Finishes for ACX plywood and luan

[KBas]

I'm new here to the forum and building a teardrop. I am amazed and overwhelmed at the amount of information available in this forum. What i am looking for is what to use to seal the wood and weatherproof this project, preferably in a simple process. The sidewalls are 3/4" ACX plywood, the front and roof are 5mm luan, and the rear panel is 1/2" ACX ply wood. I am sure that I need to apply some sort of sealer to the wood prior to painting and what type of paint would work the best. I look forward to hearing from you.

Karl

ps If you reply, please remember I am not yet familiar with many of the acronyms used here. Thanks

[tony.latham]

Nothing seals wood as well as fiberglass/epoxy. The epoxy soaks into the wood and plasticizes it.

https://youtu.be/BJZYGY2he1o?si=au8e1htj1GsYzeMo

I suggest 6 oz cloth and recommend Raka for both the glass and the epoxy.







Epoxy needs UV protection, so either coat it with spar varnish or an oil-based paint

Tony

[Pmullen503]

I agree, though epoxy is daunting and expensive, nothing works better.

The next best would be covering in canvas and paint.

The minimum I would recommend is the "The Mix". Thin oil based poly; 75% thinner/25% poly and give a good saturating coat, especially edges and let dry a couple days. Then repeat with 50/50, then 75/25 and finally 100% poly. Then paint. You'll still have to worry about joints opening up and water pooling, so be vigilant with maintenance.

[Tom&Shelly]

For what it's worth, Shelly and I learned to use epoxy and fiberglass building our teardrop, and found it easy to use and very effective. We used Raka epoxy/glass and basically the system Tony describes.

Can't say much about other sealing systems such as "the mix" as I don't have much experience with it.

Tom

[tony.latham]

though epoxy is daunting...

There are numerous videos on YouTube on how to apply fiberglass/epoxy.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fiberglassing+cedar+strip

I'm at the point where using fiberglass and epoxy isn't any more of a production than using varnish. Lay the glass down, mix a small batch of epoxy (using pumps), and apply it using a squeegee. It's just another skill.

Tony