Rolling multiple coats of 545

[Ryan]

For those of you that have rolled 545 primer, have any of you put down multiple coats inside the recoat window to minimize sanding as opposed to sanding between each coat? Any do's or don'ts associated with this method, other than watching the recoat times? Any info is appreciated. I am getting ready to prime the decks/cockpit anything to minimize sanding is worth trying as long as it doesn't affect the quality of the finished product. Thanks for any help.

[Hirilondë]

I highly recommend the hot recoat method. You get a better bond and wear less of it away getting smooth. Oh yeah, and less total sanding, guess you lose out on something ;-)

Just make sure it is dry to the touch so that you don't pull the previous coat while applying the next one. The time will vary a lot with temperature.

[Ryan]

Thanks for the info Dave. Would you say that the next coat can be laid down just as soon as the previous one is dry enough to not be disturbed by the roller?

[Hirilondë]

Would you say that the next coat can be laid down just as soon as the previous one is dry enough to not be disturbed by the roller?

Yes. The sooner the next coat is applied the better the bond between coats. But for obvious reasons too soon does not work. You should double check if you are considering taking days to prime, but I believe the hot recoat max time is 24 hours. The pot life of mixed 545 can be more than a day if covered and stored in a cool place. So depending on the air temperature, storage place for paint, your distractions from boat work and some creativity, you can find/create a good schedule for multiple coats that spans a bit of time.

[Zach]

Saving on sanding 545... you can get less roller stipple if you use a whizz 4 inch foam roller. Doesn't put a lot of material down, but you don't have to sand off the rough stuff. Do the outside corners twice for every time you do the flat surfaces. Sand the flats first... keeps it where you have an even area to work with. Sand the corners on 45's...

Take some denatured alcohol and mix it with some food coloring, put it on a rag in a mixing cup... doesn't take much of either. Spread it around, and wet the rag till you get color everywhere. Then with a longboard and 80 grit take off the highs till you have 80% or so white again. Paint the green spots (food coloring left over...) let them set up for a bit... and then roll everything.

545 sands a lot easier than awlquick if it bakes in the sun. I tend to use awlquick to build some bulk in small lows. The brown high build primer is a lot nicer stuff to work with. D6001... Depends how close the surface is to being flat. It is nice to alternate color material if you can. The brown comes in handy for lows that are just low enough that you don't want to do a lot of coats of 545... but not so deep you want to pull awlfair. (sheet rock knives...for pulling awlfair tight when you get that close.)

If I'm not using a foam roller, I switch to the two pack green polyester rollers for pretty much everything else. (Buy them the case...) They do soak up a bit more paint, but I end up using a half a kit to a kit when I pull out the green rollers.

Zach

[Ryan]

Thanks for the tips Zach. I am pretty close to a fair surface now (not much repair work had to be done) so I am hoping for a little fairing as possible. It will take what it will take though, so thanks again for the info!