Fiberglass delamination epoxy?

[Kevin Cooper]

My son’s 2011 TT recently has delamination on the front due to water intrusion. Has anyone ever done a repair using epoxy delamination kit?
Results good, bad, or indifferent?
Simple or deep pain in the backside?

 

[Travln2]

Have not done it, but need to do something. I'll be watching here for solutions, thanks.
Many YouTube videos on this.

 

[435-fht]

How big of an area are you looking at? Is it just the fiberglass or is the wood base effected too?

I have not done any RV fiberglass repair, but I've done several boat hulls. The rear transom area was gouged and chipped. I used a gelcoat repair material that came in a 1 quart can. It was white in color. I spread it on like body putty, but didn't leave too much excess.

I also did a 6"x6" repair on a fiberglass canoe. The base fiberglass was OK, but getting soft. I used Gorilla glue epoxy from a syringe, covered it with Saran or Glad plastic wrap, to spread it out. After curing, I removed the plastic wrap.

I bet there are some good YouTube videos that resemble your situation.

 

[Kevin Cooper]

The fiberglass on the front is bubbled out about 2’x4’. Haven’t pulled the metal off yet to check the plywood behind it.

I do need to know what you used for the gelcoat boat repair. I had an incident between the RV and the tractor with a bucket on the front.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

Well since I do not know the original build layup, and you say there is water intrusion, I do know that its fairly common for the skins to blister, and not because of water intrusion. So the particular area is key. If the blisters are not showing that its possible that they originated from a corner , your blister probably originated from surface spiders or plain old resin becoming brittle and giving up in some small area. Polyester resins-gelcoat continues to post cure and becomes brittle, if left unwaxed as a regular practice.

Repair can be easy or hard, depending on what is still lingering behind the surface skin. To repair large areas you do need something behind the blister to work with, before cutting the entire blister out and finding that you have more issues that you cannot bond another skin to and refreshing the area.

And yes for the average person, epoxy resin and related fillers is best to use because most brands have a consistent method to mix, and a variety of hardeners to deal with the current ambient temps. By the way gelcoat is normally polyester resin related material used in strickly fiberglass construction.

Going back, epoxy resins and glass skinned over wood, its to your advantage to stay away from anything gelcoat and polyester resins. A small patch ? you can get by with it, with some practice. And gelcoat requires a lot of additional wet sanding and buffing, unlike fairing compounds and two part paint for the regular guy inexperienced with glass work.

So now that I have typed some general thoughts, can you give me more detail on the potential area and size of the needed repair? Any general pictures? Have you seen any interior problems in the general area , related to water or dampness?

 

[Kevin Cooper]

Where the rubber roof stopped and the front cap started, the seam on the drivers side where the metal strip is, split and it leaked. So, the plywood may have rotted, or it may have just let loose. I will have to make an assembly that will hold down the fiberglass until the epoxy cures.
I also need to know a gelcoat white product for a gash in a door. Do I fiberglass it, then gelcoat, or gelcoat only. I have done fiberglass before. No big deal.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

What you are dealing with , in a 2 x 4 area will require more work, a different procedure and a different resin, if you want to gelcoat. As a rule polyester gelcoat will not bond to epoxy. Yes there are some exceptions, like smaller jobs. But I personally do not recommend attempting larger areas and in new repair jobs. Epoxy bonds to polyester after grinding the applications where fiberglass parts were laid up with polyester resins and gelcoated.

In larger and even most vertical surfaces you can generate a panel, even a curved one by generating a temporary type mold to a similar shape. We use solid wood to create a mold with other pieces and take the area's shape off by scribing a piece of cardboard, if you have nothing else like 1/4" plywood laying around.

Then we transfer the template shape to the solid wood and cut the curve, if the area has one. Then we take 1/4 plywood and fasten it to the solid wood form. Then we will take a piece of slick formica and glue it to the form, slick side exposed so that your cured glass can be easily removed. There are mold waxes available. But you can do several coats of good care wax on the formica.

Of course if you choose to use gelcoat you will need to apply this to your glass, since in regular layups in production settings gelcoat has no wax in it,, leaving it tacky and allowing the glass to bond properly. The gelcoat kits already have wax in it when using it for regular repair jobs. You should use some chopped matt sandwiched with woven, or finish cloth for thinner applications.

If you go this direction and have your rough sized piece finished, go to your area and create gluing strips like common wood, again if its a curved area cut to shape and along the freshly cut area and glue them in place. This is where mixed and thickened epoxy with cabosil thickening agent comes into play.

Depending on the room, clamp until cured or run a couple of sheet rock screws thru the existing surface unitl the glue setups up. Then tab the joint together, grinding the two matting surfaces down a bit to countersink the tab . Then do your finish work.

We wet sand the gelcoat after glassing and coating. Then when you think your area is smooth, then wax it really good with a buffer, even a temporary pad on your power drill.

Some reference material related to my comments, Pick your correct material, or you will end up with a not so favorable redo.

