Wood sealant/paint?

[MrGone]

Hey guys, I was wondering what you recommend to seal a wood stand? Also would it work on drywall?

Thanks!

 

[lvsuckerfish]

alot of clear coat to keep the wood grain finish if thats what your looking for or epoxy paint I plan on using the stuff for the garage floors for the inside of my new stand. and in white so the light reflects better when I am working on the tank.

 

[King_Neptune]

If your doing a polyurethane clear coat, do it at least 3 or 4 coats.
I did 1 coat a day for a week on my stand. Holds water like a tub if I spill.
Ive never thought of using it on dry wall, I don't know either way honestly. Ask salmonslayer, he would probably know. He works at Homedepot, and Ive gone in from time to time with reef related hardware questions and he hasn't been wrong yet.

 

[aaronfeeney]

Polyuarathane should seal the drywall as well, but the paper on the dry wall may absorb the sealer different than wood, so have plenty of poly on hand just in case, or run to the hardware store when you run out.

 

[cptbjorn]

A good polyurethane such as varathane is good for the wood stand if you want to see the wood grain, if you haven't done much painting before you can even cut it 50/50 with mineral spirits and wipe it on with a rag and not have to worry about brush strokes. Minwax wipe-on poly is the same thing, every day you just rub the stand down with 0000 steel wool, clean it off and apply another coat. Shouldn't take more than 15 or 20 minutes and after 4 or 5 days it starts to look really good with not much work at all.

I wouldn't really use a clear finish on drywall though unless there is some kind of pattern/sponge finish on there you don't want to hide. Paint tends to be more durable and cheaper than polyurethane and drywall soaks up a lot of finish and has no interesting grain to show so generally you just prime and paint.

 

[jrgilles]

I build mine out of cheap wood from lowes. Painted 5 coats of oak colored stain with poly (water based, because oil based yellows more over time) and then I put on a coat of poly (satin finish) at the end. Covered the floor inside the stand with thick coats of poly.

You are using drywall? I know there is a product (although I don't remember the name) that is used in bathrooms in place of drywall. It is a lot like sheet rock, but is made of fiberglass instead and has a rubber coat on the outside (better for humid bathrooms.)

 

[returnofsid]

Polyurethane finishes will work great, for the wood.

For the drywall, can you use Marine grade drywall, or "green board?" It's what's used in bathrooms, a lot of times. Otherwise, a quality Acrylic interior paint, in a gloss or semi-gloss paint, will give you more moisture resistance.

 

[MrGone]

Thanks guys!

I don't care about the grain very much, I'm just at the finishing stages of building the stands and will eventually skin them with cabinet doors and such. I just was thinking while I'm at it I should probably paint the inside wood and walls because even though it looks great now over time the drips from messing around add up and who knows. I didn't want to switch out the drywall for green board, I just figured painting the wall in the sump area would be a good idea for safe measure.

 

[returnofsid]

OH. If this is for water sealant, rather than appearances, I'd recommend using a Marine grade paint, or even an epoxy coating. I'd also use an acrylic sealant (like a tub/tile caulking), at all joints, to seal these. I'd not recommend using silicon, as you won't be able to paint over it and silicon won't stick to an already painted surface.

 

[gothunder3022]

Has anyone ever used marine spar varnish? I'm trying this on the inside of some wood stands. Doesn't finish nice enough for use on the outside, though.

 

[DonW]

Has anyone ever used marine spar varnish? I'm trying this on the inside of some wood stands. Doesn't finish nice enough for use on the outside, though.

Spar works well on anything but will yellow, so if you are using light wood then I would only use it on the interior. It does finish well on exteriors, you just have to know how to do it.

Don

 

[DonW]

Thanks guys!

I don't care about the grain very much, I'm just at the finishing stages of building the stands and will eventually skin them with cabinet doors and such. I just was thinking while I'm at it I should probably paint the inside wood and walls because even though it looks great now over time the drips from messing around add up and who knows. I didn't want to switch out the drywall for green board, I just figured painting the wall in the sump area would be a good idea for safe measure.

I'm not sure what you have going here but the best way to seal drywall is a waterproof cover. Even a stand for that matter is best sealed with a liner if you want a water tight seal. By the the time you spend time and money playing with epoxy and marine paints you could easily just install a sheet of formica.

If you are working on a typical aquarium stand good old poly is really all that is needed.

Don

 

[MrGone]

I snapped a pic so it might be easier to get an idea

It was kind of an after thought, I figure the drops of water from messing around in the sumps and such will add up so it would be good to seal it. I figured a decent paint of some sort and using a sealant like Sid suggested would go a long way.

They have some stuff at homedepot that is called Drylok, it is a latex base and costs about $22-23/gallon. Here is a link
http://www.ugl.com/drylokMasonry/masonryWaterproofer/latex.php

This is what the associate there recommended but he seemed pretty uncertain. Is there something better?

 

[DonW]

Your not going to have water sitting on the drywall. Just plain old cheap gloss paint like you would use in a bathroom or kitchen is fine. For the wood I'd just shoot it with thompsons and call it good.

Don

 

[mcoomer]

Kilz primer is what I used inside my stand. You can get a gallon for $15 at Home Depot. I got the tip from a lot of DIY'ers that have used it to finish their stands prior to skinning.

Mike

 

[DonW]

Kilz primer is what I used inside my stand. You can get a gallon for $15 at Home Depot. I got the tip from a lot of DIY'ers that have used it to finish their stands prior to skinning.

Mike

Kilz is a great product but it is a primer. Primers are just that they prime the surface so the top coat can cover and protect. The primer does not protect like paint. It is good on construction limber like the OP's stands. It stops pitch and moisture in the wood from bleeding back up through the paint top coat. It also covers / primes the wood better so that it doesnt just suck it up like regular primer. It also stops any mildew that is in the 2x4 from bleeding and spreading throughout your home.

Don

 

[Frankie]

Kilz will work but Bin is better for our salty situations I think Kilz is water based also and will not accept oil finishes over it. Bin is a lacquer or shellac.
I am using a cup sprayer to prime and paint my new setup. Easy to use and coats very even. You may want to look into cup sprayers. They hook up to an air compressor.

Looks good so far! I see your at the same stage as me

 

[Frankie]

Sorry Don, you beat me to it. Didn't mean to counter your post with the Bin stuff.

 

[DonW]

Sorry Don, you beat me to it. Didn't mean to counter your post with the Bin stuff.

Its all good. Kilz does have an oil based mixture.

Don

 

[basilscott]

There is an expensive coating you can paint on that goes under tile in showers that would be perfect for the inside of a stand, it is like a rubber plastic coating that is blue.