OK, so with most vintage trailers water staining under the front and rear windows is pretty typical. You will also commonly find it around the roof vent. Our 55 Bellwood is no exception to this. Now while the staining under the windows wasn’t all that bad (I’ve seen much worse trust me), the proper way to fix the issue is by tearing out the offending panel of birch, inspect the framing for damage and replace it. However, I’m not ready to do that with this trailer just yet and while I’m not naive to the fact that those panels will need to be replaced at some point, I’ve decided to save that project until next year.
So in the meantime I’ve improved the look of the staining. This involves lightly sanding the stained areas with 150 grit fine sandpaper and then applying a new coat of Amber shellac. Now keep in mind this will only work if the staining has discolored the wood where it leaves the wood lighter in color than the original (see before pictures below). I could not do this technique with the wood around the roof vent in this trailer because the water staining is much darker and even sanding it doesn’t accomplish much in improving it. What happens is even after you sand it, the shellac seems to attach itself to the darker stained areas and make them even more prominent. There may be a technique out there to improve even the darkest staining but I’m currently not aware of it.
I can’t stress enough to you all that this is only a temporary fix. This is NOT the proper way to restore a trailer. So keep that in mind and know that in my case this is purely for esthetics until I have the time to repair and replace the wood properly.
Here are some pictures so you can see the difference.
Notice the staining isn’t completely gone but wow, quite an improvement right?
Here is the rear bed area. I wish I would have taken better “before” pictures but just so you know the water staining was the same under the right side of the window also. In the “after” photos you can hardly see it now.
So there you go. I will say that Shellac is more of a pain to work with compared to stain. The main reason is stain is more forgiving because it doesn’t dry as fast as shellac. With shellac you have to apply it quickly, using long even strokes. If you try using a sponge brush (been there, done that and it didn’t work well) or paint brush you’ll end up with streaks and marks. So just take a soft terry cloth and ball it up in your hand and dip it into the shellac before applying it. I’m sure other people have their own techniques but this is what has worked for me.
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Your posting could not have come at a better time for me. I have been searching the net for how to deal with those under the window water stains on thin birch without having to remove the panels when the wood is still in nice shape.
I bought a ’65 F.A.N {13ft} which has the staining under each window of not near as bad of status- but it’s still there. I’m super new to this and hope you do not mind my asking:
After I re stain the wood {due to uneven fading} is there something else I can seal it with besides shellac – as in easier? Or is Shellac the easiest? I am leaving the entire middle of the interior in it’s original Birch veneer and painting the 2 sides of the interior with color. I know the fading will be noticeable once I have the contrast in there. I do not mind replacing a few years from now but prefer to do with is there so the money can be spent on things like new tires, new electric box, etc. You know.. the more important things to make her Camp ready.
Hi Tammie, the reason I used shellac is mainly because it matched the existing color and shine of the old finish on the wood. I think when using something else such as stain the challenge is getting it to match well enough. If you have a piece of the old wood that has the old finish on it you could try taking it to like a Sherman Williams paint store and they can try and match it for you. Then you could clear coat over it to give it a shine. However, I have found in the past that it can be really challenging to get stain to match perfectly.
Thank you. Maybe I will just go the route of new. I’m towing her home this weekend so I’ll get in there and have more of a look.
Finishes: Varnish, shellac, and lacquer. All can be tented to make color variances. Drying time differs, but all can yield nice finish results. Spray with Airless, conventional,or paint with brush or roller. There are sponge rollers which can give a very nice orange peel effect. Lastly you could use a teak oil, the benefit the more you sand and the more coats the better it will look! Not to be forgotten, there are also new finishes commonly used in the Floor Finish industry which are water born finishes, these are hard and come in flat, semi gloss and high gloss finishes. Everything has a price, find one which fits best with your skill level.
FYI… I painted for over 35 years. Good luck !
Michael, thank you for sharing such valuable advice! I’m sure so many of us really appreciate you taking the time to post it.
I HAD TO REPALCE SOME WOOD UNDER THE BACK WINDOW, AND WATER STAINS OTHER PLACES SO I GOT A SHADE DARKER STAIN MACH UPJUST FINE
I’m restoring a 1958 kencraft trailer and have been sanding the inside down. My plan was to stain everything but I hear that just putting a clear on is better . what do you guys recommend?