Waxed vs. Unwaxed Resin/Gelcoat- Making the Right Choice for your Next Project

Understanding Polyester Resins and Gelcoats A very common question we get asked is should I order waxed or unwaxed gelcoat / resin. We are also asked about different options for getting that hard-tack free finish for the final layer. We get these questions so frequently that we decided to put...

fiberglasswarehouse.com

Gelcoat and Topcoat - Guide, Instructions, Comparison

What are the differences between Gelcoat and Topcoat and how are they applied? Learn everything about it, including Instructions.

resin-expert.com

 

[Kevin Cooper]

I guess I made this a little confusing.
The 2x4 area is where the fiberglass is not stuck to the plywood. Want to put epoxy behind it to rebond it. Or maybe contact cement.
A second repair is a very small place I gouged in a basement compartment door about 3x3 inches. I need to gelcoat it white, and wanted to know if gelcoat was the only thing I need.

 

[TowPro]

how I understand delamanation is the fiberglass is still stuck to the plywood, but the plywood has become delamanated. the fix is they inject epoxy into the damaged area than press down the raised area until the epoxy dries in an attempt to get this plywood to stick together again.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

If your plywood is wet, then all injecting epoxy behind it will do is the epoxy will fill the void and hopefully cure, unless there is a lot of wet wood that's swollen up too. THen you will end up with clumps blended with the rotten wood and moisture.So you will not get the fiberglass to lay back down flat.

 

[Kevin Cooper]

Ok. Thanks to everyone. I sealed it last week and will do the repair later this year.

 

[435-fht]

The fiberglass on the front is bubbled out about 2’x4’. Haven’t pulled the metal off yet to check the plywood behind it.

I do need to know what you used for the gelcoat boat repair. I had an incident between the RV and the tractor with a bucket on the front.

My Gelcoat repair was prior to the year 2000, but this looks like the product I used

One Step Finish Gel Coat - White

Stock up on Evercoat Gel-Kote One Step Finish Gel Coat Repair to repair gouges, paint chips, and scratches. Order at Wholesale Marine.

www.wholesalemarine.com

 

[videoarizona]

This type of repair is best done with a thin epoxy... Known as a penetrating epoxy.
The skin has separated from the thin luan wood. Usually these skins are pressed together with glue at the factory. They can let go with moisture.

That said: repair is simple. There are kits out there just for this. But the gist is tubing, a large (veterinarian type) syringe, epoxy and sometimes a dowel to tape the tubing to get in a ways.

You mark the area you need to repair, starting at the bottom, inject the epoxy mixture into the cavity. Then brace it tightly until it cures. Then move up to next level.
For s small area, you can probably do the entire area, then hand press to spread epoxy around, then brace it until it cures.

You need to prepare the method of putting pressure on the repair as you go before hand. Most use straps, 2x4s, etc.. this is important. You want as much working time as you can get before the epoxy starts to set. So having your bracing ready before hand is a must!

As mentioned, there are you tube videos showing various types of repairs for RVs.
Good luck. It's easy just time consuming.

 

[Kevin Cooper]

I

This type of repair is best done with a thin epoxy... Known as a penetrating epoxy.
The skin has separated from the thin luan wood. Usually these skins are pressed together with glue at the factory. They can let go with moisture.

That said: repair is simple. There are kits out there just for this. But the gist is tubing, a large (veterinarian type) syringe, epoxy and sometimes a dowel to tape the tubing to get in a ways.

You mark the area you need to repair, starting at the bottom, inject the epoxy mixture into the cavity. Then brace it tightly until it cures. Then move up to next level.
For s small area, you can probably do the entire area, then hand press to spread epoxy around, then brace it until it cures.

You need to prepare the method of putting pressure on the repair as you go before hand. Most use straps, 2x4s, etc.. this is important. You want as much working time as you can get before the epoxy starts to set. So having your bracing ready before hand is a must!

Thanks. I will try to find the thin epoxy on Amazon. I’m sure they will have a kit. As far as holding the fiberglass down after the epoxy, since it is on the front of the TT and a flat surface sloping back at the top, I’m going to get some plywood and straight boards screwed to it. Then when ready, place it over the area, and put the bucket of my tractor against it and give it compression.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

The thin penetrating epoxy is not really for bonding. Of course if you have enough of it in a void you can get it to cure in a mass. But an alternative to thin epoxy, like the Smith Penetrating Epoxy and a better direction if you are thinking about thin epoxy, IMHO is to put your straight epoxy in a microwave and heat it up for 10 to 15 seconds, depending on the amount and it will thin the viscosity .

Of course you do need to have everything ready for the compression because this will reduce the working time when you mix it with the hardener. . You can also use tropical hardener to offset some of the reduced working time.

 

[videoarizona]

This type of repair is best done with a thin epoxy... Known as a penetrating epoxy.
The skin has separated from the thin luan wood. Usually these skins are pressed together with glue at the factory. They can let go with moisture.

That said: repair is simple. There are kits out there just for this. But the gist is tubing, a large (veterinarian type) syringe, epoxy and sometimes a dowel to tape the tubing to get in a ways.

You mark the area you need to repair, starting at the bottom, inject the epoxy mixture into the cavity. Then brace it tightly until it cures. Then move up to next level.
For s small area, you can probably do the entire area, then hand press to spread epoxy around, then brace it until it cures.

You need to prepare the method of putting pressure on the repair as you go before hand. Most use straps, 2x4s, etc.. this is important. You want as much working time as you can get before the epoxy starts to set. So having your bracing ready before hand is a must!

As mentioned, there are you tube videos showing various types of repairs for RVs.
Good luck. It's easy just time consuming.

RV Wall Delamination Repair

 

[videoarizona]

It's works very well unless you have a very bad delamination with multiple layers of luan exposed. Then you need multiple applications and you should take the wall skin off!!