Originally submitted at Jamestown Distributors
WR-LPU Topcoat is a two-part, water-borne linear polyurethane enamel. It will provide appearance and performance equal to its solvent-borne counterparts. WR-LPU topcoat comes in clear gloss, clear satin, and 12 popular colors. When cured it is moisture, solvent and fuel resistant. WR-LPU contai...
Good product with the right prep
Pros: Easily to Spray, Very Durable, Easy To Clean
Cons: Runs easily, Limited re-coat time
Best Uses: Large Areas, Small Areas, Detailed Work
Describe Yourself: Casual Do-It-Yourselfer
I've used this product on a boat build before the one that I'm currently working on. On that first build I had good results with the "roll and tip" method. However, I still thought it could look better as there were subtle streaks in the finish.
For the current boat build I used a HVLP sprayer with a 1.5 mm needle. I painted the interior of the boat with this method. The problems that I encountered were easily resolved still annoying.
I prepped the area with the manufactures recommend primer and sanded (a lot). Cleaned with alcohol and masked off the area to be painted.
Setting up the viscosity was easy since it just requires mixing in some clean water. I did a few test sprays to get the flow right and started painting. The first problem that I encountered is that the paint went on with kind of a rough finish and the individual droplets weren't flattening out and merging together very well. This left the surface rough. I live in FL and the temp was right around 80 and the paint was partially drying before it hit the surface. To solve this I got a bucket of ice and put a coil of my spray hose in that. It solved the problem.
Additional problems are that this stuff needs to be sprayed VERY thin with multiple coats or it will run, especially on vertical surfaces. That required sanding and reapplying. Lastly because you're limited to 24 hours between re-coats (without sanding). So if you figure you want 3 coats (at least), and it takes about an hour between coat and add it the time to actually paint the surface then you need to plan accordingly.
After I finished coating the interior I went back over it with a 600 wet sand. The instructions say you can sand up to 1800 for a gloss finish. But this was the interior and I was very happy with the results after the 600.
In the end this product produces a fantastic looking highly durable finish. It's a little finicky and requires a degree of "elbow grease" to get that final great result.
Final Interior View
(legalese)
Will, I'm thinking about buying a PocketShip. I have one question for you: all things considered, would you recommend it? Would you buy it again?
ReplyDeleteYes, I absolutely would do it again.
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