Walls and condensation

[Zephod_beeblebrox2]

How do you handle condensation?

I'm thinking of lining the sides of my bus with that solid pink foam from Lowes and putting OSB on the side nearest me attached to wooden battons. The ceiling will probably have a layer of the space blanket stuff with vinyl glued over it. The floor is already plywood.

I'm hoping I won't have to rip all that out because of rot or condensation

[lornaschinske]

Since you are in SC, you will most likely end up with OSB rated for roof decking and/or subfloors. These types of OSB are manufactured with exterior glues. But I'm sure you know that after seeing the local construction and all the OSB exposed to the weather.

[Zephod_beeblebrox2]

I was told when I bought it - its got a silver coating on one side - that it wouldn't take a whole lot of moisture. I'm hoping I can insulate well enough that there's no hot cold condensation?

[lornaschinske]

Did you by any chance buy LP's TechShield? It would say the name in large letters on the radiant barrier side. Whom ever the manufacturer is, you can always find them and email them with the name of the product you bought and ask them questions. The manufacturer would probably know more about their own product than anyone on this forum.

[Zephod_beeblebrox2]

I bought it as osb. It was 10 dollars a sheet in my nearest lowe's

[nat_ster]

IMO

No OSB is rated for moisture.

Manufactures will tell you all kinds of crap to get you to buy there product.

Exterior glue OSB just means it can get wet 5 times vs once for interior before falling apart.

Exterior glue OSB contains toxic formaldehyde glue, and should not be installed indoors.

OSB is just plain crap. I won't use it for anything in a bus conversion.

Spray foam sprayed directly onto the inside of the outer skin is the only thing that will stop that condensation from forming, and running down the inside of the walls. If there is a air space between your insulation and the outer skin, you will have condensation.

Avoid using poor quality wood products if you can. All wood has mold spores in it from the day it was cut from the tree. Any moisture content over 19% for longer than a few hours, mold starts to grow.

So do you want to build a mold pit?

Radiant barrier's on rigid Styrofoam are also a joke. Again, just a false selling feature. That's why only the low end Styrofoams have it.

However, due to cost and not knowing any better, many fellow skoolies still use OSB.

Nat

[Zephod_beeblebrox2]

Wow. I'm feeling a bit savaged there!

For speed I might just do the minimum or something I know I will have to improve later. I can't go on paying what I am for rent with the income I have. Sc is definitely a coolie labor state. No jobs that aren't part time and/or minimum wage.

Right now I have OSB and a mix of treated and untreated 2x4. The treated 2x4 will be my bath support. The bath is the shower bottom. I've replaced the nasty plywood that was on the floor where the bath will be with plastic planks. At $50 for 12 feet, that stuff is costly. One day I might have the bus done totally with metal framing inside and plastic planks. For the moment only plastic where the plywood had rotted.

Somebody had done a really bad conversion that had been infested with vermin so the floor and the tub/sink are the only things I'm recycling from their conversion. I had to strip it all out totally.

[nat_ster]

I hear you, use what you have to get by.

Treated lumber indoors is also bad for your health.

Take care, and good luck.

Nat

[Zephod_beeblebrox2]

Only putting treated where it might get wet - under the bath and the kitchenette and toilet. Dinette and bedroom use regular timber.

So far, all I have is a kitchenette, bathroom and toilet floors. I need to work consistently on it for a couple of weeks but what with work and weather and the fact I live 12 miles from my bus...

[lornaschinske]

Also you may want to keep in mind that treated lumber of today is not the treated lumber that it used to be. Some folks are still going off info (and misinformation) that is decades old. I run into that pretty much on a daily basis. I would suggest that you skip the treated and use redwood. Use a face mask when cutting redwood with a power circular saw. We used redwood on the food cart for the gingerbread trim. OMG! You would not believe how much cheaper it is to buy redwood out here. (Former resident of FL, GA, NC, SC & TN). With the current chemicals they use in the treated lumber, you may as well save your $$ and buy yellow pine.

But what do I know, I used roof sheathing OSB as the subfloor on TOP of my ORIGINAL rubber coated metal floor. Like I said, you need to do your own research and not take the word of people you don't know. There is no one right or wrong way to convert a bus despite what you may read on this and other forums.

Do your own research as to the materials and methods you use to construct your bus.

[Zephod_beeblebrox2]

I'm paying about a dollar more for treated wood. Its wet when I buy it and cuts mushily unless I let it dry for a week or so.

I'm hoping the treated wood won't rot and will be insect proof. This bus was infested when I bought it.

If you want to see progress.... Www.schoolbushome.blogspot.com
I hoped to be in it in January then February. Looks like being April or may and $525 a month wasted in rent the whole time.

[lornaschinske]

Treated wood will only resist termites. What was the bus infested with when you bought it? Crazy ants? Roaches? The treated wood will not affect them at all.

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by lornaschinske

Treated wood will only resist termites. What was the bus infested with when you bought it? Crazy ants? Roaches? The treated wood will not affect them at all.

Just one more reason I think building with wood is a mistake.

Metal or nothing for me. No bugs, mice, mold, ect. Building with wood is a out dated system. It should have been discontinued 20 years ago. The rate of evolution of building methods commonly used in north America is pathetic and badly needs to change. Why are we still cutting down our forests to build crap that don't last? There is no shortage of the minerals needed to make steel.

This is a generalized comment for the entire forum, not toward the original poster of this thread. Again do what you need must to get by.

Nat

[EastCoastCB]

Those forests are often eliminated to extract minerals, nat.

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Those forests are often eliminated to extract minerals, nat.

Good point, but you get a lot of iron ore out of each hole in the ground.

Still far better than the rate we are using the wood.

We still need wood for things like toilet paper, just not for building.

Nat

[Zephod_beeblebrox2]

Wood insulates. Metal nor concrete do.

[Zephod_beeblebrox2]

Ooh and paper can be made from grass or cotton.

[Zephod_beeblebrox2]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

Just one more reason I think building with wood is a mistake.

Metal or nothing for me. No bugs, mice, mold, ect. Building with wood is a out dated system. It should have been discontinued 20 years ago. The rate of evolution of building methods commonly used in north America is pathetic and badly needs to change. Why are we still cutting down our forests to build crap that don't last? There is no shortage of the minerals needed to make steel.

This is a generalized comment for the entire forum, not toward the original poster of this thread. Again do what you need must to get by.

Nat

How do you insulate with bare metal?

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Zephod_beeblebrox2

Ooh and paper can be made from grass or cotton.

or MY favorite- Hemp

[charles_m]

Ive seen sanded osb used as a cool building material inside homes. Would applying a urethane or varnish seal in the chemicals used in the glues in osb?

I prefer the look of wood in most living spaces and most structures, if built and maintained properly will outlast me anyway so Im cool with it. Steel is real and good alloys are incredible mayerial. Then again, rust never sleeps. Or something like that.
If I had my way everything would be steel, wood, and glass. Maybe aluminum. And leather. And denim. Okokok