Paint over Waterproofer?


  #1  
Old 02-12-12, 07:39 PM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 6
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Paint over Waterproofer?

I have a question about how to solve a paint problem. My goal was to build a portable outdoor dance floor out of twelve sheets of ¾”x4’x8’ cabinet grade plywood. I coated both sides of each panel generously with two coats of Thomson’s WaterSeal Clear Multi-Surface WaterProofer with a paint roller. After 14 days of curing time, I put on my suede-sole dance shoes and tried out one of the panels for “dancibility”. I was very disappointed. It is not slick enough to do spins and turns. Not only that, it still feels as though there is a slight oiliness to the surface which contaminates the suede on the bottom of my dance shoes. Now, I wish I had primed and top-coated them with an oil-based gloss enamel paint. My next step was to do just that. I went to Lowe’s to their paint department, to get their advice. They recommended sanding and painting with Valspar High Performance Oil Gloss Porch & Floor Paint. So, I did a test strip. Two of the sheets need to have 12 inches ripped off of them, anyway. So I used one of these areas for a test sample. I painted the enamel on a 12”x12” patch, and let it cure for two days. To my dismay, some of the topcoat can be scooped off with my fingernail. One disappointment after another. :-( If I didn’t have so much money invested in it already, I’d start over with new sheets of plywood! So my question is, are there any paints or varnishes out there that can be applied to this sealed plywood that will provide a hard gloss surface and that stick? I really hope these sheets can be salvaged somehow.

Yours truly perplexed,
David
 
  #2  
Old 02-13-12, 03:31 AM
chandler's Avatar
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 36,607
Upvotes: 0
Received 9 Upvotes on 8 Posts
You ain't never danced country, have you??? In a word.....sawdust. It will absorb the oiliness you are experiencing and will help with the sliding thing. We always had a box of sawdust at the entrance to the floor. You stepped in it and danced. There was enough residual to spread around. Regular sweeping kept it from building up too much. You don't want too much "slick" when doing tornadoes.
 
  #3  
Old 02-13-12, 04:18 AM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
David, you can't apply paint over fresh waterseal and expect it to bond - the waterseal repels the paint

First off you applied too much waterseal. Often the excess can be removed by scrubbing the substrate with mineral spirits. That would give the solvent based primer a fighting chance to adhere to the plywood and then you should be able to apply the oil base floor enamel.

...... that said, Larry's idea of using sawdust would be the simplest solution although I would recommend scrubbing off the excess waterseal first.
 
  #4  
Old 02-13-12, 06:35 AM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 6
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thanks, guys. I will try removing the excess with mineral spirits, and then top coating it. How long should I wait to paint, after removing the excess?

Good idea about using sawdust. I will also try this.

David
 
  #5  
Old 02-13-12, 09:06 AM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
Ideally Thompson's WaterSeal shouldn't be painted until it's had time to wear off but I can understand that not being a viable option. Your best bet for painting would be to scrub off what you can with mineral spirits, let it dry and then lightly sand the entire surface before applying an oil base primer.
 
  #6  
Old 02-13-12, 07:11 PM
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 6
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I just got a letter back from Thompson's Product Support:

CASE # 11665-021312
TITLE: PAINT OVER WATERPROOFER
2/13/2012 3:24:25 PM [Agent Note]
David,
Thank you for clarifying. However, our products are 100% penetrants. They will not build a film on the surface and will not leave the surface slick or shiny. If the surface is sticky or tacky, you have excess product on the surface and it needs to be removed right away. The remedy is fairly simple. All you need to do is dissolve the excess Thompson's with a commercial solvent based degreaser. You may find one at Sherwin Williams or your local hardware/paint store.
* Mop, roll, or spray the mixture onto the oily/tacky surface.
* Let it sit for about 10 minutes (if it begins to dry, apply a little more).
* Give it a light scrub with a stiff bristle broom or scrub brush.
* Rinse the surface THOROUGHLY, or mop it several times with clean water.
* Allow it to dry.
You may increase the concentration of the product if it is a concentrate or you may need additional applications if the first application does not fully remove the residue.
If the water based Advanced (in a plastic jug) has been overapplied and is sticky or soft post application, the coating will cure out after weathering for a week or two. If this is not feasible, the Advanced products can be removed with a chemical stripper such as BIX.
As for a specific product to use over ours, all I can tell you is "As long as the surface is clean and dry, you can paint over the oil based Thompson's formula with an oil based paint 7 days after application, or with a latex paint 45 days later. We do not recommend painting over the new water based advanced formula."
We do not manufacture paints and I'm not informed to offer another companies product for your application.
I would suggest contact Sherwin-Williams or another paint manufacture to see if they have an durable product for your floor.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description: