I am wondering what kind of paint i should use to paint the inside and outside of my pirogue. I need something strong and long lasting. I usually use cheap latex and seal it with a coat of resin on top, which is very strong, but sadly looks very ugly. I see many people who post their picture of their boat and the paint jobs are absolutely amazing but i cannot find out exactly how they do it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
What is the best paint?
- Thread starter asizzle93
- Start date
Uncle John has these suggestions on his web site in the F.A.Q. Section.
Epoxy resin needs to be protected from sunlight or it will degrade. Paint is easy and durable. Common exterior house paint works best, 100% acrylic exterior latex (water based) paint, found at any building supplies store. Water based paints adhere well to epoxy where some solvent and oil based paints have adhesion problems.
Polyester resin contains a wax that rises to the surface as the resin cures. It is necessary to remove this wax prior to painting. This will prepare the surface for painting with either oil or water based paints.
Stain, if you wish to stain your boat for a natural wood finish, you should use a water or alcohol based stain and not an oil based product. Allow the stain to dry thoroughly before applying the resin. A good marine varnish will protect the resin and show the beauty of the wood. This method requires more careful selection of wood and greater attention to detail, everything will show through a clear finish. Because varnishes and polyurethanes may have problems adhering to resin Wipe the surface with acetone and then sand with 180 to 220 grit paper before applying the clear finish.
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It's my understanding that the guys on here have applied the paint to there boats with either a brush , roller and some have used a spray gun.
From my experience with painted boats ( back when I was a kid) the boat was pulled up on dry ground , scraped , sanded and painted every year to protect it. It was a row boat made from wood planks and sat out by the lake all year round. Not sure about the paint , what ever they had / used 55 or more years ago.
Epoxy resin needs to be protected from sunlight or it will degrade. Paint is easy and durable. Common exterior house paint works best, 100% acrylic exterior latex (water based) paint, found at any building supplies store. Water based paints adhere well to epoxy where some solvent and oil based paints have adhesion problems.
Polyester resin contains a wax that rises to the surface as the resin cures. It is necessary to remove this wax prior to painting. This will prepare the surface for painting with either oil or water based paints.
Stain, if you wish to stain your boat for a natural wood finish, you should use a water or alcohol based stain and not an oil based product. Allow the stain to dry thoroughly before applying the resin. A good marine varnish will protect the resin and show the beauty of the wood. This method requires more careful selection of wood and greater attention to detail, everything will show through a clear finish. Because varnishes and polyurethanes may have problems adhering to resin Wipe the surface with acetone and then sand with 180 to 220 grit paper before applying the clear finish.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
It's my understanding that the guys on here have applied the paint to there boats with either a brush , roller and some have used a spray gun.
From my experience with painted boats ( back when I was a kid) the boat was pulled up on dry ground , scraped , sanded and painted every year to protect it. It was a row boat made from wood planks and sat out by the lake all year round. Not sure about the paint , what ever they had / used 55 or more years ago.
asizzle93 said:
I would guess the best way to remove the wax is with some sandpaper and then some sort of cleaner to really make the surface ready for the paint.
I also would guess the decision on what paint to use is your choice going from the options that Uncle John posted on his web site and I posted on here for your information.
It appears the main problem you have is the epoxy you used...... Very few of us use it for that simple reason , It is not the best boat building epoxy but you can build a good boat with it.
Now as far as the marine Rustolium.... I do believe that question was answered on or in another post...... You seam to be HUNG UP on the Marine Rustolium idea. Even with others telling you the normal rusteolium works for them.
Let me put it to you this way......... It is your boat , do what you want and if the answers you receive on here are not satisfactory to you then make your own mind up to what you want to do.... Building and finishing boats is a personal choice and no one on here is you and has no idea of what you want. That is locked in the deep recesses of your mind and there is only one way to do it.... That is to do it with some thought.
If you can not decide then I would suggest you use your computer to do some reassurance on the web about what you really want ... Google is a good search engine for that.....since you do not like all the suggestions that have been posted to help or direct you in your quest and continue to re-post the same question but in a different light.
asizzle93 said:
Paint is much like tires in that you get what you pay for. If you want top of the line performance, you have to be willing to shell out a few bucks. Best finish you'll get, in my opinion, is with System Three LPU marine paint. They have it clear which will be more durable than varnish.
Not aware of anything else that comes near the quality at a lot lower price.
as much as i would love to spend $120 on the system 3 paint, i just dont have that kind of money. i have tried using the cheap exterior latex as i was advised on this site and it just DOES NOT WORK! i am willing to spend 50 dollars on the rustolium marine paint or even interlux britesides topsides, but i just wanted to get some kind of response from someone who has used them and have not had them peel or scrape of if you brush up against a branch at the least.
