Why use wood in a Skoolie?
As the sayings go..
"You have to choose your battles"
"Pick your poison"
"No two skoolie conversions are alike; build it to the specifications that are important to you."
Personally for me, I am leaning towards more natural materials, most likely a lot of natural kiln-dried wood with (as yet an undecided) finish, with some sort of humidity control incorporated in the bus itself. I want a finish which will not trap moisture against the steel in a vapor wrapped sandwich- a prime environment for rust, and mold and mildew growth. A perfect example is the OEM floors in most Skoolies- steel floor/ply or OSB/rubber mats/runners-with unsealed seams of course...now hose that bus out several times and trap all that moisture (and salt from snow boots) under those mats for a decade or two... it's no wonder so many have issues with their floors. Every Skoolie who has stripped out a floor from a district that uses hoses or has regular snow/rain has seen this. The build threads are loaded with pics too. Same with the steel sandwich sides and ceilings. Vehicles without these steel sandwiches don't have near the mold buildup. Anywho, I digress...
Now I have no intention of hosing out my bus after I do the initial gut and rust check, and I am realistic enough to know that there will be spills, leaks, rain and wet feet. God willin' and the crick don't rise, there won't be any regular gushers. So with this in mind, I choose a material that will breathe and allow that minimal moisture to evaporate to the (dehumidified) interior. Is it perfect? No. Will it fit the bill of what is most important to me? I think so.
And before anyone brings it up...
I do know that integral to make this work is enough insulation and thermal breaks so that the exterior is sufficient isolated from interior temperature extremes, both hot and cold, as well as excess humidity. I am still in the research mode on this end of my decisions. The main concern for me here is all the endocrine disrupters, toxic off-gassing, toxic smoke and likelihood of flashover in a fire that is prevalent in the most efficient foams/foam boards Will I choose efficiency over toxicity? Not likely, because I have options that work for me. Likely I will choose a lower R-rating and less (or non) toxic product. this would work for me because I can just move where the weather suits my home and interior environment.
After all, it's my Skoolie, I can do what I want to! Now if anyone has any info to add that hasn't already been :horse3: I would certainly consider it and add that info to my research. However! If it is not green and/or environmentally friendly, it will only be considered by me if there are no better options- for my purposes.
We don't have to agree, and we don't have to have the same opinions or visions. My opinion of what is important will, no doubt, NOT be the same as everyone else. And that is OK. No one has to do things my way unless they want to, the same way I do not have to do anything that is only right for someone else's priorities. Take away what you will and make it your own.
(And for details on the scientific studies re: double moisture/vapor barrier sandwiches, which was posted in another thread, shoot me a pm)
