Paint ski locker lid

[JerseyBoater]

Hi All,

I've recently cut and polyester resined my ski locker lid (made from ply) and now I'm planning to paint it.

Originally I was going to give it a good wash and then a light sand before painting, but I've read somewhere (I can only assume here) that you can mix a bit of paint in with the resin as a "final coat" as it were. (maybe the paint added in "thinner" quantity?)

I would then add another layer of paint mixed with anti-skid sand type particles. Would that work ok or have I misunderstood something here?

Thanks

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

Yeah, you misunderstood completely. For one, Polyester resin by itself when applied to wood is pretty much worthless. It will eventually crack and chip and allow water to penetrate. It MUST have CSM to keep the resin from cracking. They do make TINT for the resin but it is not Paint!!! Most people use Gelcoat to apply a finish coat to the surface.

 

[JerseyBoater]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

Ah, better make a start on version 3 then! The PO made version 1 which lasted about 2/3 years with marine ply (potentially soaked in preservative) covered in carpet... it was pretty rotted.

So far I've only put down one thinned layer of resin, can I now add the CSM for the next layers or is it too late for that?

Thanks

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

So far I've only put down one thinned layer of resin

Polyester resin? Thinned w/ what?

 

[JerseyBoater]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

Sorry not thinned, a thin layer of resin. I also added the minimum amount of catalyst to let it soak into the wood as much as possible.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

What kind of resin did you use?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

Swipe it w/ an acetone rag, if it gets tacky you can lay on the CSM & resin. If it doesn't, you'll need to scuff it 1st, wipe it down w/ acetone again & then apply the CSM & resin.

For future reference, you only need to wait 15-30 min (just until it starts to tack up, NOT for it to be fully cured) when you apply resin to wood to pre-wet it. All you want to do is keep the raw wood from absorbing too much resin when you apply it & the CSM. That could starve the glass layup of resin & make it a weak & poorly bonded layup.

Got any pix?

 

[JerseyBoater]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

Yeah I'll take a few pics this evening. It's just gone 24 hours since I put the resin on.

I used this stuff, Bondo Fiberglass Resin, 401 but the tin was white. I'll take a pic of that too.

Thanks

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

That resin likely has wax added as an air inhibitor drying aid. It is NOT likely to get tacky when you 1st wipe it w/ acetone. So I'd expect you'll need to scuff it pretty well to remove the wax blush before you can proceed.

That resin isn't very cost effective, but if you don't need much, you already own it, so continue to use it. If you layup some glass & resin, and let it sit until it cures, you'll need to scuff the resin before every additional layup.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

Yup, All Bondo Resin has wax. As long as you apply the next layer of CSM or Cloth to the resin prior to it curing you're fine. If it does cure then as JBC stated you will need to Sand it with 60 grit and wipe it down with Acetone prior to applying another layer of Resin and Mat or Cloth. With Poly resin you always need to use CSM prior to applying cloth. This link as some good info on how to work with Resin and mat."Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms"

 

[JerseyBoater]

Re: Paint ski locker lid

There is definitely a waxy finish to it and I'll sand it down before adding a CSM layer. There isn't too much left so I'll finish it and it can be an experiment on how long it will last. Thanks for the link WoodOnGlass, I remember reading that rebuild with great interest!

Pictures: