Painting fiberglass top -- good or bad?
Should I reject a used fiberglass top for my van if it is (newly) painted? I worry that the flexing of the fg will cause the paint to fail, and that it will be expensive / a lot of work to redo. The ...
Forum Discussion
My dark grey fiberglass gelcoat was badly cracked, 15 years ago.
Been painted white ever since.
I'd only worry if the gel coat was not sanded or was contaminated before paint was slapped on. Even then it would take many years before the paint started flaking off.
Also if the paint was not allowed to dry enough before another coat was slapped on the paint will be soft, but even then it would take some effort to remove it.
Of course the PO could have used paint unsuitable for the task. Use a marine enamel like interlux if one is feeling rich, or rustoleum 'topside' if feeling more frugal.
Take some green high adhesion 3m concrete masking tape and put it on the paint, work it in with a fingernail, and rip it off. Did it take any paint with it? If so, bargaining chip, but not death knell. Indicative only of whether painter properly prepped gel coat or not.
Been painted white ever since.
I'd only worry if the gel coat was not sanded or was contaminated before paint was slapped on. Even then it would take many years before the paint started flaking off.
Also if the paint was not allowed to dry enough before another coat was slapped on the paint will be soft, but even then it would take some effort to remove it.
Of course the PO could have used paint unsuitable for the task. Use a marine enamel like interlux if one is feeling rich, or rustoleum 'topside' if feeling more frugal.
Take some green high adhesion 3m concrete masking tape and put it on the paint, work it in with a fingernail, and rip it off. Did it take any paint with it? If so, bargaining chip, but not death knell. Indicative only of whether painter properly prepped gel coat or not.
