To coat or not to coat.

[jbo_c]

This feels like a dumb question, but that’s never stopped me before, so:

There’s no reason to glass(or even epoxy coat?) the interior side of an exterior wall, right? Not structural. It’s going to get insulation and a skin on it. Only reason I can think would be if checking might be a problem because of the heat exposure on the outside. This is BBC ply, so true marine.

Would epoxy coating even impact longevity at all? Any more than just painting?( which I also guess is unnecessary for a surface that will never be exposed or even seen).

I’m perfectly happy spending the money on the epoxy if it will effect life of the boat, boat don’t want to spend the time if it won’t.

Jbo

[TomW1]

I would at least coat with epoxy to prevent checking due the humidity from the water environment where you are at. Tom

[bklake]

If one side of wood absorbs moisture and the other side does not, it will warp and swell. Keep things as even as possible.

Boats live on the water so not exactly a climate controlled environment.

[jbo_c]

OK. So I put a single coat of epoxy. Can’t decide whether to add a layer of 4oz glass or not.

Jbo

[jbo_c]

Well, I put some 4oz on it. Won’t hurt.

Jbo

[OneWayTraffic]

Two unsanded coats of epoxy is a minimum, as one coat alone will still allow some water vapor to get through, as it's absorbed into the wood. One coat could be used to prime wood for painting, but I wouldn't do that on a boat. Maybe on a home DIY project.

One coat with 4oz will be sufficiently thick to stop that. Good call.

[Fuzz]

I have always felt it takes about as much epoxy to put several coats of resin on as it does to use a light cloth and it is much more likely to prevent the wood from checking.