Brushing a limb is not a worry off mine look at the pics in this thread
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7960
If you want anything tougher than that go to epoxy and graphite with alum mixed in.
Ron
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=7960
If you want anything tougher than that go to epoxy and graphite with alum mixed in.
Ron
asizzle93 said:
$120? 1 quart is all you should need and system three sells it for $56 a quart directly from their website. Could probably find it cheaper if you search.
Latex porch paint does a pretty good job. If it peels off when in contact with a branch, you may have applied it wrong. It shouldn't come off that easy. Surface prep is critical.
asizzle93 said:
the paint can should have detailed instructions. With any poly or epoxy, check with the supplier for finishing advice. But as a general rule, wait 3-4 weeks before painting to allow for cure or waxes to fully surface. Light sand, maybe even scrub with acetone, follow paint product instructions.
If you use acetone don't have any flames close by like in a 100 yard area just to play it safe. The stuff is extremely flammable and flames next to it would make any worries about painting the boat into the lease of your worries. It would let you get to know all of the firemen in your area and maybe even the surrounding areas.
It is best to use it in a well ventilated area to maintain good health. As another health benefit , don't even smoke by it , if you smoke,
It is best to use it in a well ventilated area to maintain good health. As another health benefit , don't even smoke by it , if you smoke,
And do keep in mind, whatever advice you get, it's still up to you to use your chosen products safe manner per the manufacturers instructions.
If you go with latex paint, make sure you wait for at LEAST a week (preferably two) before you use it. Latex paint dries quick but actually takes longer to properly cure than oil based paints. Once it's cured, it's pretty tough stuff. As with any covering, proper preparation is the secret. Better to have $10.00 paint on a $50.00 surface than $50.00 paint on a $10.00 surface.
Joey
Joey
All my boats got Glidden latex porch paint. I used Kilz latex primer for a couple, and Glidden latex primer for the other.
It is not the prettiest paint job I've ever seen, and is not scratch proof by any means, but durability has been reasonable, cost is about $20 per gallon, and application is easy.
You want to make sure that the surface is clean before you paint. Sanding is good, as is wiping with solvent. The waxy residue that can form when epoxy cures can be removed by wet sanding (sanding with sandpaper or a 3M brand sanding sponge and water). I don't know about what sort of waxy residue comes to the surface on poly resin; you would want to check the resin manufacturer website for that. They should have detailed info on prepping the surface for paint.
When sanding the surface, stop with a fairly coarse grit. You don't want a glassy smooth surface. With latex paint in particular, a "toothy" (slightly rough) surface will help give the paint something to grab hold of. Not so rough that it shows through the paint, mind you, but not glossy smooth.
Don't skip the primer. Primer is formulated to stick to bare surfaces and provide a good surface for finish paint to stick to. Finish paint sticks to the primer and provides appearance and durability.
My objective on boat paint is reasonable appearance and cost, and easy repair. My boats do NOT end up looking like showpieces. To get a really professional result, you would spend a lot more money and develop a lot better skills than I do.
Hope that helps.
ps - someone commented that you need to allow the paint to cure for a few days to get the full durability, and that comment is right - latex porch paint is very very tough (it is used for porches that get walked on, after all) but for the first day or so it is very vulnerable to damage.
It is not the prettiest paint job I've ever seen, and is not scratch proof by any means, but durability has been reasonable, cost is about $20 per gallon, and application is easy.
You want to make sure that the surface is clean before you paint. Sanding is good, as is wiping with solvent. The waxy residue that can form when epoxy cures can be removed by wet sanding (sanding with sandpaper or a 3M brand sanding sponge and water). I don't know about what sort of waxy residue comes to the surface on poly resin; you would want to check the resin manufacturer website for that. They should have detailed info on prepping the surface for paint.
When sanding the surface, stop with a fairly coarse grit. You don't want a glassy smooth surface. With latex paint in particular, a "toothy" (slightly rough) surface will help give the paint something to grab hold of. Not so rough that it shows through the paint, mind you, but not glossy smooth.
Don't skip the primer. Primer is formulated to stick to bare surfaces and provide a good surface for finish paint to stick to. Finish paint sticks to the primer and provides appearance and durability.
My objective on boat paint is reasonable appearance and cost, and easy repair. My boats do NOT end up looking like showpieces. To get a really professional result, you would spend a lot more money and develop a lot better skills than I do.
Hope that helps.
ps - someone commented that you need to allow the paint to cure for a few days to get the full durability, and that comment is right - latex porch paint is very very tough (it is used for porches that get walked on, after all) but for the first day or so it is very vulnerable to damage.