Hi, I'm "TNT Suz" from WA; question about coated carpet padding as wall insulation

[Tote-n-Tarry No.2]

Hi All: This is my first post for my bought-2-days-ago '73 empty gutted shell dingy dinged-up 13' Tote 'n Tarry [I believe I'm the 2nd TnT-er here]. I'm rehab-ing it, starting with chassis [welding appointment tomorrow to fix tongue] and insulation. It was being used as a tent-on-wheels shell with zero amenities within, which gives me a blank slate. Zero -- as in they've taken every-thing out and covered every hole with lumpy fiberglass.
My plans are chassis, insulation of floors/walls, welded-on cargo container, wire-brush/derust, POR-15, fix door hinge/new weather stripping, new propane lines, electrical wires (has none, not even trailer lights, I had to put on magnetized tow lights), converter/fuse box, inverter, water tank/pump, water lines to sink (has none), drain, lights, lighted fantastic fan (has no vent), fix cracks in plexiglass (drill stop-crack hole, use Weld-on 40 and 600 thru12,000 grit sandpaper and MacGuires to polish), rough sand/bondo/resin/fine sand exterior, marine-grade urethane paint exterior, make dinette into full-bed, enlarge closet, install counter/sink/faucet/2-burner stove, make small side banquette, upholstery, curtains, drop from exhaustion.
I'm unsure if I should ask about a fix-up question on this forum, but was wondering if anyone had used coated carpet padding as wall insulation (I'm using 2" rigid foam for the floors)...saw this material at Home Depot. A plastic-y coating is sprayed on one side, with use usually in homes with naughty pets to avoid permanent padding saturation, it's fairly tough to damage when picked at, it's flexible, it's pretty light, available in varying thicknesses, cheap.
Couldn't see if anyone had tried this though I searched. No such thing as a new idea...usually.
Idea: Make a neat paper pattern for corner curves, cut foam, glue up with gorilla glue, caulk seams, paint.
Would this material work? Someone here must know. Thank you.

[Borrego Dave]

Welcome Suz to FGRV. I don't have any answers for you but the others will pop in soon. You have a blank slate to start with to make it your own. But it sounds like you've been doing your homework here in the threads.

[Darwin Maring]

Gorilla glue. The polly Gorilla Glue EXPANDS whils curing so it needs to be clamped in place.

[papa-t]

Welcome Suz to FGRV. Looking forward to future pics.

[Tote-n-Tarry No.2]

Here's some more "before" shots. It has NO: sink, heater, insulation, stove, water tank, pump, powered fridge (does have an ice box), battery, propane tank, converter, fuses, external power connection, drain or drain connection, inverter, lights, outlets, trailer lights, vent, proper door hinge, weather strip, bug screens...
It does have odoriferous foam pads, wrinkly old curtains, plywood chunk in vent hole, halfway decent carpet, some missing cabinet doors, some cracked plexiglass, scratched plexiglass, globby silicon caulking, a table, a rusted tongue and propane cradle, undercarriage surface rust, a bumper, pretty good tires, intact axle, nonleaning intact structure overall, lots of patches...

By tomorrow the welder should be done with fixing the tongue and welding on bolstering support metal where needed, plus a cargo cage carrier welded to the rear for tarps, a few chunks of firewood, canopy, folding chairs, etc. I'm letting him be the designer (I just gave him a drawing I made with a composite of these things, off the web), so I hope that turns out. He's using steel which I will clean and prime. I have to wire in the trailer lights (to get it home I had to use magnetic towing lights), I bought a kit from Harbor Freight for $19 minus 20% off, not bad. TNT is so beat up I don't have to worship the holy gel-coat and can add holes wherever I need them for the four lights. Next, off to Carpet Liquidators for some coated foam at 59 cents/square foot, rigid foam for base of trailer...temp dropped into 20s here, it felt even colder in the egg, she needs some insulation badly.

I'll continue my saga of "Revamping the Foundationals" over in the "fixerup" part of the forum...

[jgraps1958]

The carpet pad your showing is great stuff. It should be very effective as insulation but I would not use Gorilla glue !! As stated earlier Gorilla glue does expand when drying. I would use a good spray adhesive. Dry cut most pieces then spray the wall and stick. I would also try to get most if not all your wiring and plumbing done before you insulate. Looks like you have one heck of a project on your hands, good luck. Oh yes, this is a great place to ask your questions on this matter, the people here love to help.

[Jack L]

That's a neat trailer and should be a very rewarding project. You described the tires as "pretty good" but how old are they ? Much over 5 years old and they should be replaced. There should be a code date on the side of the tire to determine tire age. Cleaning and repacking the wheel bearings is another good idea. believe you have a torsion axle. What condition is the torsion suspension ?


When I bought my 94 Bigfoot in 2012 I noticed the spare tire had never been used. The code date on the tire indicated it was made in 1992. It looked like new but it was 20 years old. I'm sure it was put on the trailer when the trailer was built. The 94 trailer was actually built in July of 93 so that tire was over a year old when it was put on the trailer. What looks good isn't always good. Staying safe is always a priority. Getting the frame repaired was a good start. I'm sure you will have lots of fun.

