Waterproofing coatings?

[liquid]

I'd like to get some feeback from all of the DIY folks that have worked with various waterproofing materials for woods. I would like to take a poll to find out what products (Manufacturer and product name) that people have used to waterproof the insides of their hoods. In a couple of searches prior to posting this, I have found that people tend to use Spar varnish, RVT silicone, and the like to completely seal and protect their hoods, stands, etc, from saltwater, humidity, and whatnot.

I am a coatings chemist by trade so I have access to accelerated weathering equipment (saltspray, UV resistance) and other physical property testing apparatus'. My thought is to take maybe the top 5-10 products that people recommend and subject the coatings to various testing scenarios to find the best product out there for use with high intensity lighting and saltwater for waterproofing wood inside a hood or where contact with saltwater, humidity, etc, is common. Some initial thoughts that come to mind are that the coating in question will have to have superior UV resistance (halides and HQI setups put out a fair amount of UV), moisture resistance (humidity, saltwater splashing, etc), the ability to expand/contract without cracking, and the like. ASTM standards for coatings testing will be followed in this testing regeme. The thought is to also test two or three species of wood as well such as pine, oak, etc.

Please post the manufacturer name, product name, and where you purchased the product.

The thought is that after this testing is complete that I will write up and submit the results to Advanced Aquarist for potential publication.

Looking forward to the responses! Thanks!

Shane

 

[jazzyreef]

I currently have a 20-year oilbase white gloss paint on the interior of my hood; I couldn't afford what I wanted: 2-part epoxy resin paint by Bondo. Same stuff for painting fiberglass boats, I think. Thought about buying epoxy resin paint and building a wooden tank; didn't have time.

 

[jazzyreef]

don't remember the manufacturer. I got whatever Lowe's top-line paint was...

 

[jazzyreef]

oh yeah...it is supposed to be a marine grade paint, and was rated to stand up to salt spray. We'll see.

 

[SPC]

Shane, I used a coat of Minwax clear stain and a coat of Minwax polyurethane on the inside of my hood.
Steve

 

[Mac1]

Nice thread Shane-O.. Will be curious to hear what you come up with.

I'm in the process of building my first DIY hood, and after much research, went with a 2-part epoxy paint from West Systems. Got it at the local Boat Supply store, and checked out the manufacturer's web page for more info. They had a "Questions" form, so I filled it out..
The Reply I got back from them was pretty informative, the guy really took some time to answer all the question's I had. The only concern he had with my intended application, was that UV light can break down the epoxy over time - I should coat the epoxy with a UV Protective Polyurathane or something after I'm done. Otherwise he said the epoxy paint should work very well, and to try and do any re-peat coats within a few hours, so that I could get a primary bond (chemical) between the two coats, as opposed to just a secondary (mechanical) bond if I waited a couple days between application.

- Mac

 

[fishfarmer]

I used a two part epoxy for a ~200 gal fish hauling tank for work. The tank was built using pressure treated plywood and fiberglass. The tank sits outside, sometimes uncovered. It gets used regularly during the spring months(filled with brookies and water). It was built in the spring of 2000.

I used: Devoe coatings Tru-Glaze-WB 4408, Waterborne Epoxy Gloss Coating and Converter. It seems to be holding up well, there is a little cracking at pressure points on the tank and a little epoxy has worn off in certain areas, but I haven't seen any peeling as you would with regular paint.

[ April 11, 2002: Message edited by: fishfarmer ]

[ April 11, 2002: Message edited by: fishfarmer ]</p>

 

[ReefMon]

On my old hood I used an oil based marine epoxy on the inside and spar varnish on the outside, 4+ years old and still looks great!

My new hood has a Formica interior, and I love it!

 

[Groucho]

Good idea for an article. First time I tried using plain spar varnish. Worked ok except for 1 or 2 patches that were damaged by salt. If I were doing again I would use epoxy. I hope your research gives other options as well.