Not painted wood

[Texasvlad]

Hi All!

I had some service on my new boat, opened some panels and found that some internal non-structural wood pieces are made just from hard wood and plywood. They are not looks like painted or covered some sealant. Their condition is great now because the boat is new (2020). But should I worry and paint it before it become a nest for mold? Should I paint them? What the paint is better to use? Oil acrylic? Epoxy? Primer? Again, these pieces of wood are non-structural, non-visible and not part of bulkheads but are used to attach saloon panels and some furniture.

[GordMay]

Many exterior [& bathroom] paint products [& primers] have been specifically formulated to be mildew and mold resistant.
Use anti-mold/mildew paint with caution, as it’s toxic.
Most flat paints, and paints formulated with linseed oil, are susceptible to mildew and mold.

I’ve had good results from “KILZ” Mold & Mildew Interior/Exterior Primer
➥ https://www.kilz.com/primer/kilz-mold--mildew

[Texasvlad]

Thank you @GordMay! I wil use KILZ.

[CharmCityBoater]

I would use a wood sealer product and then paint with an alkyd paint. I personally have come to really like Interlux products after trying so many others. I actually think that Rust-oleum protective enamel works pretty well too! All above the waterline of course. Externally I am a fan of 2 part paints and consider Alexseal the top performer. With that said you are talking about internal wood that needs to be protected. The best solution would be Interlux wood sealer or even Interlux 2000e as a primer and an alkyd based paint for the top coat, prefer Interlux brightside, bilgekote or their semi-gloss white alkyd paint.

Anything would probably be better than bare wood.