Re: if I wanted to gelcoat my deck...
Hey oops! Hows those temps up north? Its been so cold here I just read to pass the time until spring.
I've been reading the application methods from various gel coat manufacturers. Although all indicate their gel coat is thixotropic (won't run on vertical surfaces), more than one lists their gel coat as "self leveling" and so far all I read list thinning with styrene at up to 15% as acceptable, especially when spraying. They indicate that other chemicals have been added for leveling and "flow out".
Given the above, I see no problem with thinning to get better self leveling and flow out if you don't like those properties when applied straight. Especially when used on horizontal surfaces like decking.
The more I read, the more I plan to gel the deck in my Bayliner. I think I'll replace the carpet on vertical sides of the hull with a marine deck vinyl like deco dot.
hi mark.....its too freeking cold up here....we are still under snow....and the boat has a big mound of snow on it....im ready to go crazy from not working on it !
self leveling gellcoat is a dream the manufacturers are trying to attain.....
it is thinner than ketchup but thicker than oil.
when sprayed...you have to thin it to get it out of the nozzle......products like patch aid really help with that....also doing repairs it is very important.
as you want a flat smooth repair that requires little sanding to get it to the substrate surface depth. uasually gellcoat is thinned with aceitone. if i remember correctly....10 % is max....(dont quote me on that cause im having a "rough" day today
)....one of the great dangers of thinning a product is that its really easy to thin too much to make it come out of the gun better....but after the 10% the gellcoat looses its properties and will be a weaker product than the manufacturer suggested.
but when you gell your deck the average builder like you or me is gonna roll or brush it ......the brush or roller spreads the gell thin....so thin in fact that you end up with a surface that looks more "painted" than anything......
to get the optimal "factory" look....you will need to apply it as thick as you can and use as little pressure on the roller or brush as you can. after the third coat....mix the gell "hot" let the roller leave "dimples" and let it cure. if you add aceitone or patch aid....it will start to level slightly and you will loose the "pebbeled" finish you are looking for.
you can spray the gell and get a great finish.....since the deck is not being sprayed from a mold where the pebbeled finish is in the mold.....spraying requirers a techeqnique that is kinda hard to do.......you are looking for 25 thou thick coverage.....so when spraying a deck...you want max orange peel. the orange peel is the finish.
you go really slo with the gun and build to the 25 thou.....too thick and it could crack easy....so proper speed with the gun is crucial. gellcoat spraying is allready an art....most auto painters wont touch gellcoat....so the process ive described above can be done but you would have to have lots of practise first!
when i rolled my deck it was more for waterproofing.....i will be adding snap on carpet over the gelled deck so it wasnt the pebbeled surface i was trying to attain.....
but ill tell ya....ya gotta add the non slip.......the gellcoat is like walking on ice!
cheers
oops
