How to apply gelcoat

How to apply gelcoat? Can I use epoxy primer over gelcoat? You would have to sand it down to grit sandpaper and apply a coat of Vinylester Resin first. At that point, you can apply the gelcoat to that to get a nice finish.

If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to comment, message or call! This forumn (link) many of your questions. For the latter, you can use gelcoat resin with appropriate pigment.

To apply the gelcoat with a brush, dip the brush in the gelcoat so there’s a liberal amount of gelcoat on it. Brush the gelcoat onto the fiberglass using short vertical strokes. Avoid spreading the gelcoat too thin or you’ll get stroke marks.

If you have used a gelcoat coating in the past, you will need to remove it completely with an acetone solution. Making sure that your gelcoat is applied evenly on the paintbrush, go over the base of the boat, beginning on one side and working your way over. The third coat should have no tack at all after four hours. Three coats should do it, but if you need to add another, just follow the same procedure as before. Spraying gel coat is recommended for more accurate and consistent coverage.

Wrinkles can occur in a gel coat if the application is less than five mils thick, especially when brush marks are present. To avoid this, make sure that you are reaching a preferred thickness of 0. Apply gel coat to your part. Dip the paint roller in the gelcoat and roll it back and forth on the ridges in the paint pan to remove any excess gelcoat. Let the gelcoat cure for the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer.

Most people think that the best way to prepare a fiberglass boat for a gelcoat application is to have it done in a local car repair shop, where they handle similar coats everyday. As they say its all in the preparation right? It comes down to how good a spray painter you are and how good the prep. If your crap maybe go for the gelcoat therefore if you get runs and imperfections you can easily sand them and buff them out. An alternative to using surfacing wax in the gelcoat mix is to over spray the gelcoat with PVA, (polyvinyl alchol).

The problem with this method is getting the right amount of material misted onto the un-cured gelcoat to block the air out and in gauging just when to apply the PVA. I just applied a coat of gelcoat for the first time. It set up far too quickly for me to apply four coats, especially if allowing for some “set up” time between each coat. It is new material from Express Composites. I carefully measured MEK-P with a syringe, per their instructions and stirred for over a minute.

It was not a hot day. Restoring your gelcoat can help restore the shine of your boat and protect its surface. Begin by making sure any surface dirt and stains are removed. Getting to the point of applying your color matched gelcoat is one of the last steps in finishing off your repair(s).

In the video I mentioned that there were common ways to do this. To ensure the amines won’t compromise the cure of the polyester gelcoat , standard mixing and curing instructions apply. Before coating a fully cured layer of epoxy with polyester gelcoat , prepare the surface properly to remove any amine blush. Take care of the flex if it was enuf to cause cracked gelcoat.

Clean it very well, mask very well, If you want a little nonski mask neatly where you WILL walk and apply gelcoat with surface agent by brush and roller, remove tape, retape a neat perimeter and wipe where the gelcoat will go with acetone rag turned often, apply gelcoat with surface. Gelcoat is my preference to put back on there. Keep in mind that you have a limited time to apply what you have mixed (usually between 5-minutes).

The color wet is the color when dry. Waxing your boat now will protect that like-new look and head off a time-consuming restoration project down the line.