Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

[ezmobee]

Re: Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

So, is it wise for Scott to add glass to the deck with epoxy, or is that simply overkill. I am asking for myself too. thanks

You could certainly add some glass if you're looking for a really bulletproof deck. Not necessary though.

I'd like to add, the marine vinyl I used as a floor covering in my boat is extremely durable. That, on top of epoxy, should do an excellent job of protecting my $100 worth of plywood

 

[RandyJ]

Re: Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

Lots I don't know about chemistry of resins and polymers and lots I don't know about wood. I've got a little experience and much of what I know is "hear say". Some is just things that make sense to me and kind of logical... so don't bash me. I've been told that treated wood has to breathe because if the moisture is not allowed to escape it will rot. I doubt this is rot due to microbes digesting the wood but what I've seen LOTS of times is that water penetrates wood. Heat from the sun steams it and makes it swell splitting the fibers. In the cold the ice does the same. A logical solution to me would be a good polyurethane coating on plain ol' plywood that has not been pressure treated. If it is protected from the sun then there is little worry of UV degradation.

 

[sschefer]

Re: Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

Lots I don't know about chemistry of resins and polymers and lots I don't know about wood. I've got a little experience and much of what I know is "hear say". Some is just things that make sense to me and kind of logical... so don't bash me. I've been told that treated wood has to breathe because if the moisture is not allowed to escape it will rot. I doubt this is rot due to microbes digesting the wood but what I've seen LOTS of times is that water penetrates wood. Heat from the sun steams it and makes it swell splitting the fibers. In the cold the ice does the same. A logical solution to me would be a good polyurethane coating on plain ol' plywood that has not been pressure treated. If it is protected from the sun then there is little worry of UV degradation.

You get it.. congrats...

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

A logical solution to me would be a good polyurethane coating on plain ol' plywood that has not been pressure treated. If it is protected from the sun then there is little worry of UV degradation.

Polyurethane is a weak coating and the cost for exterior grade spar polyurethane is $15 a quart (32 oz.). You can purchase 87 oz. of epoxy online for $40 + $12 S&H. That's $.46 an ounce for poly and $.59 for epoxy, for a measley 13 cents more an ounce you can get a much more durable coating for your decking.

 

[RandyJ]

Re: Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

Polyurethane is a weak coating and the cost for exterior grade spar polyurethane is $15 a quart (32 oz.). You can purchase 87 oz. of epoxy online for $40 + $12 S&H. That's $.46 an ounce for poly and $.59 for epoxy, for a measley 13 cents more an ounce you can get a much more durable coating for your decking.

Thanks for the info! As I said earlier, lots I don't know about polymers, etc. A few qualities I would look for in a coating is for it to be impervious to water and to not crack. I'm not so sure I would look for strength more or less than it being flexible. I'd rather have something that will bend than something that would crack if it got a pretty good lick. One thing I do know about boats is that they take a lot of physical abuse from stem to stern and every square millimeter bends to some degree at some time. I do know that plastics, in general, will bend, but I also know that some will crack and break before others. Pretty much... depends on the application, what kind of boat and where/how that boat is going to be used most of the time. Also, I would like to know how the chosen coating is going to hold up in the burning hot sun as well as the deep freezing weather.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

Another option would be to use marine plywood and an elastomeric primer and coating on both sides of the plywood.

Http://amesresearch.com sells Ames'? Safe-T-Deck and a primer that would do the job. And, it's available online or through Ace Hardware. They also have the same stuff with an anti-slip finish.

This product is so good, it's used to seal flat roof decks and balconies.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

There is no reason to thin resin.

It does nothing good and can only hurt.

 

[scott hamilton]

Re: Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

Ended up getting CDX 5/8 and the 635 epoxy. Waiting on the epoxy to arrive and will install. I also have a post about weight distrubution I could use your help on:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=518243

Thanks

 

[calboats]

Re: Plywood for Floor - Resin Coating

HUmm, I have designed and built a number of boats and will chip in an observation or two. On my floor builds I use underlayment ply, it's cheap and has waterproof glue for basements, top side good. I then get some anti-freeze, the poison to everything kind, which is applied after cutting out the floor panel sizes and being fitted for installation. The anti-freeze stops rot !! Then you let it dry for a week till fully absorbed, wood pores open better, then glass it in. No need to replace that floor, ever. Over that I use the real epoxy our boating club buys, about 1hr set up, for about $60 a gallon, not polyester, mix as directed except slightly warm mix under a lamp so it sinks in. I have used cloth on power boats for heavy traffic, none on lapstrake hulls, makes varnishing waay easier, and the hull tougher. I have some Benjamin Moore M95 OO epoxy thinner, that I use if the epoxy is too thick with wood flower, or Cabo-sil additives and want to slow the fillet areas from going off, before they sink in and lock up. I have had good luck with wiring the joining panels, and doing the fillets at the same time. Just press the cloth strips over the firm fillet before it sets up, and get the air out with a cheap 2in. chip brush like Harbor Freight carries by the box. If you are "seaming" upside down, cover your hair with a knit cap, use goggles, and don't sing along with the radio.

Just more input, Have Fun, Cal

Is epoxy Tough enough? My trailer axle tore fully off the rails at 60 on a curve, a 17ft. cabin boat that I built from scratch slid down a bank on the rails, and flipped a 115 Merc 6cyl vertical,hull at 45 deg. angle down hill. The fuel tanks did not pull up, batteries stayed in place, zero hull/transom damage. It took a cherry picker to separate stuff and get the pieces aligned on a flatbed truck to haul it to my mechanic. Full recovery, new axle, except we never found where one wheel and tire went, the one that blew.