Painting Curve

The learning curve for painting with a single part LPU paint is vertical to say the
least. There is no correct formula for how much brushing liquid (thinner) to add for the roll and tip method. It is based on temperature, viscosity, humidity and which way you hold your tongue when mixing. My experiments on a piece of glass looked perfect. The first application on the primed boat was a disaster.

I sanded the entire thing off the next day and restarted all my testing and mixing. I kept a better watch on the temp and humidity. A better job of washing, dewaxing and cleaning. The next time I was faster, being able to keep a wet edge was a challenge when doing it all by myself. The first coat has some runs and misses but was brought back into compliance with a light sanding before the second coat. This is where I wish I had not used the gray primer. Covering in white would be tough. Sand, wash, repeat. Final wash with acetone and then an additional round with the tack cloth. The second coat went on better than the first after a couple of scary areas were immediately redone while still wet.

The next day it looked pretty good and the tape was removed ready for the application of the tape for the deck surface areas to be masked. Cleaned, washed, tacked, etc. Then two days of deck painting, trying not to drip sweat on the surfaces. Finally with all the tape removed and it looked like I had graduated LPU school.

No, it is not perfect, yes there are a couple of runs in out of the way places and some mysterious fish eyes. But it looks great from 5 feet away and a looks like a 10K paint job from 10 feet away. I will finish up this weekend filling in the non skid areas with a tan colored Interdeck mixture.