Paint for 2mm Mahogany veneer on 10mm Polypropylene honeycomb

Hello all,

I have used ample contact cement sprayed on to 2mm mahogany veneer and 10mm polypropylene honeycomb. I am using it for the interior walls and ceiling of my 18m aluminium sailboat currently being built.
All of the veneer has been glued on and waiting for painting and putting into the boat. The temperature increased from 15degs to 35degs last week and the veneer is starting to crack.
There is a slight bend in the pp concave towards the wood meaning the wood is shrinking as it dries up. It still seems to be glued well.
I need to get it sealed as soon as possible but looking for the right paint application for long life, and most importantly allow flexibility over the seasons.

Water based latex paint? allow breathing but would also allow humidity into the wood when in the tropics.

Oil based paint? would this treat the wood better and keep it more flexible?

If oil based paint, would applying tung oil, or teak oil to the wood first, "moisturize" it and keep it from drying out? I have done this in the past on 80 year old wood when making a table and worked ok but not sure how oil would affect 2mm veneer and the contact cement glue.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Dennis

 

The oldest myth in painting, you need to "feed" the timber with oil. Nope, it is dead, and doesn't need a feed, generally speaking the durability of 100% acrylic (not PVA) paints on substrates that shrink and swell with changes in weather and humidity, is unmatched. The self-priming types, which actually include an oil emulsion for greater penetration and adhesion, are generally exterior paints, but will go OK inside, once the odour has subsided. They do take a while to cure properly, though, and will pick up dust etc from handling, until tack-free after a week or so. Low sheen is likely the best choice, for hiding defects.

 

Is the veneer directly glued to the honeycomb, or is it a honeycomb cored panel?

 

@gonzo glued directly. The goal was to keep weight down and therefore did not glue to plywood. It wAs thought that using a thicker 2mm would solve problems. We scuffed up the pp honeycomb and then used a generous layer of contact cement on both sides. Thus far the veneer had not pulled away from the pp but it's only been a few weeks.