Painting (?) A New Floor...

l008com

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Jun 14, 2007
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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

So I did my 3rd coat of paint today, which was the first on TOP of the sand. Seemed to have gone fairly well. My feet were still picking up some of the sand before I painted so I tried to only step on the non-sanded areas. (i had brushed it several times and also hosed it off the day before). The paint seems to be staying soft and kind of tacky for a long time. I wonder if I should maybe wait a week after the 4th coat, before I actually start using the boat? Thoughts on that?
 

Woodonglass

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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

Are you using the Rustoleum Oil based Paint? Are You adding any acetone to the mix or going with it right out of the can?
 

Cowthief

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Apr 17, 2012
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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

I used the Rustoleum Topside Marine paint and have loved how it lies down. Easy to put on also.
 

l008com

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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

I am using that rustoleum paint and I am adding that enamel hardener. I'm not adding any acetone though?
 

Woodonglass

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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

Are You mixing the Hardener and Letting the Paint "Cook" for 30 Minutes stirring occassionally during the "Cooking" time? If you are.. it should be curing to the touch in about 2 hours. How much are you mixing at a time?
 

l008com

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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

Hmmm i respond to this but the system must have eaten it. Yup I stir it regularly for a full 30 minutes before use. I've mixed a quart for all the full coats and half a quart for the smaller area that I sanded.

But I JUST sold my truck tonight, so it's become kind of a moot point. This boat is now likely going to sit for a while before I get a new old truck to pull it with. But in my missing reply, I had asked how long it's supposed to take before the paint is fully cured and ready for every day use?
 

l008com

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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

That's about the earliest I'd have a new truck anyway so this might just work out fine. So my walls have two coats right now and you can still see through them a little bit, to see the old paint underneath. Hopefully the 3rd coat makes it thick enough that you can't see through, and it's just pure white.

Also woodonglass . . . Just a thought, but next time, maybe recommend matte white paint, not glossy white. Around noon time, my floor is so reflective, it hard to open my eyes inside the boat. It may not be so bad once I install everything back in there, and with the floor now sanded. But after the first coat, while painting on the second coat, it was brutally reflective. If I had to do it again, I think I'd definitely go with a matte paint. Also the rest of my boat's naturally clear-coated fiberglass is 30 years old and not at all glossy anyway, its totally matte. I'm sure not going to change it now but maybe next time I'll go matte. Hopefully next time is 10 years from now.
 

Woodonglass

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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

Once everythings back in the boat, it won't be an issue.
 

l008com

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Jun 14, 2007
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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

I can't wait till I'm out at sea. Even if it is a problem, the most I'm going to do about it this year is buy a pair of sunglasses and keep on boating :D
 

l008com

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Jun 14, 2007
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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

Question: I have large PVC structures that I put in my boat under the cover. One of these two structures sits right on the floor. What's a good thing to use as padding, so the paint won't be ruined when I uncover the boat in the spring?

So I did finish painting the boat. The 'grit' didn't work out that great. The floor was so damn bright, that I seriously couldn't see where I was spreading the grit. So the edges look perfect but the density of grit is not even and is a little slick in spots. Other than that, the paint seemed to hold up ok. There are a few cracks and a few small chips but overall it seems ok. Still, I'm clearly not going to get 10 years out of this paint. Now I'm kind of wishing I went the gelcoat route.
 

emoney

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Jul 19, 2010
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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

If you ever need to do it again, mix the non-slip into the paint before you roll it on. You can get a much more even surface that way, and it doesn't matter if you can't "see" it when applying. The key is to make sure you start out with a little paint, and then keep adding paint to get your desired finish. Also, I think it's better to go ahead and "sweep" the deck after it dries to get the loose filler off now. It's better to get it out of the boat before it hits the water, and once that paint's dry, if it's loose it will always be loose.
 

l008com

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Re: Painting (?) A New Floor...

Any thoughts on my paint protector (from the PVC)? I have some old car floor mats. Would those work well upside down?
 
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