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Quarter Moon · 12-05-2006, 07:48

I am in the process of painting the interior of an older wooden sailboat. I have been researching paints like crazy and this is what I have found...( not to be confused with the right answer about water base paints).
I have read that oil base paints nurture moisture, and to me that speaks of mildew! In the articles I have found, it was recommended that exterior water base paints be used in damp areas.
Now, these articles were referring to houses...
I thoroughly cleaned the entire interior in 3 stages over 2 weeks to remove any mildew with soap and bleach. Then I waited a week for it to completely dry. In the deepest storage areas I primed with a mildew resistant paint. Then I went for it and used exterior paints on the interior. I was able to use a high gloss for some areas that has turned out very well. When I used a lower gloss I had to coat the paint with Poly Acrlic to keep it from rubbing off in high wear areas.
I truly can't say if using the water base paints is the best idea, but, as far as longevity...I painted a bunk the same way many years ago and the last time I saw it it still looked great and there was no mildew.
There is a marine water base paint made for cabins. Some came with our boat and I tried it on a small area and was very unimpressed with the finish. And it was expensive, to boot.
When I came to an area that wasn't wood, I sanded to rough up the finish. One area I primed and one area I didn't. By Gosh and by Golly, the unprimed area was an easier paint and is just as durable at this point.
If I had it do over, I would have skipped the mildew primer.
Oh, and use the delicate surface tape and be careful of loading paint on it! Give each coat plenty of time to dry and don't even pay attention to the instuctions for recoating time on the paint can. On high humidity days I learned to wait a couple of days before recoating and kept the fans running.
So, what I Do know is...that the paint looks good. The high gloss paint went on the best. I have painted in stages over the last 5 months and the paint is proving very durable. The cleanup is a easy and the fumes are way, way less then if I had used oil base.
I did use topside paint on the floors for durability...lo and behold, I found a spot of mildew trying to form around the damp area of the fridge.

12-05-2006, 07:48	#2
Quarter Moon Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Panama City Beach, Florida Boat: Jim Brown, Searunner 37, Moon Posts: 17	Water based paints I am in the process of painting the interior of an older wooden sailboat. I have been researching paints like crazy and this is what I have found...( not to be confused with the right answer about water base paints). I have read that oil base paints nurture moisture, and to me that speaks of mildew! In the articles I have found, it was recommended that exterior water base paints be used in damp areas. Now, these articles were referring to houses... I thoroughly cleaned the entire interior in 3 stages over 2 weeks to remove any mildew with soap and bleach. Then I waited a week for it to completely dry. In the deepest storage areas I primed with a mildew resistant paint. Then I went for it and used exterior paints on the interior. I was able to use a high gloss for some areas that has turned out very well. When I used a lower gloss I had to coat the paint with Poly Acrlic to keep it from rubbing off in high wear areas. I truly can't say if using the water base paints is the best idea, but, as far as longevity...I painted a bunk the same way many years ago and the last time I saw it it still looked great and there was no mildew. There is a marine water base paint made for cabins. Some came with our boat and I tried it on a small area and was very unimpressed with the finish. And it was expensive, to boot. When I came to an area that wasn't wood, I sanded to rough up the finish. One area I primed and one area I didn't. By Gosh and by Golly, the unprimed area was an easier paint and is just as durable at this point. If I had it do over, I would have skipped the mildew primer. Oh, and use the delicate surface tape and be careful of loading paint on it! Give each coat plenty of time to dry and don't even pay attention to the instuctions for recoating time on the paint can. On high humidity days I learned to wait a couple of days before recoating and kept the fans running. So, what I Do know is...that the paint looks good. The high gloss paint went on the best. I have painted in stages over the last 5 months and the paint is proving very durable. The cleanup is a easy and the fumes are way, way less then if I had used oil base. I did use topside paint on the floors for durability...lo and behold, I found a spot of mildew trying to form around the damp area of the fridge.