Wood on outside of Bus

[FarmhouseMetals]

So I recently got my first bus and was thinking about muting some cedar to the outside (or something like it) and I have only found 2 photos of people who have done this to the exterior of their buses. So figured I would come here and ask if anyone has an idea how to do it, or done it before.

Photo for example only

 

[Sehnsucht-SKO]

For Esthetics only or as insulation or to get that Woody look?

 

[musigenesis]

For Esthetics only or as insulation or to get that Woody look?

Wood is about R1 per inch, so I'm assuming aesthetics.

 

[Rochey6957]

My worry would be that it would hold moisture against the sheet metal and invite rust. You could seal the wood in epoxy or a **** ton of lacquer. A vinyl applique might be a better solution if going for the "woody" aesthetic.

 

[FarmhouseMetals]

For Esthetics only or as insulation or to get that Woody look?

Just for looks. I own a metal sign business called Farmhouse Metals, and this is going to be my mobile store. So the touch of rustic on the outside is an idea I would love to add, but curious about making it stay to the outside.

 

[FarmhouseMetals]

My worry would be that it would hold moisture against the sheet metal and invite rust. You could seal the wood in epoxy or a **** ton of lacquer. A vinyl applique might be a better solution if going for the "woody" aesthetic.

Very true, I have no problem getting treated wood, staining it color I want, and sealing the heck out of it. It's good food for thought before just running off and drilling it there

 

[jimburke77502]

A metal sign business. I would think more along the lines of something like this. They also have an activator to age it. Should be listed with it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Z4DSV...olid=1SRIJTU4PUX1Y&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[FarmhouseMetals]

A metal sign business. I would think more along the lines of something like this. They also have an activator to age it. Should be listed with it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000Z4DSV...olid=1SRIJTU4PUX1Y&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Yes I know lol I mount designs on wood, plus the marketing name of Farmhouse, want to do a certain look. Plus, it would just stand out. I DID think of doing the copper metal look too

 

[Sehnsucht-SKO]

My worry would be that it would hold moisture against the sheet metal and invite rust. You could seal the wood in epoxy or a **** ton of lacquer. A vinyl applique might be a better solution if going for the "woody" aesthetic.

Precisely and this is why I asked. I have a project idea in mind called Project Griswold which is a green bus with 80s faux woodgrain paneling but I've determined that a vinyl applique is the easiest way to achieve the desired appearance without inviting other issues.

 

[Danjo-SKO]

My worry would be that it would hold moisture against the sheet metal and invite rust. You could seal the wood in epoxy or a **** ton of lacquer. A vinyl applique might be a better solution if going for the "woody" aesthetic.

Wagon Queen Family Truckster

 

[Sehnsucht-SKO]

Yup, that's Project Griswold!

 

[EastCoastCB]

Wagon Queen Family Truckster

I would LOVE a family truckster!

 

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Rochey beat me to it... Would definitely hold moisture against the body and cause rust / rot. One thing that might help with this is to coat the areas in question with Kool-Seal before mounting the cedar, and use corrosion-resistant screws. If you can keep rust and rot at bay, I think it would be a pretty cool look. Definitely unique.

 

[Danjo-SKO]

Knife makers use a polymer product to stabilize wood used to make handles. It’s done in a vacuum to assure complete saturation. But in this instance maybe encapsulation is adequate. After it’s completely sealed then it could be glued and screwed to the surface of the bus.

 

[JustKip]

I'd be inclined to use a wrap, just cuz it's easy and unlimited design possibilities.

https://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagra...n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram.com

 

[Danjo-SKO]

Use standoffs (nuts and washers) to hold the wood away from the surface.

 

[plfking]

I've used about 6 coats of spar varnish or spar urethane on all sides of untreated wood, with no issues (approx. 1 year on the bus, 5 years on the truck). I attached the single boards with self-tappers....on the truck, I bolted to top and bottom boards through the sheetmetal, and fastened the others together on the backside with hurricane straps.

The varnish on the truck had to be scuffed and re-applied every other year due to UV degradation.....I'm not seeing any signs of that on the urethaned bus. I had read that the new urethanes are better than varnish, and it seems to be the case.

 

[musigenesis]

I've used about 6 coats of spar varnish or spar urethane on all sides of untreated wood, with no issues (approx. 1 year on the bus, 5 years on the truck). I attached the single boards with self-tappers....on the truck, I bolted to top and bottom boards through the sheetmetal, and fastened the others together on the backside with hurricane straps.

The varnish on the truck had to be scuffed and re-applied every other year due to UV degradation.....I'm not seeing any signs of that on the urethaned bus. I had read that the new urethanes are better than varnish, and it seems to be the case.

I'm not going to actually do it (because of the extra difficulty of dealing with wood and the fact that I got into this to learn metal fabrication) but your bus made me do a hard rethink. The wood really looks good on your bus.

 

[HazMatt-SKO]

Wow! I've got wood!
And I believe if I installed narrow shims between the hull and the planks, it wood negate any rust issues, as water'd run off &/or evaporate just as quickly as a non-Woody bus.
Super spar it first, natch.

 

[Native-SKO]

Wow! I've got wood!
And I believe if I installed narrow shims between the hull and the planks, it wood negate any rust issues, as water'd run off &/or evaporate just as quickly as a non-Woody bus.
Super spar it first, natch.

I suppose it all depends on the amount of offset between the metal and wood and the protection the gap has from debris. Our bus seems to collect tree "gunk" in th strangest of places due to water running off the roof and down the sides.