First floor repair ever... (help me not screw this up!)

ok i see, basically supports underneath. I thought you meant cleat nails. The only problem with that is theres no room unless i chisel out foam. Ill figure it out. I just applied the crystallizing epoxy to the small soft spot on the stringer and that stuffs sweet

how do i make thickened resin? just add more hardener?

 

well i got my plywood cut perfect, and there seems to be a slight warp needed for the piece, and right near the side wall where theres nothing to run a screw into either, , figures, so i will have to use some sort of cleat that goes from under one side all the way to the other side hence having to carve out some foam..

 

Of course you don't have room for a saw. You must use a 40 grit sanding disc on an offset grinder and cut the angle that way, using the edge of the disc (whick will get right into the corners too). A good eye and a steady hand will approximate 45 degrees. Then adjust the patch to fit so that it lies 1/16" below the surface, allowing a thickened epoxy to create a good bond between the two mating surfaces. Maintain the exact height required using two sticks across temporarily drywall-screwed into the patch. When it cures, use the grinder again to sand a six inch by 1/16"-1/8" deep dish along the four sides, epoxy some mat into that, and then grind and fair and glass over the whole thing.

Alan

 

they have all kinds of stuff for thickening, i use stuff called Fiber Fill,, its a powdery substance that you mix in your resin till it gets the thickness you want, ie; like a bondo type paste <sorry for the "B" word

 

so let me get this straight, you thicken it to fill gaps/mating surfaces? does that harden and bond better like that? my glass skills are amateur and start and end with the Schucks box of resin/hardener with cloth

 

Yes, that will work good. I didn't think of grinding, as it is always a last resort for me. I think it may be a good thing to do at Guantanamo.

 

you thicken it to fill gouges, gaps, used as a filler. you shouldnt need to thicken it just to lay mat. it doesnt make the bond any stronger, it just makes a really hard filler

 

well i went to the local boat supply and the people there are very uninformed they knew nothing of a thickening product.. and i do have some gaps to fill. i am using a polyester resin according to the can. i just laid my seal coat, i can do another before i do cloth if i know what will mix with it to thicken it.. and i have decided to just go this route til salmon season ends in January then gut the floor and foam totally the right way..

 

First floor repair

Poida swears by roo **** - and that's probably widely available in WA. But personally I'd use a spoonful of 'flexible' car body-filler well stirred in - or even a small measure of talcum powder (choose perfume to your preference)

 

As said, your patch ought to be glued with thickened epoxy. If you are using polyester exclusively, don't bond the patch with it. It is not an adhesive. Without epoxy, the patch should be screwed down, meaning cleats as mentioned before. A simple 45 degree bevel will only work with epoxy--- thickened because edges soak up so much, and cuts may not be accurate.
It is fine to laminate mat and glass over the patch with polyester.
The thickening material can be fine sawdust (as produced from 240 grit sandpaper). You can buy this "wood flour", but then, if they have wood flour, they probably also have high strength filler powder or microballoons, or various other micro-materials like micro-fiber. Talcum powder is at Wal Mart for cheap.
If it's just for the season, patch OVER the hole and use construction adhesive and screws. Five minutes.

Alan

 

stay away from that boat store,, any boat place should know about cavasil<prob wrong spelling, try an auto body place, and remember, not this time because u say it gonna be jus for season, but when you do a final patch, use filler after you mat, never mat over filler on a final job, everything,filler and mat, will crack. and another thingy,, dont forget to sand between layers of mat if its been over 24 hours since the last one, within 24 hours you'll still get a chemical bond, after 24 hours you need to grind and make mechanical bond

 

Thats what they had but the guy didnt know what they were for

Its all good i decided since im going to just use it til November then gut it so i dont have waterlogged foam, I went ahead and filled with the "B" word, sealed again, then laid matt, its now the strongest part of my floor

time to go fishing...

 

If you use an unwaxed resin, you can bond to it as long as it remains tacky, usually 30 days. Waxed resin always needs a mechanical bond. Cabasil and talc are good fillers. Patches are best done with epoxy.