djlanius Posted January 30, 2002 Share Posted January 30, 2002 Okay, I'm building a couple of canopies out of plywood. My dad (who's one of those people who knows how to make anything, but has never been involved with aquariums) recommended I get marine paint from a boat paint store, as it's designed to be exposed to water constantly. But the canopy isn't actually in the water, it just gets splash and possibly condensation (though that's not likely when the lights are on at least!) I was thinking of just using spray Rustoleum, either gloss white or metallic on the inside (they have a chrome paint - very shiny!) and textured black on the outside to match the tank trim. I'm really not too worried about the outside, I'm thinking the rustoleum is fine for that, but I'd like to have the inside be really good quality, but at a decent price. (Plus I hate painting with oilbased paint, it's such a pain cleaning the brushes...) Anyone got any experience with this? Have you used a similar spray paint with good long-term results? I'm sure just about anything I do will be fine for awhile, but I don't want to have to redo this any sooner than I need to. And is there anything I should avoid toxicity-wise, like if the water splashes then drips back in the tank? (I will have glass blocking most of the splash, at least the part that would reach the light bulbs, but I think some could still reach the sides enough to occasionally drip) Thanks everyone!! Link to comment
NanoReefer53 Posted February 1, 2002 Share Posted February 1, 2002 hmm....if you have a glass canopy over the tank it will rarely be exposed to water. I guess a waterproof gloss coating will be good enough over wood or maybe the color spray you are using. Link to comment
pandabehr Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 Here is an idea, If you want a stone or granite look to your hood, they make spraypaint that gives a stone like appearance. I made a stand and a canopy out of pine board and sprayed it with the granite paint, it looks great. Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted February 5, 2002 Share Posted February 5, 2002 I use rustoleum paint for all my canopies...makes a very nice finish. White semi-gloss on the inside, satin black on the outside. Link to comment
NanoReefer53 Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 Anyone know if I can spray paint onto the laminate stuff on my stand ? Right now it is "oak" but I might consider making it into granite or something. Link to comment
djlanius Posted February 6, 2002 Author Share Posted February 6, 2002 So, I still haven't figured out exactly what I'm going to use on the inside, but I did talk to some guys at the boat store (where I was looking for marine boat hull paint as my dad recommended), one of whom has actually kept a reef tank before, and they advised against the hull paint. Apparently it's got anti-fouling chemicals in it to discourage stuff from sticking to the surface. You know, keep barnacles & algae & stuff off the boat. In other words, it's poisonous. He said it's likely the salt splash would crust off & fall back in the water very easily, carrying tiny bits of the chemicals with it. Sounds really bad. Plus it's incredibly expensive & not readily available in less than a gallon quantity... So Chris, how long have you had a canopy with rustoleum on the inside? Does it get frequent splash? Easy to wipe off? Any signs of corrosion yet? Did you use any kind of primer? I've already decided to go with rustoleum textured black on the outside (matches the tank trim), but still wondering about the inside. The guys at Sherwin Williams didn't think they had anything good enough for me - the best they could offer was an oil-based enamel, high-gloss, industrial grade, but they said even that wouldn't last long with salt-water exposure. (everybody's talking me out of buying from them today!!) So I'm still confused. And open to any suggestions still! Thanks all! Link to comment
Maniac Posted February 24, 2002 Share Posted February 24, 2002 I used white rustoleum appliance epoxy paint. It gives a very hard durable finish. I am very happy with it. -Tom Link to comment
jmc11 Posted March 5, 2002 Share Posted March 5, 2002 Has anyone tried polyurethane enamel? Krylon makes some, but not in a spray. I thought about using it, but may look into white rustoleum appliance epoxy paint. Link to comment
Ledford Posted March 18, 2002 Share Posted March 18, 2002 Ahh Haa Finally, somthing I know about, I am a painter a car painter but I know that if you put any kind of enamel on wood it will soak into the wood make sure you at least rough it up with sandpaper to open the pores on the wood but other than that make sure you don't turn on the lights until it fully cures ( if not the solevents will get trapped between the paint and the wood and it will bubble up and fall into you're tank. Best choice I have seen so far would be the appliance enamel. Anyway happy painting. --ledford-- Link to comment
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