Sanding between coats....DA too much? And overlapping too!

[Racingman24]

Ok, so....I finally got off my stubborn horse and switched over to Interlux paint from Rusto....and wow the differences. Unreal. I shoulda just listened from the start....but I'll talk about that later.

Anyway, I got the first coat today on, and it looked great [still does technically]. I sanded it down to prep for the second coat tomorrow. I used 320 grit [just as the can of 'lux says] stuck to a DA. Got it all smoothed down and ready for tomorrow morning. [Not that it wasn't smooth to begin with....]

My question is, is the DA taking off too much material? In some areas I can tell that I'm getting down to the layer below it, some of which I believe is caused by not enough paint to start with, as I'm still working on that perfect blend of light coat with proper coverage and sheen but not so heavy it runs.

Would just going after it with red scotchbrite be ok in between coats, as long as there aren't brush marks to knock down? I plan on hopefully having it buffed and such when I'm done so I want to make sure there is enough paint on there so it doesn't get burned through.

I guess I'm just wondering what everyone else is using in between coats to prep for the next one.

And the second...somewhat simpler question....

I've finally got most things down with the paint to make it look really really nice when it's dry...the one thing I'm still struggling with is visible overlapping.

What I mean by this, is that when the paint is dry, you can see where I overlapped from one area to the next as I was moving along. It's not much, an inch or two, but I see it and it's bother some to me.

Part of me thinks this is my own fault from going to light with the paint early on. I have read lots and lots on here to do multiple light coats instead of 1 or 2 heavy coats, and I'm wondering if I'm doing it too light. Therefore when I overlap, I'm getting the correct amount of paint and that's where it looks different.

Should I be "loading" the roller before I start? Not to the point where it's dripping, but so it has some paint in the core so I'm not picking up paint as I go? This is the one and only "problem" I haven't been able to solve on my own or with info from here, and I just don't know what to do about it.

Thank you for reading my 17 page post!

 

[relocyo]

Re: Sanding between coats....DA too much? And overlapping too!

Are you rolling the deck? If so, ive read a couple threads that said if they were to do it again they would use the fluffiest roller they could find... Just what ive read, concerning decks only...

 

[BWT]

Re: Sanding between coats....DA too much? And overlapping too!

For prepping between coats using a DA, you kinda need to gauge how aggressive your sander is and pair that with an appropriate grit. What determines this is how much action there is in the sanding head. There are finish DA's (the action is 2.5mm or less) and there are rip and tear DA (5mm action or more). Most people think that a sander is a sander, but there is quite a difference. When I'm sanding between coats I'll typically use 400 for the building coats (1&2) and 600 just before the finish coat (#3). Although truth be told, I'm usually doing this with a finish wet sander (air powered; please DO NOT use an electric for wet sanding!)

If you're sanding through after your first coat, that's pretty common. After the 2nd that shouldn't happen (hopefully). Paint is usually a 3 coat process and the first coat more often than not doesn't look the best. As far as dealing with overlap marks, how exactly are you applying? Just rolling, or rolling and tipping off with a brush? Are you using any thinner? If so, how much (%). Are you doing this outside with a breeze? What is the temp when applying? There is a little learning curve to using higher quality paints; it's not all that difficult, but the best teacher is practice (with some tips from the forum .

Generally speaking thin coats are always better than heavy coats. If you're rolling and tipping thinner (solvent) is a must! Use a mohair roller and a quality brush and be methodical in the application trying to maintain a wet edge. Lastly, don't overwork an area. The more you futz with it, the faster the solvents evaporate not giving the paint a chance to flow out before it skins.. Give a little more detailed info on your application and we'll see what we can come up with.

Good luck!

~BWT

 

[Racingman24]

Re: Sanding between coats....DA too much? And overlapping too!

Dangit! I always think I include all needed info, and then don't.

I am rolling and tipping
I'm using a super fine foam roller, and using the nicest white china brush I could find
I'm painting right away in the morning, and the temp is between 65 and 75 [might be closer to 80-85 today since it's already 77 at 624]
Thinning the paint with 5-6% Interlux 333 brushing liquid
Boat is being painted inside the garage without the door open [In fact, I won't let the door open period so that no bugs get it, and no dust gets tossed into the air]

There. I think that's everything this time. But I'm sure I'm forgetting something again.

Although, this lovely weather we're having here in MN makes me wonder one other thing....what is the "stop temp" where most people stop painting? Is painting at 80-85 ok? Or is that too hot?

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Sanding between coats....DA too much? And overlapping too!

I would think a red scotch bright should be fine for your build coats..

DA heavy brush marks and block out runs .

You should be fine with your temp range. I think Ilux says you can add up to 10% 333 reducer. If it seems too thick to work..splash a bit more 333 in it.

YD.

 

[Racingman24]

Re: Sanding between coats....DA too much? And overlapping too!

Ok, I think I'll scotch bright between 2nd and 3rd coats and maybe do 320 as prep for the 4th and final coat....that sound good?

Any other suggestions about the visible overlapping? Just got done with the second coat and it looks better, but it's still noticeable.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Sanding between coats....DA too much? And overlapping too!

Yup..sounds good to me ..

As far as the visible overlap .. cant help you there. I would think that your area of paint is too large and the overlap is drying too fast for the blend tipping. ?

Kinda bumping you ..

YD.

 

[Racingman24]

Re: Sanding between coats....DA too much? And overlapping too!

Dr, thanks for the "kinda bump"

I certainly don't think I'm doing too large an area....My guess would be that I'm doing 4-6 sq ft at a time and then moving on.

Maybe I'm not overlapping and blending enough...I'm only over lapping an inch or two, maybe I should do more?

I've got the third coat on, it looks great and it's super shiny...at least for a gray paint, now I just need to prep for 4th and final coat, and make sure my overlaps aren't visible.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Sanding between coats....DA too much? And overlapping too!

After you roll .. are you cross tipping ? ( brushing sideways on your blend .. Then Downward from your blend to your new roll out area ).

You Should brush from your end point to your blend point..then brush downward from your blend point to your new starting point.

Hope that helps ..

Good luck

YD.