[Perithead]

Well, I have given the cabin one pretty decent cleaning with some Simple Green. I think this is a pretty good degreaser and it is non toxic so I dont have to wrry about fumes in the small cabin. I was told that just clean the cabin pretty good with degreaser then put on a primer coat then the actual paint.

1. Is the product Simple Green good enough for the application or should I go with something like Greased Lightning?

2. Now I know that it takes special paint for the hull and topsides of a sailboat. I am wondering if I need to use the same paints for the inside of the cabin? I will be painting over the woven fiberglass and some wood. I wonder if Lowes would have the paints I need since I do not live in a coastal town?

 

[TSOJOURNER]

If you wipe everything you are going to paint with a clean white rag soaked with denatured alcohol right before you prime and again before you paint, any paint will stick. I used home depot flat white actually, (aspen snow white) latex and it holds well. I would recommend an outdoor enamel, and white. see my blog for pics. hyperlink

Mango Madness J30 #185 rebuild: July 2008

 

[TSOJOURNER]

That is assuming you have already de-greased the area.

 

[Perithead]

Thanks mango for the reply.

Yes, I have already degreased the area well.

I thought about using latex paint last night but doesnt latex scratch and peel easily? How about with your project, any easy scratching or peeling?

 

[Faster]

We've had good luck in those types of areas with (locally Home Hardware brand) single part polyurethanes - often called "plastic paint". Good coverage and lasts quite well unless there's heavy traffic and I'd expect better overall results than with a latex paint.

I'd avoid the more volatile/expensive two-part paints unless you're properly equipped to apply it "indoors".

 

[T34C]

You are going to need a "plastic type" paint. the problem with Lowes house type paints is the coeffecient of thermal expantion of the paint will be very different from the fiberglass. That's a fancy way of saying the paint will begin to "pop-off" the fiberglass as it heats and cools and you will have to re-do it in the near future.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

I thought I had bought an oil based enamel, but it turned out to be latex. It doesn't scratch easily. It doesn't due the latex peel either. It is also on top of Awlgrip 545 epoxy primer that I had left over. I'll just have to wait and see if the heat plays a role in the life of the paint over time.

 

[Perithead]

Thanks everyone, I will look for some "plastic paints" then.

 

[floatsome]

Seems me Don Casey had recommended any good alkyd enamel? After degreasing, buff with sandpaper so paint sticks. I've been told that non-epoxy paint won't stick well to fibreglass that moves, but solid is more likely to be OK. I tried melamine paint this time around. This particular brand has some polyurethane to make it flow better. Resists mildew too. Went on nicely with a small foam roller. Only been on a week. Apparently it is slow to dry, but ends up hard.

 

[FishFinder]

I did this recently, I used Valspar Exterior 100% Acrylic Latex (@ lowes). My prep was scrubbing hard with a brush and simple green, and wiping with acetone beore painting. The simple green was strong enough to remove a fair amount of the old paint! I also sanded some areas w/80 grit paper in a random-orbital sander (created a lot of fiberglass dust!) and where I sanded I primed. I used at least 2 coats of the latex in some cases 4. I'm happy with the results, looks good and no problems so far.

My understanding is that acrylic latex paint:

1) Breathes
2) Shrinks and expands well
3) Is very durable
4) Has much less harmful odor and VOC's than oil-based paints (its water-based)

Latex has improved quite a bit apparently from earlier days and it is overtaking oil-based paints in the construction industry. I've even heard of people painting hulls with latex ... dunno if I'd do that!

 

[Perithead]

Cool, thanks FishFinder that was a very helpful answer, I think I may go with the same paint you chose.

By the way, how long ago was it that you applied that paint?

 

[sailaway21]

Casey does indeed recommend alkyd enamel house trim paint, which is oil-based, for the interior. Prep is everything regardless of paint choice.

 

[hellosailor]

House paint is for houses. Among other things, "boat paint" is designed so it will not rub off or chalk with constant rubbing and wear from contact. And it will be less porous when dried, less likely to give crud a foothold, easier to repeatedly clean.

I'd stick to a polyurethane or epoxy type paint (sometimes sold as a "basement" or "deck" paint, too) intended for boats. The paint is the cheapest part of the job--unless you really enjoy stripping and priming?

Degreasing with Simple Green or any non-solvent degreaser can be just as good as using solvents, the only real question is how well you do the job. That usually means LOTS of clean rags or paper towels, and degreasing everything twice, as the first time around you often just pull in grease from the surrounding areas and don't get it all off. But, you're not prepping for neurosurgery, there's some tolerance in the products.

I know a couple of people who painted their cars with latex exterior house paint. Of course, those were "beaters" and part of the purpose was to make sure no one would WANT to steal them. It lasted the few years till they were junked, but most of us would want the interior of a boat to be painted less often than that.[g]

 

[Perithead]

Well, I nearly have all the hardware off the boat and I plan on doing another even more thorough cleaning tomorrow.

One of my favorite cleaners is Clorox. I think it would be an excellent degreaser and it cheap and works very well. Would there be any objection to using it?

Also, I have the boat pretty much gutted bare and I have already used a waterhose on the inside to clean once and I was thinking about getting in there with a pressure washer tomorrow to really do some good cleaning. Would it be hurting anything? All the wood in it at this time that I do not plan on replacing is marine treated plywood. The only thing I could think of that might be affected is the holes that are through the cored deck. Would a pressure washer do any unwanted damage here?

I figure that just getting in there with a hose and a scrub brush is easier than rags and paper towels and will do a much better job.

Any objections to my ideas?

 

[hellosailor]

AFAIK Chlorox is not a degreaser, it does not dissolve grease. TSP or SpicNSpan, yes. Not bleach. A brish won't degrease anything unless you are using generous amounts of solvents that will pick up the grease, suspend it, a carry it away. It will work--just scrub well and use a degreaser. Liquid Tide lanudry detergent happens to be an excellent one. So is Dawn dish soap. In both cases, rinse well to make sure there's no residue left behind.

A pressure washer set too high can erode wood and cut materials away. Good for rinsing--but unless you can put hot water and detergent in it, not so good for degreasing. A steam genny is better for that. Live steam is one of the best degreasers, all by itself. And you'll get surface rust forming on every ferrous part you've hit it with, unless you recoat them soon afterwards.

 

[FishFinder]

Cool, thanks FishFinder that was a very helpful answer, I think I may go with the same paint you chose.

By the way, how long ago was it that you applied that paint?

I applied the acrylic latex paint in early June, and lived in the boat until last week (October 5th) so thats 4 months of constant use. Held up fine, condensation wiped right off and there were only a few scratches from things like dropping a screwdriver onto the paint ... this would have scratched any paint including the super tough paint on my car.

I would say give the latex enough time to FULLY cure before use. I gave it basically a day, the paint seemed dry but in the pacific NW this wasn't enough and some things I put back into the cabinets stuck to the paint.

Oil-based paints are traditional and have their fans but for me acrylic latex (which is WATER based) was a good solution here. On a related note I do a fair amount of carpentry and woodworking, and I've been moving away from oil-based finishes for that work ... I just like that there is MUCH less odor and the brushes and everything clean up with water. But we can debate all this till the cows come home ...