Spray on or roll on

[mississippisportsman81]

Ive got a fiberglass bass boat that Im getting ready to paint, got it sanded primed and ready to paint. Ive purchased some interlux paint. Ive been doing some reading and seen where some people roll it on , I had never heard of any such. Any suggestion or comments? Should I roll it or spray it?

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Brightside's or perfection?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Search this secton Boat Restoration and Building for "tip and roll" OR "Roll and Tip"

It is common to roll the marine paint and use a brush at the same time. You will be amazed by the results.

 

[drewpster]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Have had some experience rolling Interlux Brightside. I was very happy with the results. The trick seems to be rolling it thin with good foam or mohair rollers and tipping the paint off with a high quality badger hair or china bristle brush. The paint flattens out very well and leaves a great shine. In fact it is my understanding that this paint, Brightside and Perfection both, are designed to be roll/tipped.

So far the only spraying I have been doing has been the primer. I am finding that spraying uses more paint than roll/tipping. So I have been sticking with rolling it where I can, and spraying in areas where the roller won't go. I am looking forward to spraying the Brightside. The rolling method works so well I am hoping spraying will make it look even better.

There is plenty of information on using application methods on the Interlux website.

Below is a pic of my deck after two coats of roll/tipped Brightside. Keep in mind the deck was very rough before the process began. I still have one more coat to put on.

 

[mississippisportsman81]

Re: Spray on or roll on

I was doing a little research on this last night and got a pretty good understanding of tip and roll. My main concern at this point is the bristle brush and leaving brush marks, anyone had a prob with that or can I use a foam brush????????????

 

[I/O WALDO]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Done several,using Interlux Toplac,Roll it and tip witha brush.Tryed foam brush,no good! Using new,china bristle brush,(Two people,1 roller & one tipper) Properly prepared surface,correct temp.,& don't roll to heavy comes out great!Try to use a tinted primer first.(Brightside)The final product will look streaky butt will lay out in a few daze.Maybe practice on neighbors boat first!

 

[QC]

Re: Spray on or roll on

I just used Pettit's Easypoxy and Roll/Tip on an Aluminum boat. Worked very well.

A few tips from my experience:

- Apply as thin as reasonable
- Use the shortest nap roll you can find. I used 1/4" nap and I also cut them down to fit my 4" roller for tighter spots (couldn't find short nap for 4").
- I used a really cheap brush for tip out and it worked fine except for some shedding. Do small sections and tip out quickly and you'll have no problem whatsoever with brush strokes
- Anything vertical will run unless you go on really thin! Some areas where I went on thick ran after I tipped them out 3 or 4 times . . .
- I will roll/tip again, great process

 

[mtfoyre]

Re: Spray on or roll on

wow drewpster that looks excellent!

 

[Kevin70]

Re: Spray on or roll on

drewpster, I hope my bottom paint turns out that nice. I plan to use Interlux Perfection.

 

[drewpster]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Thanks for the compliments. The entire deck had to be stripped, sanded, coated with fairing compound, primed then painted with Brightside. (sanding, sanding, sanding)

As I stated before this picture is after two coats of the paint rolled and tipped.

I found that rolling just the right thickness of paint before tipping it off is key. It takes a little practice to get it just right.

It seems to help if you consider the paint more of a coating rather than a paint. For those of us who have painted at home, forget what you know about latex. It is not necessarily more difficult, just different. Try to lay the paint off the roller in an even coat without rolling across it very much. Then tipp it off with the brush in one direction, one time. Repeated strokes across the surface do not help. When you get used to it, the paint will flow out flat and shine. If you make a mistake leave it and come back later to fix it.

Get the proper thinner and have it on hand. It definitely helps in warmer weather. Clean the tipping brush at stopping points and do not try to reuse rollers, discard them after painting. Seems complicated, but its not, and the result is very cool.

 

[Scuda11]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Drewpster, I just love that bow, I think it gave me my incentive to do mine! Question, how did you sand in between coats of the brightsides?

And I am using a 3" roller (foam) and a black china bristle brush. I am still getting some streaks, should I use a bigger roller where I can you think?

Thanks.
Scott
​

 

[drewpster]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Thanks very much, it was very rewarding to do,
Using the right amount of thinner, loading the roller the correct amount and painting in the right conditions are a real balancing act. If your next session of painting has similar weather conditions try a little more thinner in the mix. (no more than 10% by volume) I would use the largest roller possible given the area being painted and comfort level while using it. The larger the roller the more consistent it will roll out. Don't tip off more than you need to, just enough to remove stipple.

I sand using 400 grit or 600 wet sand paper. Using the paper wet or dry really doesn't matter in my experience. I use the paper wet where I can. Remove the gloss and sand out defects as you go, try not to sand through. Use a sanding block to keep the paint flat sanding by hand. It takes a little more elbow grease but it sure saves the headaches a power sander will give you at this stage. It normally only takes a light sanding to get rid of the gloss anyway.
Thanks again for the compliment, I am glad you were inspired. (I normally only inspire violence)

 

[TriadSteeler]

Re: Spray on or roll on

The most important thing is making sure that your filling and sanding are perfect. Any minor imperfection will show thru. Like Drew said, if you are rolling, keep it very thin. I just put enough paint in the pan to barely wet the roller. Also as you use the brush, swipe it on an area you haven't painted yet to get any excess paint out of it, becuase if it is full of paint, tipping is much more difficult. Here is what my bottom looked like after one coat with the roll-n-tip method using Pettit EasyPoxy with brushing thinner in an 80-20 mix.

 

[Scuda11]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Thanks guys. I actually just went out and wet sanded a bit with 400, using a block. Very easy I thought and very effective! Retired a couple of years ago from the Coast Guard and of all the painting I did, I never wet sanded!

Works great though, quick question. After I finish wet sanding, should I hose it down and then dry it, wipe it off, air blow it?

Thanks again.

 

[drewpster]

Re: Spray on or roll on

I do a clean wipe down with thinner to remove residue prior to the next coat. Some people like to flush the surface with water while wet sanding. I try to use just enough water to lubricate the surface while sanding. (I use no water at all in the cockpit, to keep residue out of the bilge) Either way the surface must be clean and dry prior to the next coat. DO NOT use 202 solvent wash to wipe down the paint, it will damage it.


LOOKS GREAT Triad!

 

[Scuda11]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Thanks Drew. I am using the 333 from Interlux to wipe down and to thin.

Hopefully I will be posting some new pics tomorrow on my other post.

 

[drewpster]

Re: Spray on or roll on

I just checked out your picures of your boat. Looks Great!

 

[Scuda11]

Re: Spray on or roll on

Thanks Drew, come a long way since this.... anytime I get frustrated I look back at these.....(2 years ago)

Full deck rebuild here http://www.oceansedgewebdesign.com/boat/index.htm

Thanks again!