[FTTRV]

Originally Posted by Tote-n-Tarry No.2

Hi All: This is my first post for my bought-2-days-ago '73 empty gutted shell dingy dinged-up 13' Tote 'n Tarry [I believe I'm the 2nd TnT-er here]. I'm rehab-ing it, starting with chassis [welding appointment tomorrow to fix tongue] and insulation. It was being used as a tent-on-wheels shell with zero amenities within, which gives me a blank slate. Zero -- as in they've taken every-thing out and covered every hole with lumpy fiberglass.
My plans are chassis, insulation of floors/walls, welded-on cargo container, wire-brush/derust, POR-15, fix door hinge/new weather stripping, new propane lines, electrical wires (has none, not even trailer lights, I had to put on magnetized tow lights), converter/fuse box, inverter, water tank/pump, water lines to sink (has none), drain, lights, lighted fantastic fan (has no vent), fix cracks in plexiglass (drill stop-crack hole, use Weld-on 40 and 600 thru12,000 grit sandpaper and MacGuires to polish), rough sand/bondo/resin/fine sand exterior, marine-grade urethane paint exterior, make dinette into full-bed, enlarge closet, install counter/sink/faucet/2-burner stove, make small side banquette, upholstery, curtains, drop from exhaustion.
I'm unsure if I should ask about a fix-up question on this forum, but was wondering if anyone had used coated carpet padding as wall insulation (I'm using 2" rigid foam for the floors)...saw this material at Home Depot. A plastic-y coating is sprayed on one side, with use usually in homes with naughty pets to avoid permanent padding saturation, it's fairly tough to damage when picked at, it's flexible, it's pretty light, available in varying thicknesses, cheap.
Couldn't see if anyone had tried this though I searched. No such thing as a new idea...usually.
Idea: Make a neat paper pattern for corner curves, cut foam, glue up with gorilla glue, caulk seams, paint.
Would this material work? Someone here must know. Thank you.

It looks like a copy of a ECO especially the rear bumper design. ECO painted the bumper and tow hitch white.
Chuck

[Tote-n-Tarry No.2]

OK I'm going to start a thread on fixing up my lemon chiffon TNT (show you why there). Thanks very kindly for the comments.
I'm very impressed by the level of wizardry and skill-sets amongst these members. I've decided there must be an element of either having been deprived of play-houses and tree-forts as children, or fond and longing remembrances thereof. My level of rehab job will be "competently done" yet not as involved as the masters here, no taking the egg off the chassis etc. Welding is intimidating, though I'd love to know how to do it, that gets hired out, etc. I plan to take what's there and bring it back, and reformat in a version that would be unavailable to purchase today, with fine materials, with the amenities I know we'll want.

Egg recycling.

Update: R value is unimpressive for rubber so I'm still looking into options for insulation of the walls tho haven't ruled it out; looking at underlayments next.
Pic: Old wiring removed, ice box too (these sell for a lot on eBay for some reason). The rusted tongue was patched and the rusted out propane cradle removed and new crossbar added. Welder will be doing more still...

[Casita Greg]

You might look into some of that stiff foam backpackers use for a sleeping pad. It is pretty flexible, light weight, cuts easily and should hold well with some 3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive. I don't know if is expensive or not, but it might give you something to think about. I hear they insulate fairly well for what they are.
LINK: 3M Super 77 16.75 fl. oz. Multipurpose Spray Adhesive-77-CC at The Home Depot

[Jack L]

I've seen some very thin foam insulation used on home remodeling projects that was installed on the outside of a house before installing aluminum siding. This was many years ago. It was closed foam about 1/8 inch thick and came in large rolls. I don't know if anything like it is still available. I'll do a little research tomorrow. 1/8 inch material might be easier to go around curves and a double or triple layer could possibly be used.

[Tote-n-Tarry No.2]

Thank you.
I did some experiments on options. R value of rubber foam is poor, so I looked at other options and parameters. First, flammability: Polystyrene foamboards, dollar store bargain, or foam boards at hardware store, well they go up like an Olympic torch. Polyurethane foam, I tried to light a piece outside, since it gives off toxic gasses when heated, for several minutes, it just melts but doesn't flame up readily at all, so this is a better option. Carpet/padding is made of petroleum products, so flames up. Second, bendability: Polyurethane closed cell foam has a high R value and doesn't flame up. Bendability: Can it fit to the bends of an egg? Conclusion is..."No". Even when soaked in boiling water, hit with the heat gun (which only dimples it), scored with notches, semi-dissolved with acetone, as long as there's even a thin shell of intact polyurethane rigid foam it will "snap" when bent beyond a few degrees.
I'm still searching for the perfect low-flammability, high-R, bendable insulation material.

[Tonnie]

Have you ruled out the ensolite (elephant hide)?

[Tote-n-Tarry No.2]

Thanks. It's got low flammability, somewhat good R value, bendable, but spendy, so I'm trying to source it creatively (as in yoga pads, bulk yoga matting, exercise mats, ABC puzzle pads, child-play floor mats) since I need a lot of it and want a better deal than Home Depot's. It's good stuff. So I'm on the learning curve and just reinvented the wheel.