Painting fiberglass
- Thread starter Foxsea
- Start date
SteelyDan
Well-Known Member
Albernifisher is the pro to ask but i did my DE and so far so good. First we sanded the hull and coated with endura epoxy primer then 2 top coats of ex-2c. All endura but the only reason i used endura is because i already had a gallon of primer leftover and i get a pretty goos deal on the top coat.
TenMile
Well-Known Member
Here's a thread I started a few years back on refinishing a vintage Hurston using the roll/tip method and Perfection. http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum...n-Runabout-restoration-pics&highlight=hurston
Rum Buddies
Well-Known Member
The roll and tip method works very well if you follow the instructions and take your time. Start in a place that doesn't show as much, because you will get much better at the end of the job then at the begining. I did a 24' boat top to bottom and can offer a couple of tips:
- follow the steps and use the right products
- SAND!! if you have old paint don't just scuff up the paint thinking it's going to turn out well. If the paint is really old or in bad shape, you should bring it down to fiberglass, re-prime and then paint. If the paints in ok condition then sand down to primer. Seriously don't slack on the sanding.
- interlux brightside turns out great, but be warned it is very soft(scratches easy) and also cannot tolerate standing water or being wet for pro-longed lengths of time. I had areas water would sit or bead up and the paint bubbled. I spoke direclty with interlux and they said this is normal, the paint cannot tolerate water - crazy I know.
- 90% of the work is in the preperation. Take your time to sand, mask etc - it'll pay off in the finish.
- if you f*ck up on a don't try and fix it, you'll just make it worse. Wait for it to dry and come back and fix it properly.
- don't leave seams. If you have a panel you want to paint, paint it all in one go. Try to make your seams on edges or corners. If you paint half your port side hull, break for lunch and do the other half it's going to have a big line where you started and stopped.
- use good brushes and dont' be afraid to go through a bunch of them.
- don't paint when it's windy or too hot, it'll dry things out too fast and wind will blow dust into the finish.
Now if I could go back in time I would have never used brightside, I would have went with epoxy. The problem is once you use the right primer for brightside you can't go back and repaint with epoxy unless you strip it back down to glass(again). Looked amazing when I finished and even 4 years later it still looks good, but it's so soft and prone to bubbling I wish I didn't use it.
- follow the steps and use the right products
- SAND!! if you have old paint don't just scuff up the paint thinking it's going to turn out well. If the paint is really old or in bad shape, you should bring it down to fiberglass, re-prime and then paint. If the paints in ok condition then sand down to primer. Seriously don't slack on the sanding.
- interlux brightside turns out great, but be warned it is very soft(scratches easy) and also cannot tolerate standing water or being wet for pro-longed lengths of time. I had areas water would sit or bead up and the paint bubbled. I spoke direclty with interlux and they said this is normal, the paint cannot tolerate water - crazy I know.
- 90% of the work is in the preperation. Take your time to sand, mask etc - it'll pay off in the finish.
- if you f*ck up on a don't try and fix it, you'll just make it worse. Wait for it to dry and come back and fix it properly.
- don't leave seams. If you have a panel you want to paint, paint it all in one go. Try to make your seams on edges or corners. If you paint half your port side hull, break for lunch and do the other half it's going to have a big line where you started and stopped.
- use good brushes and dont' be afraid to go through a bunch of them.
- don't paint when it's windy or too hot, it'll dry things out too fast and wind will blow dust into the finish.
Now if I could go back in time I would have never used brightside, I would have went with epoxy. The problem is once you use the right primer for brightside you can't go back and repaint with epoxy unless you strip it back down to glass(again). Looked amazing when I finished and even 4 years later it still looks good, but it's so soft and prone to bubbling I wish I didn't use it.
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If spraying 2 part poly, hire someone with the correct safety equipment. The fumes will kill you in a year or less. I sprayed my dune buggy and used a special mask before I found how toxic the spray is. Friend bought his Moonie off the widow of a guy who sprayed the airplane without protection.
albernifisher
Well-Known Member
What size boat, how much of the boat do you want to paint?
Foxsea
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the replies, guys - I'm learning a lot.
The boat is okay. It's actually our 20 year old Bigfoot camper (fiberglass shell) that I'm planning to paint this spring. The fiberglass looks weathered and yellow so I thought a good paint job would spruce it up and add some protection.
albernifisher
Well-Known Member
We just did one at work, painted it and put on a new decal kit, looks brand new again
Foxsea
Well-Known Member
Awesome! Can I ask what type of paint you would recommend? - hopefully something an amateur could get a decent job with
The decals would be a nice touch, too.
Thanks.
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