clear UV protection?

[acabtp]

I am restoring my 14' starcraft fishing boat. At the moment, I am building new removable decking panels. I have 3/4" arauco for the decking and I am going to be covering it with a layer of 3/4 oz fiberglass matt and some polyester resin i have leftover from another project.

i had originally planned on covering these deck panels with marine vinyl, but the arauco plywood is pretty darn sharp looking, so now i want to leave it so i can see the wood. what is my best bet for protecting the poly resin and fiberglass from UV while staying transparent so i can see the pretty wood? i was thinking a nice coat of spar urethane varnish, but it seems that is not recommended for floors.

also, my lumberyard had plenty of arauco, and had no idea about the plant burning down when i asked. i guess not a lot of people around here are using it.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: clear UV protection?

If you want to keep the good look of wood but cover it with glass, you are better off with epoxy and a light cloth, it will be almost invisible, then use a UV protective coating. The problem is in high traffic areas you will need to re apply the coating more often.

Polyester and mat will be semi transparent, but not great. Plus 3/4 oz is a little light if it sees much traffic.

 

[acabtp]

Re: clear UV protection?

i appreciate the advice, i know epoxy and cloth would be better and not to be contrary, but i already have 30 yards of the mat and a bunch of polyester resin (leftovers from another project) so i am going to use them.

what kinds of UV protective coating are you referring to? that's what i am looking for... whatever will extend the life of my materials on hand best.

thank you for your help

 

[acabtp]

Re: clear UV protection?

also, i thought the 3/4 oz mat is equivalent in weight to 6.75 oz cloth... and i had seen 4 or 6 oz cloth recommended for the purpose of single layer lamination over wood for waterproofing purposes. is the 3/4 oz too light just because it is not as strong as the cloth? i was not really relying on the glass for support, as the boat's aluminum stringers are 1" wide on 11" centers and the 3/4" plywood is already overkill for the application.

or is the issue wear resistance or something else i am not thinking of?

sorry for all the questions

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: clear UV protection?

The polyester resin will basically dissolve the 3/4 oz mat. Polyester contains styrene and it is designed to dissolve the fibers in the mat to keep the resin from cracking. Poly resin by itself has no strength and will crack without the use of mat. 3/4 oz mat is 3/4 and 6.75 oz is 6.75 oz Cloth is is woven mat is not. Cloth is 10 time stronger than mat. 6 oz cloth IS ok for waterproofing but NOT very good for abrasion especially with poly. ondarvr has explained it correctly. If you choose to use the materials you have on hand, you will have to live with their characteristics and properties. It is what it is. UV coatings are any Marine type varnish. Many are suitable for decks.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: clear UV protection?

3/4 oz mat has a great deal of open space in it, which means you are relying on the resin itself to hold up to the stresses, which polyester doesn't do well. 1.5 oz is about as thin as you want to go. Depending on the resin, when you go to 1.5 oz the look of the wood starts to go away.

Clear gel coat would be the best coating over the glass for protection.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: clear UV protection?

I would think that most transparent UV blocking finishes would pretty slick/slippery for decking unless you wore gum rubber deck shoes all the time... and if you add grit it'll take away from the appearance.

I think Spar marine varnish will be your best bet, but I still think it'll be slick.

 

[acabtp]

Re: clear UV protection?

I would think that most transparent UV blocking finishes would pretty slick/slippery for decking unless you wore gum rubber deck shoes all the time... and if you add grit it'll take away from the appearance.

I think Spar marine varnish will be your best bet, but I still think it'll be slick.

food for thought. thank you.