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Old 07-12-2014, 04:22 PM   #1
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Painting Foam Insulation

One thing I have been embarrassed about the Escape trailer is when people look under the trailer and see the half spray painted foam insulation. I have had some close friends commented that it doesn't look very professional. I know and most people know that it doesn't affect the quality or performance of the trailer but if you look under the trailer it is an eye sore. So I have decided to try spray painting the rest of the foam insulation black under the trailer to match the rest of under side of the trailer. I do think it looks a lot cleaner of a job to see just one color. What do you think?
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Old 07-12-2014, 04:23 PM   #2
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Old 07-12-2014, 04:29 PM   #3
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Looks good I plan on doing it also as every time I see it I freak thinking something has come loose. From my research they suggested staying away from paints with high toluene content as it can melt the foam. What did you use and did you see any erosion of the foam after spraying ??

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Old 07-12-2014, 04:45 PM   #4
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To me the foam looks like an eye sore no matter how you paint it, and yes mine has it.
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Old 07-12-2014, 04:46 PM   #5
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This is what I used the paint says that is good with most plastic and it drys 15 minutes. I will let you know if i see any melting of the foam so for everything looks good.
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Old 07-12-2014, 04:48 PM   #6
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Anybody else heard that mud sticks to foam insulation like glue?
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Old 07-12-2014, 05:24 PM   #7
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Anybody else heard that mud sticks to foam insulation like glue?
When you think about mud sticking to foam like glue I would have to say that's its got to be a true statement.
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Old 07-12-2014, 05:38 PM   #8
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Old 07-12-2014, 05:54 PM   #9
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We're not getting it on our 17B. If we lived in colder climes, maybe.
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Old 07-12-2014, 07:07 PM   #10
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Wow, was I ignorant on this, I thought the insulation was sprayed on the inside of the hull before floors were installed.
Does anyone know how long ETI have been offering this option?
Is this just regular construction grade foam? If so it needs to be protected by an Elastomeric paint. Any light will degrade construction foam over time.
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Old 07-12-2014, 08:36 PM   #11
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markvt, I made the same comment when we took delivery of our 21. I plan on finishing the paint job also. Pete
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Old 07-12-2014, 09:02 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Bcdonaher View Post
Wow, was I ignorant on this, I thought the insulation was sprayed on the inside of the hull before floors were installed.
Does anyone know how long ETI have been offering this option?
Is this just regular construction grade foam? If so it needs to be protected by an Elastomeric paint. Any light will degrade construction foam over time.
I am not sure how long ETI has offered the spay on foam option. But you do bring up what I think is a very good point about UV damage to foam exposed to sun light. I have worked many years in the construction field and know that it only takes a couple days for foam insulation sheets exposed to sun light before they start to lose there R values. If you are building a house and are using foam on the exterior you need to cover it ASAP to protect it from UV damage.
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Old 07-12-2014, 09:04 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bcdonaher View Post
Wow, was I ignorant on this, I thought the insulation was sprayed on the inside of the hull before floors were installed.
Does anyone know how long ETI have been offering this option?
Is this just regular construction grade foam? If so it needs to be protected by an Elastomeric paint. Any light will degrade construction foam over time.
An inch to an inch and a half would raise the floor significantly and would be difficult to install evenly and would not cover the tanks underneath. The option was there when I started looking three years ago. It appears to be regular construction grade foam which begins to turn a much darker yellow over time.
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Old 07-12-2014, 09:16 PM   #14
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markvt, I made the same comment when we took delivery of our 21. I plan on finishing the paint job also. Pete
Hi Pete,
I have to say that now that the job is finished I am really happy with the out come. It was not fun crawling around under the trailer. Just make sure you use a drop cloth on the ground under the trailer because your going to get paint dripping down off the foam onto the ground.
Mark
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Old 07-12-2014, 09:55 PM   #15
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I wonder if something like Line-X could be sprayed over that foam. I'm having our pickup box sprayed in a couple of weeks and that stuff is pretty tough. Loren
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Old 07-12-2014, 10:32 PM   #16
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I wonder if something like Line-X could be sprayed over that foam. I'm having our pickup box sprayed in a couple of weeks and that stuff is pretty tough.
Yes, it's tough, but I doubt that it's flexible enough, and will end up cracked. I'm not so impressed by coatings such as Line-X: they work fine in truck boxes, but where I've seen them used as an exterior coating (such as on a welding truck body), it seems to crack, peel, and just generally not hold up.
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Old 07-12-2014, 11:58 PM   #17
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I'd be careful not to use any solvent based paint or coating over the foam. It could damage it. Probably best to stick with a water based elastomeric or latex.
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Old 07-13-2014, 09:21 AM   #18
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I'd be careful not to use any solvent based paint or coating over the foam. It could damage it. Probably best to stick with a water based elastomeric or latex.
Has anyone asked what ETI uses? I just had mine done and it took a while for the paint to dry. Smelled and was tacky like a solvent based spray paint. I would think that additional painting should match ETI 'a since no one who has had the foam for three years has reported a problem.
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Old 07-13-2014, 10:45 AM   #19
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Has anyone asked what ETI uses? I just had mine done and it took a while for the paint to dry. Smelled and was tacky like a solvent based spray paint. I would think that additional painting should match ETI 'a since no one who has had the foam for three years has reported a problem.
Good point. It would have to be compatible with the chemical composition of the foam. Some paints or solvents could actually dissolve the foam. Best to find out what they use at the factory and go with that or a like product.
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