I have a TT that has seen better days...the tent structure has held up well...I just think the floor and (while I'm at it) canopy could use another outer/innter coating of silicon before i commit to using the tent on another long trip. Any suggestions?

I have been told about and used silicone calk mixed with various thinners.
Calk: Good grade, clear, 100% silicone (GE or the like.)
Thinner: Mineral Spirits, White Gas, Paint Thinner, etc. I like mineral spirits, it has a medium work time span. Be prepared to sacrifice the brush. Silicone should never be used with any wood products, varnish, lacquer, shelac. And, even acetone will not clean it. Soo, think ahead about anything else (dry bags? Backpack?)

A lot of formula's I have used. 10:1 to 20:1 for recoating old floors seems about right. Depends on if the floor is streatched, worn or damaged. Do both sides:
Inside first
Hange it up, upside down
Outside
It is also non-stick after drying...makes a nice floor. Spinnaker + coating weighs less than PU stuff and is just as waterproof, though not as strong. A few stripes painted on a new floor will make it less slippery.

This is the same stuff I use for seam sealing (at about 2: 1 or 3:1.)

But there is a bit of weight penalty. It will also take a couple days to a week to dry completely...depends...humidity, temperature, wind, etc. Once it starts curing,
it can be rained on, doesn't seem to be effected at all.

Some people have used talc or chalk dust after it has dried to prevent it from sticking to itself the first couple times out. I never have had this problem if I let it dry well.

My thoughts only . . .
jdm

It's admittedly a quick and dirty fix but I used silicone waterproofing spray on an old single walled tent.

I used about 5 cans to coat all of the exterior surfaces of a two person single walled tent with a sewn in floor.

I found mine in the camping section of my local Wal Mart.

Party On,

Newton

Edited by Newton on 12/08/2010 08:06:17 MST.

I have tried most stuff, Camp dry, WG + Silicone Wax, special manufacturors spray on super dry stuff, silicone shoe spray, mink oil, you name it. It all works to some degree or a few times out. It is worth trying it before coating everything and boosting the weight.

Really, there is no good fix, except replacing the cloth with new. On a tarp tent, well...just get a new one if you have the geetz.

Like James said

I did that on a sil-nylon bivy bottom that wasn't very waterproof

I sealed top and bottom

After maybe 10 nights, the bottom started peeling off. No big deal though, after a while it was all gone. Next time I won't put it on the bottom. It gets too much abuse rubbing against the ground.

After maybe 100 nights, the top is maybe peeling off a little, but not enough to do anything about. Maybe I'll put another layer, or maybe I'll make a new one.

I'm no expert but the silicon impregnation probably isn't going to lend itself to a coating process. It is hydrophobic, not water proof in the ordinary sense of the term.

Personally I wouldn't try to fix it. Use another layer inside the tent over the original floor.

Jerry,
I think you might have applied it too thick. I had that happen with an old floor once. I thought I would do a GOOD job and used a 7:1 mix and laid it on. It peeled after a few trips out. Now I know better and thin it further and let it soak in.
You should be able to see it, but not be able to peel it, if you try. 10:1 is about as thick as I ever use on floors, 'cept for seam sealing. And, work it into the fabric, spreading it thinly. For canopies, 20:1, (or even more...I don't measure it out that close)is plenty. If it is just normal wear and streatching, likely 30:1 will work. Recently, I put two coats on a sil-nylon tent that was leaking a bit. I used a really thin mix...I am guessing 40:1... But, this was a new tent for my grandson & family.

The goal is to fill the pores in the fabric and the threads where they have lost the silicone impregnation and/or opened up a little from stretching.

Kevin,
Good point. But I don't think that matters with WG or Mineral Spirits. They saturate the material easily, though.

My thoughts only . . .
jdm

I probably diluted it 7:1 or something

I'll try thinner next time

I just bought a Tarptent Squall 2. I got with it the GE Silicone. Now I need to seam seal it. I have some Acetone paint thinner, will that work or does it need to be Mineral Spirits. I am worried about hurting the tent, but would rather not spend anymore money.

thx
-chad

Chad,

Neither

Seam seal with Permatex Flowable windshield sealant just as it comes out of the tube Use a small disposable foam rubber brush to apply it. Load the brush from the tube. 1 tube should seal your Squall. $5.00 at your local Advance Auto Parts.



FWIW as far as re-coating an entire tent I used this...



...silicone spray on an old single walled pup tent. I bought it off the shelf at WalMart. You spray it on a dry tent "wet" so that it dampens or wets out the fabric. Let dry and pack up for a hike. It may take a few cans mind you.

http://www.amazon.com/Sno-Seal-Silicone-Water-Guard-Aerosol/dp/B0018QIYDK

$7.49 per 12 oz can.

Party On,

Newton

Acetone might disolve your tent, that's not what you want

You can use Coleman fuel/white spirit/naphta to thin the silicone.
Franco

JP,
The TT floors are often fairly easy to replace, as they are not sewn as much to the main tent as with more commercial brands. TT might even be willing to do it at reasonable cost.

For the upper tent, that requires less water resistance than the floor, agree with the sprayers. Except that, unlike John, I have had much better luck with CampDry and ScotchGaurd silicone sprays than with the more widely sold Atsko. My WE Bug Dome fly is in its second life now with spray, and doing fine. Recommend trying different sprays on small areas before deciding.

I would not bother to goop up a silnylon tent with mixtures of silicone and solvents.
But each to their own.

so I went to the local hardware store and bought some mineral spirits. I was scared of ruining my tent. it was super easy to do, took me longer to get the supplies than to actually seal the seems.

For anyone reading this and wanting to do the whole tent or not too worried about the cost, Atsko make a liquid version of their silicone spray in a gallon size.
That does work very well..
http://www.atsko.com/index.php?option=com_tienda&view=products&task=view&id=11&filter_category=37&Itemid=114
I wish someone could tell me what solvent they use for that.
Franco