A prior owner had fixed a few with evercoat gel coat scratch patch gel coat repair, with ugly results. Gelcoat is the first thing sprayed into a female mold when a boat is built, usually to a thickness of. How to apply a clear gel coat to a fiberglass boat gone. The downside to acrylic is that it is more expensive than gel coat. He has talked to 2 repair places in ca and one said that the fiberglass was not fully cured whaen the paint was applied and out gassing occured as it cured and this caused the paint to crack which caused the gelcoat to crack. The tape will help to ensure that your fresh layer of resin doesnt go too far across the surface. Apply a gel coat, followed by fiberglass cloth and another layer of gel coat. Ms 51 gel coat sealer and color restorer the ms 51 gel coat sealer is a water borne coating that will produce a high gloss shine on all gel coated surfaces. Achieve professionallooking results with the aquatic gelcoat repair kit.
A waterproof epoxy sealer for aluminum, steel, fiberglass, wood, and concrete. Wetsand the cured gelcoat with 320grit wetdry paper on a soft sanding block. He uses a rotary tool to grind the crack down to the fiberglass, then he fills it with and interlux epoxy filler called interprotect watertite, uses a longboard sander to sand and then it is ready. When youre finished filling, seal the repair off from the air with a pva curing agent or a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. Gelcoat does not cure properly when exposed to air. They also provide the added benefit of thinning the gelcoat without changing the color of the cured patch the way acetone or styrene can. How to repair a hairline crack in a fiberglass tub diy fix. Restoring your gelcoat can help restore the shine of your. How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat. The best way to repair a pool crack home guides sf gate. Reynolds advanced materials assumes no liability for loss or damage associated with use of material estimators. Designed as a crack or seam sealerfiller for indoor, outdoor and marine applications this flexible it bends slowly epoxy also makes an excellent waterproof, permanent bedding compound. The ms 51 air dries to a high gloss so there is no buffing required. Climb aboard sign up for emails and stay uptodate on the.
The good news about these cracks is that theyre largely cosmetic problems. Coloured hulls this repair has been to a white hull, but exactly the same principles apply to pigmented hulls. Confining work to the immediate repair area, continue wetsanding with 600grit paper until nearly even with surrounding gelcoat. It was about 80 degrees most days i was working and the first coat was. Once all the cracks have been ground away with the dremel, resand the area with the sandpaper to smooth out any rough edges or burrs. Get to the bottom of the crack then fill it as long as fiberglass isnt damaged. Sep 28, 2018 not only is there no benefit to using shellac as a sealer in most situations, there are good reasons not to use it. Youll need to use an aggressive solventbased stripper to remove sealer that is in good condition and welladhered.
Color gel coat ships same day 100s of colors fibre glast. Mar 26, 2019 once the gelcoat has fully cured, sand the repair smooth wet sanding works particularly well with gelcoat. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for spraying awlgrip paint. I wasnt sure if a thinned out epoxy would work in that small of a crack. Color gel coat no return policy all color gel coat is madetoorder. Discover the best process for diy driveway sealing, or how to clean and prepare your pavement when working with a professional. Constant exposure to wind, water and sun can wear down your boats protective gelcoat over time and youll soon find you need to apply a clear gelcoat to your fiberglass boat. Finally, apply a coat of highquality marine polish and your repair is complete.
To view or download a products sds or data sheet click on the pdf icon to the right of the products name sds and data sheets are being updated frequently. After applying heat and confirming the gel coat resin is at its gel stage, apply a thin film coat of pva poly vinyl alcohol using either your finger, air brush or a paint brush. Force out any air holes and be sure to overfill, as gel coat has a tendency to shrink as it cures. How to fix crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks. Radial cracks spider cracks, star cracks caused by impact or by a fixture bolt that puts strain on a certain area of a boat and cracks occur around the hole. This kits contents allow you to make repairs to your white.
Once the gel coat has reached a full cure, progressively sand the area to a polish. How to gel coat a fiberglass swimming pool home guides sf. If this is a critical project, we encourage you to verify estimator results using the longhand method of correlating the volumetric yield of the material with mold cavity. Swimming pool cracks are easily fixed in a weekend. You can start with 220grit sandpaper and, for a really slick surface, finish with at least 400 or 600grit. If you have a buffing compound with you, apply it to restore the glossy finish of the tub surface. Gelcoat can also be rolled or applied by foam brush in patch areas, but spraying tends to yield best results with the least amount of followup sanding. Surface gelcoat scratches can be buffed with polishing compound, and deeper scratches can be filled. Take care that they are completely mixed together, otherwise the hardener and gel coat will not set properly, and you will be left with a sticky mess for weeks.
