Wood primer for damp wood?

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Ohlin Karcher

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I wonder if there is a primer available for damp wood?
I'm having a new engine, the old one (Volvo MD3B, free if anyone wants to collect it) is coming out, it's been there for 40 odd yrs and the inaccesible bilges below are damp and they've had dirty bilge water sloshing about for decades. So I plan to hire a hot pressure washer 'between engines' so to speak, and blast off all the oil and stains, then prime and paint it.
But there is no chance of getting the timber dry enough to get normal paint to stick, I think, as I only have a few days or a week before the new engine goes in.
So is there a primer which will stick to damp wood, but then harden and allow me to give a few coats of proper bilge paint? I believe acrylic paint is water soluble?
Thanks OK
 
Google 'microporous paint' plenty of choice there, however I am not convinced that painting wet wood is a good idea.
When I worked in a lab. we dried stuff by immersing it in acetone, if you can get most of the water sponged out and then slosh it generously on the surface it may dry them by absorbing the water, of course there is an asphixiation+explosion risk with this process in confined or unventilated spaces.
 
Quandary said:
... however I am not convinced that painting wet wood is a good idea.
....
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Neither am I. I'd rather leave it bare to dry out in its own good time rather than possibly sealing moisture in.

Then when it's dry you may be able to paint it with long-handled brushes or spray it with Cuprinol.

(Take care spraying with Cuprinol, I made myself ill doing that in a confined space years ago)
 
Don't paint wet wood. If your schedule doesn't allow sufficient time for drying, change your schedule. The bearers are going to be inaccessible for (hopefully) a long time and you don't want to spoil the ship ....... etc.
 
Bit of a long shot.. But I use Resoltech Re 1010 epoxy resin coating. It water based, so could be used on damp wood.

Normal coating is 50:50 resin/hardener with another measure of water. Second coat, halve the water. Third coat neat mix.
Though sold for boat use, I think it was originally formulated to harden up wood in old buildings, where replacement was impractical.
It goes on milky, but as the water leaches out it turns clear.. Goes off in a few hours. Dry to touch in about an hour.
DW
 
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Simonpk said:
I was after a waterbased epoxy, Resoltech seemed perfect for my requirements but couldn't find a UK supplier.
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Just looked in an old WaterCraft and these people used to be an agent: http://www.connexiontechnologies.co.uk/maintenance/index.html
But the site seems to be under work.
Tel was: 0117 907 0480

Failing that, I can ask them if there is a UK agent.

The stuff is recommended as a primer before paint and goes on very smoothly, unlike thicker epoxies. After the three coats, it looks like good varnish, except that the UV gets it fairly quickly. Not a prob in engine spaces..

Edit
Since I am sitting here, I sent them a note asking about UK agents.
Bit of info here https://www.resoltech.com/fr/marchés/1010-detail.html seems they have a UV resistent version now and it referes to stiffening up old wood. In French & English (flag at top right)
 
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i think you are trying to do 2 things here finding a primer/paint to go on damp wood and finding a paint to go on oily wood----after 40 years in the bilge i think the oil will have penetrated the wood so deeply you will never get it out----instead of painting i would try and dry everything as much as possible and give the wood some/lots of cuprinol and as many coats of oil as will soak in
 
lenten said:
i think you are trying to do 2 things here finding a primer/paint to go on damp wood and finding a paint to go on oily wood----after 40 years in the bilge i think the oil will have penetrated the wood so deeply you will never get it out----instead of painting i would try and dry everything as much as possible and give the wood some/lots of cuprinol and as many coats of oil as will soak in
Click to expand...

I remember an old boatbuilder telling me, humorously, that the last bit of of a wooden boat to rot was the engine bearers!
 
Ohlin Karcher said:
I wonder if there is a primer available for damp wood?
I'm having a new engine, the old one (Volvo MD3B, free if anyone wants to collect it) is coming out, it's been there for 40 odd yrs and the inaccesible bilges below are damp and they've had dirty bilge water sloshing about for decades. So I plan to hire a hot pressure washer 'between engines' so to speak, and blast off all the oil and stains, then prime and paint it.
But there is no chance of getting the timber dry enough to get normal paint to stick, I think, as I only have a few days or a week before the new engine goes in.
So is there a primer which will stick to damp wood, but then harden and allow me to give a few coats of proper bilge paint? I believe acrylic paint is water soluble?
Thanks OK
Click to expand...

I've got some old satin varnish tins, polyurethane I think, which themselves are waterbased, so would think anything like that would work on wet wood. Why wouldn't it.
 
Simonpk said:
Excellent, thank you DW, your efforts are much appreciated :encouragement:.

Simon
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Your welcome... I ran into Pierre Calmon at the La Rochelle Boat show and a really nice bloke. He had worked in Canada and spoke fluent english, helps when he is the sales chief..
 
This Resoltech drives out the moisture and replaces it with epoxy resin. Have I got that right?

How far into the timber does it penetrate?

If the engine bearers are, say, 3 inches thick, will the Resoltech soak right through from one side to the other?

If it doesn't, aren't you just encapsulating some waterlogged timber which can then never dry out and will simply rot?
 
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