be cleaned in the Spring, after Winter storage. I just did not expect it damage and permanently stain the battens and when cleaning the veneer just pealed off with a wipe of a cloth. I will get some pictures.

This last winter I put a heater in he camper and kept it on most of the season, going one week on and one week off. I still had moisture damage and mold, but not nearly as much.