Linear crack caused by flexural strain thermal fatigue cracks when gelcoat repeatedly expands or contracts. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for. Drive seal 10 driveway fillersealer the home depot. Gel seal is a chemically modified silicate solution that provides longterm waterproofing and durability benefits to concrete. Gel coat labs all marine surface sealant is boosted by polycharger this powerful polymerbased surface sealant is designed to seal and protect surfaces from marine contamination, industrial fallout, salt air, acid rain and uv inducing slow fade. Catalyze the gelcoat and brush onto the exposed fiberglass area. It penetrates deep into concrete and reacts with free calcium and water to form a watersoluble calcium silicate gel complex in cracks, pores and capillaries. Linear crack caused by flexural strain thermal fatigue cracks when gelcoat. Cracks spreading out from the center, much as you would see in a spider web. The easiest repair method is to sand the surface heavily and roll on two coats of epoxy primer followed by two coats of twopart linear polyurethane. Before getting into the actual repair, its important to understand what gelcoat is. The surface shine of a gel coat fiberglass swimming pool will lose its shine and become dull over time. Gel coat labs all marine surface sealant, fiberglass. The only thing i found mentioned online that did not need to open the cracks up was magic ezy which sounds like a thin flexible sealer that just seeps into the cracks.
Is the sealer in good shape and adhering well to the concrete, or is it loose, flaking, and coming off easily. Join us on the sv hideaway as we explore floridas west coast seeking enlightenment on the course towards wisdom aboard a 23 com pac sail boat. Blend coloring agents to achieve a match to almost any color. Over time and with use, the gelcoat on your boat can become dull, making your boat look old.
This sets up capillary action, wherein the thin gelcoat is sucked into the crack. New life for old gelcoat an inexpensive solution that. The cracks are about 18 inch and can only be seen when u are close up to the rv. How to repair gelcoat, chips, scrapes and gouges yourself. Jun 10, 2017 hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. Also, there are a limited number of diy home repair kit options because the kits contain harsh chemicals. You should have about 10 to 15 minutes of working time after adding the catalyst before it starts to harden and is no longer fluid.
Gel coat labs all marine surface sealant, fiberglass sealant. If the surface of your boat looks like a cracked eggshell, the gelcoat is suffering from crazing sometimes called alligatoring. Gel coat labs all marine surface sealant is boosted by polycharger. A chip or scratch does not require total gelcoat removal. Homeadvisors driveway sealing guide instructs on how to use asphalt blacktop or concrete sealer to sealcoat, reseal, tar, or repair cracks. Wait for several hours and then lightly spray pva polyvinyl alcohol the pva serves as an air barrier, allowing the gelcoat to fully cure. Its usually best to run the dremel along each crack lightly then go back and do it again, as opposed to trying to grind deeply on the first pass. If you see cracks take the gelcoat in that area down to the substraight. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat. If applied while the gel coat resin fill is still liquid, the pva application would. Most boat owners know that doing fiberglass boat repairs is a nightmare. How to coat, reseal, or repair cracks in asphalt or concrete. Between the freezing and thawing cycles that come with the changing seasons and the pressure from your vehicle on a daily basis, your driveway endures a lot of wear and tear. Just get the sandinggrinding tool that comes to a point and trace them.
For newer models, we offer a gel coat craze crack repair kit. Shine on is a restoration sealer, not a wax, that will provide a superior seal coat shine and protection to gel coat, fiberglass, and painted aluminum such as on travel trailers and campers. It dries in glossy finish and is designed to repair small hairline cracks. The pattern of cracks is sometimes a clue to their cause. Oct 11, 2017 the spraying part of this video will be out next week. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired.
Magicezy hairline fix is a revolutionary precolored fiberglass and gelcoat repair product that fixes and colors fine stress cracks spider cracks. These products are mixed with the pigmented gelcoat in place of a wax solution to provide a tackfree cured surface. Many old timers will only use a natural carnauba wax. Gel coat uv stable and crack resistant for long term durability, lilly rams gel coats yield improved weatherability and osmotic blister resistance when compared to similar conventional gel coats. You can purchase the ral color gel coat you want right here on our website. Its already recorded, i just need to edit it along with a dozen others on this cheoy lee project.
