What is the best thing out there to seal a plywood tank, something that will last for years and years?
sealant for ply. tanks
- Thread starter Brian G
- Start date
Depends on who you talk to. There are lots of sealants available from;
Epoxy Paint, Liquid Rubber, Concrete Sealants, Fiberglass....
Search the threads for ply tanks, there is also a great sticky in this forum that has a lot of successful ply builds.
Bear
Epoxy Paint, Liquid Rubber, Concrete Sealants, Fiberglass....
Search the threads for ply tanks, there is also a great sticky in this forum that has a lot of successful ply builds.
Bear
I was leaning more towards epoxy paint or liquid rubber, something I could paint on. I have read through lots of threads and have noticed that everyone is using basically anything and everything that is fish safe. I guess I was just wondering if say epoxy would not crack or ultimately last longer than liquid rubber or viseversa? I know that water proofing is the most important step of all and I would spend a month on this step if I had to. Wondering if someone has had more luck with a certain type of sealant.
There is a lot to consider. How much flex will the tank be subjected to for one. All of the sealants I have read about you cant paint over. Epoxy you add pigment to. Liquid rubber is just black (brown after submerged) As previously stated just read ALOT about this. We all have our preferences and will usually stay with that, so read as many post as you can, then make a decision based on your specific application. All advice in these post are good so use it. "GARF.ORG" recomends epoxy, which is where I am leaning, re-enforced with fibrglass cloth along the seams.
Good Luck, and Happy Researching
Good Luck, and Happy Researching
Brian G;3905342; said:
Most of the sealants can be applied with methods similar to painting. Some do need to be troweled on, however. Epoxy resin can be thinned to act more like an epoxy paint if you like.
As far as what's tried and true, all of the twenty year plus plywood tanks I know of were sealed with epoxy resin, epoxy paint or a high quality polyester resin. But that doesn't mean they'll last longer than Liquid Rubber of other elastomeric emulsions because these types of sealants have not been around as long.
There is no perfect sealant for plywood tanks. All have their tradeoffs. When I consider a sealant there are five tradeoffs I consider. In no particular order:
1) Long term durability.
2) Ease of application (including solvent odor, fussy mix ratios, etc.)
3) Repairability in case of future leaks. Not every coating will accept another layer after being in a submerged environment for a year. Some are better than others.
4) Total cost, factoring in recommended thickness, percent solids, etc.
5) Silicone adhesion.
Only you can decide which of these are most important to you.