Cheapest way to protect the exterior

[GPW]

Latex exterior house paint has worked great for us ... after a while the latex hardens , so a quick sanding for a color change is no problem...We went from white which got dirty quickly to a Camo paint job in Latex ... Hides many sins... was Cheap and fun to do ...

[Hinermad]

Also it would be nice if whatever I use doesn't hinder me from improving things later as fund improve, such as using fiberglass or an aluminum skin.

I'm new to the site, and I don't know nothin' about buildin' no teardrops, but it's been my experience that if you try to design for every eventuality you'll never get anything built. In my business there's an old saying: "There comes a time in every project when it's necessary to shoot the engineer."

My suggestion is to decide what design is best for your needs today, and let tomorrow look out for itself. Looks like the consensus is if you're on a budget (which I am, too) then exterior house paint is the answer.

Dave

[rmclarke]

"There comes a time in every project when it's necessary to shoot the engineer."

Boy, how true....I couldn't agree more!

Richard

[Tornadoboy]

"There comes a time in every project when it's necessary to shoot the engineer."

BWAHAHAHAHA! I like that!

There's also the saying "Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good"

[05liberty]

I was wondering if any one has thought of or has used pool paint .. Im not sure it would stick to wood ( Im going to check) . I have painted pools in the past and the paint last for years ...oh yea it has even sealed small leaks ... what do you think?

[madjack]

O%, the pool paint is probably a urethane based marine paint...it is typically applied over fiberglass...as long as you do a proper seal/basecoat, it will work just fine...check with manufacturers instructions for proper primers to use.......
madjack

[LMarsh]

I decided not to dish the money out for skinning in aluminum right now and will probably do it next year. I just went to Lowes and asked for the best primer/sealer and exterior latex ( @#$% New York banned exterior oil bases paints last year or something). My wife wanted it a color and not silver aluminum anyway. I'll probably use an automotive paint on the aluminum when I'm ready.

We stained and polyurethaned the interior and every edge of the plywood no matter where it is will be getting a generous coating of spar polyurethane. Also I used roof coating on every inch of the bottom, 2 coats. The roof I will be painting as well or using something else. Maybe white RV roof coating but I have to test it on a scrap first to see how it works. I also thought of an epoxy garage floor paint but not sure how it will work on wood. I might call Rust-o-leum and see if I can find someone who knows anything. The morons in the home centers always tell me something different and I make a point to ask the same questions to everyone to see what they say.

Its hard not to do it right the first time and just use the aluminum but I just don't want to spend any more cash right now.

Lucas

[Arne]

What I've heard about paints is with the new laws, latex have gotten much better and oils have gotten much worse, quality wise... I'd stick with latex.

[Thunderknight]

I'm thinking about a latex solid color exterior stain (Like Olympic Maximum from Lowes) for my TTT. That is what I used on my deck and it seems okay there.

Only available in gallon sizes though.