Real carnauba wax fortified with advanced crystalline polymers locks out uv rays and prevents salt from degrading the underlying finish. How to remove concrete sealer stripping concrete the. Once youre sure youre dealing with these types of cracks in the outer gel coat of the fiberglass, your fix can be limited to the fiberglass exterior. Repair involves either widening each crack line in preparation for a new top layer or wet sanding down past the crevice to unweathered gelcoat. How to repair spider cracks in fiberglass boatlife. The easiest repair method is to sand the surface heavily and roll on two coats of epoxy primer followed by two coats of twopart linear. Think of stain as the color and top coat as the sealer and protectant. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating magazine. Here are the steps and ways on how to repair gelcoat, chips, scrapes and gouges all by yourself using the right repair kit.
The high urethane content of general finishes gel stains results in a lustrous finish that tends to fool people into assuming no sealant is required. Gelcoat crack and crazing repair moderated discussion areas. Color matched gelcoat of a specially thin variety is applied with a camels hair brush after the area has been cleansed with acetone. Gel coat is easy to use and looks great when finished. Now that the cracks are ready, mix your gelcoat repair kit and the hardener together. Crack cure sealant at the official west marine online store. The goal is to apply the pva over the gel coat when it turns to a gel form. Apply gelcoat with a putty knife or plastic spreader.
For a sealer that is loose, weak or failing, you may be able to use a lessaggressive biochemical stripper. Allow the gelcoat to cure for a day or two, then wash the pva off with soapy water. Questions anwered including whether it needs to be done for new driveways, and what supplies and materials are needed. Also this process will not repair crazing, cracks or other physical damage, but it will make a dull, chalky gelcoat finish shine beautifully and it will make any underlying repairs less obvious. The 10 mil prime coat is flexible and nonshrinking in one application. Protect your vessel from marine contamination, industrial fallout, salt air, acid rain and uv rays with the easytoapply gel coat labs all marine surface sealant. This powerful polymerbased surface sealant is designed to seal and protect surfaces from marine contamination, industrial fallout. With small chips or cracks, it is possible for a shower stall repair. This kits contents allow you to make repairs to your white, fiberglass bathtub, shower or shower pan. Before you even get started, you have to learn the different types of shellac. No one debates the need to seal and protect gel coat finishes, but there is disagreement over how best to do it.
Do your own fiberglass and gelcoat repair with epoxy resins, filler, sealants, and fiberglass repair kits from west systems, 3m, and hibond. As the last stage, apply a coat of sealer to the area of the crack and wait for it to dry. Used this product to make a repair to boat gel coat after fixing some minor fiber glass damage. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat. Since 1968, west marine has grown to over 250 local stores, with. When sure of the look and feel of the cloth, apply a second epoxy gel coat.
How to fix spider cracks in fiberglass it still runs. Widening is done because most topcoats new gelcoat, primer for paint, epoxy overlay, fairing compound wont wick into the extremely thin cracks. May 27, 2009 you can take a screw driver and widen them by gouging it, then filling it with gel coat or they make a gel paste good for this. Gelcoat doesnt add anything to the strength of the fiberglass, but it does protect the fiberglass from leaking and from weather. Heres an easy way to fix and color stress cracks in seconds and its so tough it comes with a 3 year durability guarantee. Buy fibre glassevercoat co gel coat repair kit 1 oz steering free delivery possible on eligible purchases. For instint colors or if you have any questions about your color gel coat order, you can call 1. Aquatic gelcoat repair kit in white35rkwh the home depot.
Once dry, use wet sandpaper to sand it flush with the. You can also contact reynolds advanced materials for assistance. Magicezy has developed a range of worldfirst gelcoat repair products that repair. When gelcoat is dry, sand the surface flush with the surrounding surface. We tried west marine gel coat scratch patch, and although very careful, the results. Apply gelcoat use a small wood or plastic putty knife to spread the gelcoat smoothly over the gelcoat repair. Climb aboard sign up for emails and stay uptodate on the latest news, events, and promotions. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating. Gel coat guns use adjustable nozzles and are air compressor driven. Extend each coat farther than the previous one, with the last coat out to the tape line.
If you cant find the one you need, contact our customer service by clicking here. Mix gelcoat according to manufacturer directions and add any coloring to match your boats gelcoat. Small cracks and nicks form in the gel coat surface and are a cosmetic repair. How to repair cracks and chips in damaged gelcoat duration. Cultured marble repair procedures multitech products.
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