This article will list the materials required and the steps required to apply a coating of gelcoat to your RV and finish it to a high luster finish. Use Acetone for your cleanup. Heat, cleaning compounds and abrasive materials can strip the gel coat off the cultured marble, dulling its surface. 5. Gelcoat is a dangerous, toxic substance used to waterproof, seal and bring a shine to things that are made out of fiberglass or wood. Unfortunately, I have had mixed results with the gel coat portion. The fix is a solvent thinned eopxy primer like esp 155 which will firm up the surface and provide a good, fresh bonding surface. The last gelcoat layer is removed from its stickiness by adding a styrene-paraffin mixture, so that it becomes a topcoat and hardens without stickiness. Why? gel coat is just thickened and pigmented polyester/fiberglass resin. Gelcoat … Proper gelcoat application requires you apply your coats about 15-20 mils thick, Mil Gauge. Before applying gel coat paste, match the color of the paste with the color of the hull. You only need to let the layers gel, i.e., you work wet on wet. I purchased some laminating gel coat and PVA from West Marine last week, and sometimes the gel coat will cure and sometimes it wont. Easy to paint. Because unlike other owners, all you need to do is wash your boat and apply a quality wax. In the video I mentioned that there were 2 common ways to do this; spraying or brushing.. But the real issue is UV damage which has broken down the resin and make for a chalking - porous - not good bonding surface. It not as simple as painting and can be somewhat difficult to work with. Apply gelcoat until a layer thickness of 1000 to 1500 my is reached. Gel coat is typically the first layer of a part to be applied. Gelcoat is the coating sprayed up against a highly polished mold at the beginning of the fiberglass layup process. Gelcoat is a resin system that is filled with colorants and thickening agents and applied to a mold surface to form the cosmetic and weathering coating of a composite part. Correct application of gelcoat is critical to get the optimum performance from it. using a mil gauge. Getting to the point of applying your color matched gelcoat is one of the last steps in finishing off your repair(s). This may entail some testing to get the right gel coat color. Just like other Polyester-based products, Acetone is the best cleanup material! Two days ago, the last application of gel coat I did was 2 coats on the underside of the lids. Apply Gel Coat Paste that Matches the Exact Color of the Hull. Allow the gelcoat to cure overnight and then lightly sand it and buff it for an outstanding shine! Applying gel coat correctly is of utmost importance to making aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting end products. Waxing your boat now will protect that like-new look and head off a time-consuming restoration project down the line. About Gelcoat. If gel coat is not applied properly it ultimately can increase the cost of the product made, as often is the case, cutting corners in this process will not prove to be worth it. To restore the shine and protection of the product, apply a new coat of gel. A gel coat is put on the cultured marble at the factory to give the product a shine and seal in the interior resins. For many “do-it-yourselfers,” applying gelcoat can be quite intimidating. When one of our customers has a problem with gelcoat not curing properly, it usually stems from one of the reasons below. Once you’ve got the right color, fill the sanded down crack with a pigmented gel coat paste using a putty knife. One of the most frustrating problems to deal with is a new application of gelcoat that refuses to harden and cure. Critical to get the right color, fill the sanded down crack a! 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