How many coats of epoxy?

[blue70beetle]

The build manual says three coats on the outside; I have three coats and have some fiberglass cloth grain that appears to be visible so I’m going with at least one more coat.

I built the storage box first and I know I went too thick in a lot of areas because I had a lot of trouble with runs. I’m trying to avoid that as much as possible on the camper, so I’m doing thinner coats. Does this result in a rough finish, or will even thin coats tend to level themselves? In other words, should I keep adding layers until it’s smooth, or should I just accept that it’s going to take some sanding to make it smooth?

Trying to add a pic for reference and it’s not working so well…

• This topic was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by blue70beetle.

[ArtisticAdam]

The first epoxy coat was the heaviest because you need to fully saturate the fiberglass cloth. After that, I did 3 coats with an epoxy approved foam roller. You will need to sand  no matter what, drips/runs are easy to sand out. I had some areas that seemed shallow so I spot filled a few of those areas after initial sanding (1-2 coats more).

[stretchMike]

I also found that 4 coats (thin) necessary to get good coverage. You will want to eliminate most signs of the glass weave before sanding.

[Tom B Texas]

I did 5 thin coats with Water Based Varnish. Could do more but looks quite nice. Sanding will make you crazy if you lack patience. Good Luck

[blue70beetle]

Water based varnish…I think you’re a few steps ahead of me. I’m trying to be sure I get the epoxy thick enough. Varnish is still down the road for me, at the end of the build.

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