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Possible Light Weight Alternative to 1/4 Birch for walls

7K views 55 replies 31 participants last post by  joels616 
#1 · (Edited)
I’ve been looking at ways to reduce weight and improve R-Value in my build.

I came across the polyethene used in green house exterior walls(tech sheet attached), which is close to the same price as the 1/4 birch. Where it gets interesting is the 0.16lbs per sq ft weight and 2.1 R-Value. Also it comes in sheets or rolls, i know the roll option would reduce waste and possibly even cost.

My walls and ceiling are currently ~300sqft of ¼ birch plywood, which at ~0.9lbs per sq ft. I’ve got ~275lbs of dead weight there, with an R-Value of ~0.3.

The other major perk would be moisture, or lack thereof. The poly won’t absorb any water/humidity or rot over time. My walls are covered in fabric/stick on wall paper so I don’t have to worry about the color.

Has anyone used anything like this on a large scale in their builds?
 

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#42 ·
Wood Gas Automotive exterior Vehicle door Audio equipment

Heavy? Yes, but durable. 1/4” Almost indestructible as it is used for cutting boards and skateboard ramps. The veneer limits its long term dishwasher safe ability though, but will be hand washing only anyway 😉 May clear coat it this coming summer. I have the cei completely covered now, short of some trim. Almost finished with the ski box made from same with aluminum frame. View attachment 185763
 
#46 ·
#49 ·
Regarding light weight, here's an ill-formed idea? My intention was to site-build cabinetry, so there would be wood framing, then screw 1/8" plywood onto the surface (painted or maybe wrapped in Di-Noc). And I was going to use laminate on my countertops. I have these samples of Wilsonart Horizontal Grade Standard (HGS) sitting on my desk here, and they are very stiff and .048" thick. I wonder if, with approximately 18" on-center stud spacing, if I could just screw the laminate sheet into the studs and call it a wall?
 
#50 ·
Interesting ideas. I think that the "Wilson Art" HPL, will not have the necessary structural strength ... (the substrate would supply when used by design intent). It is also probably too brittle on it's own, would probably be prone to cracking at the edges and where there are concentrated loads. IIRC a full sheet of horizontal HPL is about 12 lbs, the vertical grade stuff about half that.
 
#51 ·
I researched the material that Ford use to line the cargo area. BubbleX is PET, same as the Thinsulate I used and has the same properties. It is a good thermal insulator as PET but also due to its construction of closed cells (No sealing edges) PET or PE are by nature great vibration dampeners, therefore, great sound insulation materials. I wrapped all my panels in 4way carpet (also made of PET) and I can cool my entire van on the front AC alone in Florida and the sound level inside is level with your best limo. The panels are hung with PE expansion rivet to eliminate thermal bridging witch makes my interior walls and ceiling entirely recyclable. Last but not least, no flame propagation! The material will melt near the source of heat but will not sustain fire.
Automotive tire Automotive exterior Automotive design Bumper Motor vehicle
 
#52 ·
A lot of people overlook the fact that a fabric or carpet interior like carbonized's will drastically reduce the interior noise level. Far more than sticking in a bunch of "sound dampening" on the sheetmetal and then covering the walls with a hard surface material. It's physics.
 
#56 · (Edited)
Do the plastic panels warp over time from expose to van heat. Can fastening method allow for expansion/contraction from temperature?

Anyone ever get the automotive style trim fasteners to work for wall or ceiling panels? Seems like the expanding type are used successfully on internal and external applications by vehicle manufacturers.
 
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