Cosmetic application of flowcoat - advice needed

[smclaren]

Hi Guys

Need some floatcoat advice.

I am restoring a fiberglass duckboard that has the manufacturers name embossed (raised up) on it.

Final step after some repairs on the board is a cosmetic coat to hide the repair work and give it a nice even finish.

The thing is that the embossing is very subtle and I am concerned that too thick a mix of flowcoat will reduce the boldness of the embossing and also reduce the non-slip qualities that the embossing gives it.

So I am look for a method/process/technique that will give me the cosmetic coverage ... but with a thinner application. Hope that makes sense ?

I am not a flowcoat expert ... so you'll need to spoon feed me the details sorry.:-[

Thanks

Steve

[sharkcat one]

Hi Mate,

Flowcoat will not stick to anything that has not been sanded . I would not use flowcoat , either get a gelcoat detailer to regelcoat the board or 2-pac the board. You should not use flowcoat if it faces the sun all of the time.
Flowcoat will turn yellow or off white with time, flowcoat is not gelcoat with thickeners added ( So many people on this site believe it is ) . flowcoat has no uv resistance , usually made from ortho base,( some flowcoats can come in Vinylester bases, but you will have to ask for this) , where Gelcoat is iso based, flowcoat is more brittle than gelcoat, when you buff flowcoat it will look great for about 6 months and will dull off .

Keep the flowcoat for you lockers and undersole areas .

I know alot of people on this site repair gelcoat on their boats with flowcoat. If they want to do it that way ,it's their boat. But if you want to do it correctly don't use flowcoat.

Using the flowcoat on the underside of the board is fine.


Cheers
Scott

[smclaren]

Thanks Scott ... good info there mate.

Sounds like a job for a pro ..... which I ain't !

Thanks again.

[Rip it up]

Can you turn gelcoat into flowcoat by adding some wax in styrene?

[sharkcat one]

Hi Rip it up,

Adding wax in styrene or patch aid or patch booster to gelcoat is for when you want to do a gelcoat repair . When the gelcoat is mixed with the additive , what happens is the wax comes to the surface and forms like a skin on top of your repair which takes the stickyness out of the gelcoat , therefore you are able to sand the gelcoat repair and buff. Adding wax in styrene to gelcoat doesn't make a good flowcoat as real flowcoat is high gloss and hard. The gelcoat mix will not be as high gloss and may have some stickyness about it.
Making gelcoat into a form of flowcoat is also very expensive way to make flowcoat, eg.-- gelcoat is usually more expensive than flowcoat , sometimes as twice as much, plus you have to buy wax in styrene as well.

So the answer to your question is - yes you can do it , but it is not cost effective nor will it have the same gloss finish as real flowcoat.

Cheers
Scott

[Rip it up]

Thanks scott good information to know.