how much to sand?

[userfriendly]

Hi all,<br /><br />I am going to repaint a fiberglass boat that has a two tone gelcoat, which is blue with silver flake. I know that a sanded gelcoat makes an excellent base for a new paint job. However, I am not so sure about the silver flake. It doens't sand like regular gelcoat and I am not sure if it would make a good base. Should I sand the flake areas down to the fiberglass or just paint it...?<br /><br />Also, what adhesive do you guys recommend for setting carpet to bunks and inside the boat?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: how much to sand?

There should be a layer of clear gel coat and then a layer of clear gel coat with flake added to it, under that should be the color. If you just sand the top layer of clear and not into the flake, there will be no problems. Sometimes if the top layer of clear is not thick enough, you will sand into the flake, then each flake can cause an imperfection in the finish. If you do sand into the flake, just use a sanding primer to hide the flake.

 

[userfriendly]

Re: how much to sand?

thanks, that's what I needed to know...