Hey guys, long time stalker, first time poster, so please go easy on me.
Hoping to pick the brains of those that have gone before me.
I have a Expanda PopTop, the Roof is a single Fibreglass sheet, but the Gel Coat has pretty much disintegrated. If you wipe you hand over it your hand looks like you've run your hand over a black board with chalk.
It's still water proof at the moment but I'm sure that wont last much longer as it'd have to be pretty porous in its current state.
One guy has told me I need to sand it back and reapply a Gel Coat, and I'm sure that's true. But I wondered if it might be easier and provide a better finish if I sand it back and spray on a two pack enamel paint?
All the discussion online I've found is about applying a rubber based product to water proof it, mine is still water proof, I just need to seal the Fibreglass before that changes. This approach seems to be more about plugging a leak than preserving Fibreglass to my mind.
What does the brains trust reckon?
Cheers
blaze said
03:59 PM Dec 7, 2020
you never put gelcote on a finished product { only for use in moulds}, use flowcote to do what you want to do or a good two pac will do the job with the right prep work
cheers blaze
jayroly said
04:24 PM Dec 7, 2020
Thank you Blaze, sounds like Flow Coat is the way to go. That's my next project then, thanks very much for your advice.
Warren-Pat_01 said
09:12 PM Dec 7, 2020
G'day blaze, jayroly,
I assume this Flow Coat is rolled on only over the f/g sheet & not over items such as the edges of vents, tv antennae, etc.
My roof is still in good order but I wonder if this coat can replace the sealant on the roof, making the rolled edge & the roof sheet as one & eliminating a major area where leaks can occur?
I've had thoughts of painting the roof with that "u-beaut" insulating paints e.g. Dulux Acratex that increase the insulation quality of the roof.
blaze said
09:48 PM Dec 7, 2020
Warren-Pat_01 wrote:
G'day blaze, jayroly, I assume this Flow Coat is rolled on only over the f/g sheet & not over items such as the edges of vents, tv antennae, etc. My roof is still in good order but I wonder if this coat can replace the sealant on the roof, making the rolled edge & the roof sheet as one & eliminating a major area where leaks can occur?
I've had thoughts of painting the roof with that "u-beaut" insulating paints e.g. Dulux Acratex that increase the insulation quality of the roof.
if I was going over a join, I would put a couple layers of fine matting first to solidify the joint. Flow coat is a sealer for the glass matting
cheers
blaze
erad said
08:36 PM Dec 8, 2020
Over 40 years ago, I had Citroen DS 21. This had a fibreglass roof, and before I bought it, someone had polished the gel coat away. I could never get a good finish on it from when I had it. One day, I removed the roof and my father (he was a house painter) came to my place and we rubbed it down with fine sandpaper, and then he hand painted the roof with a brush. We used a polyurethane marine paint. The finish was superb - far better that I could ever have achieved. When he first started, the paint was a bit thick and there were some brushmarks, but he then thinned the paint down with some turps and the rest of the job was first class. The car was around town for 40 years after I sold it, and although the rest of the car was repainted, I don't think that the roof was touched. A lot of that time, the car was under cover, but the surface was still able to accept car polishes with no problems.
Mike196 said
10:24 AM Dec 19, 2020
G'Day Jayroly, A lot of suppliers won't supply two pack paints to private individuals unless they're certified Isocyanate free. I would be looking at a good marine paint for the top.
Regards,
Peter_n_Margaret said
02:32 PM Dec 19, 2020
The other alternative is to do all the prep work including masking yourself (that is where the time and money is) and then get a professional to spray the 2 pack or flow coat.
Another alternative is to choose a 2 pack that can be put on with a roller. You will get a slight hammertone finish which is quite attractive.
Cheers,
Peter
Aus-Kiwi said
10:35 AM Dec 25, 2020
I have rubber type roof on mine . I paint it every two or three years . Its hardly never under cover . Cannot see it too much but it still preserves roof . The alternative is $5k to replace . Suggest some cover to protect from UV ? Even if its shade cloth type ? Pull over roof with long ropes and tie down secure .
Hey guys, long time stalker, first time poster, so please go easy on me.
Hoping to pick the brains of those that have gone before me.
I have a Expanda PopTop, the Roof is a single Fibreglass sheet, but the Gel Coat has pretty much disintegrated. If you wipe you hand over it your hand looks like you've run your hand over a black board with chalk.
It's still water proof at the moment but I'm sure that wont last much longer as it'd have to be pretty porous in its current state.
One guy has told me I need to sand it back and reapply a Gel Coat, and I'm sure that's true. But I wondered if it might be easier and provide a better finish if I sand it back and spray on a two pack enamel paint?
All the discussion online I've found is about applying a rubber based product to water proof it, mine is still water proof, I just need to seal the Fibreglass before that changes. This approach seems to be more about plugging a leak than preserving Fibreglass to my mind.
What does the brains trust reckon?
Cheers
cheers blaze
Thank you Blaze, sounds like Flow Coat is the way to go. That's my next project then, thanks very much for your advice.
I assume this Flow Coat is rolled on only over the f/g sheet & not over items such as the edges of vents, tv antennae, etc.
My roof is still in good order but I wonder if this coat can replace the sealant on the roof, making the rolled edge & the roof sheet as one & eliminating a major area where leaks can occur?
I've had thoughts of painting the roof with that "u-beaut" insulating paints e.g. Dulux Acratex that increase the insulation quality of the roof.
if I was going over a join, I would put a couple layers of fine matting first to solidify the joint. Flow coat is a sealer for the glass matting
cheers
blaze
G'Day Jayroly, A lot of suppliers won't supply two pack paints to private individuals unless they're certified Isocyanate free. I would be looking at a good marine paint for the top.
Regards,
Another alternative is to choose a 2 pack that can be put on with a roller. You will get a slight hammertone finish which is quite attractive.
Cheers,
Peter