Paint over epoxy in heads (shower)

[xslim]

Hi guys,
I'm renovating my heads area (toilet & shower).

I've made thin plywood construction, which I will cover with layer of 200g glass mat (with West system 105 + 205) and Peel-Ply on top.

What would be the recommendation on paint to use on top of that, if I want semi-gloss white finish and waterproof, as this area might be wet?

Some ideas that come to my mind:
- gelcoat
- acrylic paint
- 2 part polyurethane paint
- 2 part epoxy paint
- adding pigment to epoxy - probably not best idea as it does not add any UV protection.


What would you recommend?

[psk125]

Gelcoat will never need painting again! Pigmenting (or not pigmenting) the epoxy might also work - how much sun gets into the head? If UV eventually does turn it a funky color, you could paint or gelcoat it then.

[xslim]

not a lot of sunlight, but still a possibility. I don't want to do double work so better I do the right thing once.

[Cheechako]

Have you considered a sheathing over the plywood instead of glass? Formica, Laminate or even some of the plastic bathroom wall coverings?
I used a satin white Formica in one boat on the head bulkheads, cabinet faces etc. It worked great.

[xslim]

you can't seal formica on edges, and it's not good for curved places

[Captain Puget]

I’d consider the acrylic panels sold at home improvement stores for bath surrounds, along with the edge seal molding and calking sold to be used wthk bath refinishing kits.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by xslim

you can't seal formica on edges, and it's not good for curved places

Works fine on non sharp curves, maybe a 12" radius or so. ... but yeah, you'd need to seal the edges. My shower pan was tile work up the side.
Many Kitchen counters used Formica and lasted 20 years with no special sealing.

But back to your original question, no doubt gel coating is the answer, any paint could end up being an issue eventually worse than formica edges. You'll have to do a lot of sanding and polishing of the gel coat though once sprayed.

[Bill O]

Can you get FRP sheets in NL? They have a type of trim that does lock the edges and FRP is more impact resistant than formica. We are just re-finishing our shower stall with the smooth frp and have used it for other boat projects. This could minimize the amount of glassing needed on the plywood (possibly just paint face and edges w/epoxy) then glue on FRP sheets to ply.
Sure you will get lots of ideas to choose from others.


Bill O.

[Scout 30]

Gelcoat typically does not adhere to epoxy.

[Qayaq]

Did my Head 3 years ago, used epoxy to seal the wood then gloss 2 pack poly, shower in it most days.. still looking great and no paint
lifting. Rolled and tipped the 2 pack poly, wet sanded between coats and used I think 7% thinners, came out really well.
Cheers

[SteveSails]

I know from experience that West epoxy has amine blush when cured which means nothing will bond properly to it including paint. This must be removed using soap,water and a stiff brush or a scotchbrite pad. Or you can use a non blushing epoxy like MAS.

Once the epoxy is prepped I would use a two part paint like Interlux perfection. That should last for a long, long time in a shower stall.

[Cpt Mark]

Originally Posted by xslim

not a lot of sunlight, but still a possibility. I don't want to do double work so better I do the right thing once.

Do the right thing only one time? Hahahahahahahahahaha, what an optimist lol

[ausnp84]

My last boat I used 6mm exterior ply on the walls, tiled the bottom half of the walls and the top half painted with 4 coats of a hardware chain’s anti-mould bathroom paint. Sealed the joins and edges with sika as well. 8 years later the bathroom is still going strong without any mould or water damage, and that included living aboard for four British winters and two years down in Portugal.

Don’t overdo the work if you don’t need to😉

N

[Siberian Sea]

In my head I did the same thing. I used West Systems epoxy with glass. I then lightly sanded the glass for a smooth finish. After I used two coats of white Bildgecoat paint. Not sure just what kind of paint this is other then it’s a special marine paint used to paint your fiberglass bilges. So it’s now been a few years and it’s really holding up nice. No peeling, cracking or discoloring. I’m 100% happy with the results. It’s just under 100 dollars per gallon but goes a long way.

[jkindredpdx]

Interlux Topside paint.