It's epoxied -- now what? Primer? Latex Paint?

[LesterS]

I'm rounding the corner (so to speak) on getting the Nest'r ready for a some color. I'm now in the process of second-coating her with epoxy. The seams have all been taped and all the wood (luan) will soon be sealed. So the 64-dollar question is what's next?
Let me set some parameters...

* The Nest'r is gonna have to live by the 10-foot-rule. (It looks good after you step back at least 10 feet!) The luan is far from flat and the seams all have fiberglass tape, so they would need considerable feathering before they could be hid under a shiny finish.
* I want a fairly basic color scheme probably light gray or beige with a next shade darker as an accent.
* The sheen probably should be semi-gloss or satin. (see 10ft-rule again).
* It will need to live outdoors - forever. (I don't want to take over the garage).
* The paint needs to stay put. (I don't want peeling, cracking weathering, etc... etc...)

Is this too much to ask?

I need something that will stick to the epoxy (it is shiny) - maybe primer and then a colored paint that will stick to the that.
I was thinking Kilz oil-based and then a Behr's Oil Based exterior.
I queried the paint mfg'r from the big-orange-box store's website and got a response from the store first; recommending latex primer. The manufacturer then chimed in recommending NO Epoxy; paint over bare wood. ( I don't think they even read the whole question.)

My concern is that latex will not adhere to the epoxy as well as an oil-based paint and/or primer.

But I will weigh my choices with the opinions I gather from the knowledgeable folks here.
Suggestions?

[tony.latham]

I recall asking a clerk in the paint section at Home Depot where the Tung Oil was. He responded, "What's it used for?" After I explained it, he said they didn't carry it and of course I found some down the hall by the varnishes. A body shop may have a better idea on what products to use. Maybe a tractor implement paint.

Once again, I find myself responding to a post without knowing the answer to your question. (Perhaps I should apply to Home Depot?) But I'll add some cheap and free advice. First of all, Include your new camper in your will, it'll probably last that long with your epoxy fiberglass efforts.

Secondly, prior to painting, I'd scuff it up using a 3m Scotch Bright pad attached to my trusty random orbital sander. (You built a camper, so I'm assuming you've got one.) You can take a worn out sanding disk and glue a Scotch Bright pad to it and trim to fit. Twenty minutes on the camper should about do it and that shiny epoxy finish will be a lot more paint friendly.

Great looking job.

Tony

[Juneaudave]

At the higher end, a marine topside paint works really well over epoxy. I have had very good results with Interlux Brightside over the Pre-cote primer.

[LesterS]

Tony, Thanks for the scotch-brite idea -- and yessss I have a HF orbital sander and a HF cheap-o ($7.88 sander) For the cheap-o I just use short flat head screws and screw the heavy sandpaper right to the rubber base!

Dave, I considered rustoleum's "topside" a similar product -- but I watched my brother refinish his sailboat (I think he used Petit)-- and a smooth glossy finish will most likely just 'enhance' the lumpy taped seams and wavy plywood exterior.
It may have to be 'the' choice; but I'm looking thru all the options. And since I'm still layering on the epoxy coats I have time to choose.

[Oldragbaggers]

I second Juneau Dave's suggestion of Interlux Brightsides and Pre-Kote primer. It's tough and durable, not expecially hard to work with, made to work over fiberglass/epoxy and if you want a dull finish you can get a flattener to add to it to kill the gloss. It's a little pricey, but it will last. We painted a boat with it back in 1999 that still looks good and it's been hanging on a mooring in San Diego all those years exposed to sun and salt water. My teardrop is epoxied and painted with it.

[LesterS]

I'm really looking for the 'lazy way out' -- but maybe I could buy the quantity needed for both the Nest'r and 'Nun-ya'...


If they were both the same color though, it would be kinda boring.

[Jdw2717]

Check with a paint store. I got my oil based primer and exterior latex from a Sherwin Williams store here in Knoxville. It has worked great for a year now. (although mine is in the basement garage of my shop). They should be more knowledge than the big box stores. I should add that mine was on raw wood.

[kayakdlk]

If you like a slight textured look (Check out my build journal for pictures) that hides those imperfections use Monstaliner bed liner paint. It is a two part paint the rolls on easily with the kit you can get from them. I used it over my epoxy after I scuffed the epoxy with 220 grit sand paper and it looks great, so far it hold up well to road debris, dust and dirt. I even skipped installing aluminium diamond plate trim because the bed liner paint seems to hold up well on the road and therefore I can save the weight by leaving the trim off. The Monstaliner comes in about 30 colors or you can buy auto pigment (no solvents) and match any vehicle paint code. I power wash it after a trip and it comes out looking like new.

Dan

[LesterS]

Maybe I shoulda said lazy and cheap way out.
Buying Monstaliner might require a bigger financial commitment than I was prepared for.

I'm still leaning toward oil-based primer and exterior oil-based paint -- rolled on. But I'm concerned about proper adhesion to the epoxy.

[kayakdlk]

http://www.epoxyproducts.com/enamel.html

[LesterS]

That's exactly what I was counting on. Information.
Thanks Dan!

Now I'll need some time to digest it all.

[Danidog]

Does the type of epoxy you used have/develop an amine blush? If so, you will need to clean that off thoroughly before painting and lightly scuff the epoxy surface to create a keyway for the paint to cling/adhere to.

My apologies if you already knew this...,

[LesterS]

I used a no-blush epoxy, so the amines should be nil, also I sanded between layers; then wiped down with solvent to remove the dirt and dust. After two coats of epoxy, I used scotch-brite instead of sandpaper.

I finally decided on finish materials; latex primer (Zinser 1-2-3) and exterior house paint.

After two coats of primer... she looks like this: