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Coach Painting Coach painting is a very old traditional method of applying paint to a surface using a brush. It was originally developed to paint horse drawn carriages also suitable for painting commercial vehicles like traction engines trucks, Coaches and working narrow boats. Before attempting to coach paint a narrow boat the bodywork or paintwork must be inspected closely to see what kind of preparation method is necessary. When the boat is prepared ready for painting it must be free from dirt, oil, grease etc and should be "tacked off" to remove all particles of dust or other contaminants just prior to applying paint. Applying primer is the first step when painting bare metal, although Red Lead (the infamous metal protector) was the favourite choice years ago, it is now banned in the UK due to lead content and there are many good substitutes on the market today. Metal Primer is the single most important layer of paint on any narrow boat because it provides the initial seal from the elements and in conjunction with a finishing gloss can do so for many years. Primers and undercoats are porous and must be protected by an additional gloss layer. An undercoat provides build up layers and should also obliterate the primer, It's common practice to match the undercoat colour to the final gloss colour because this can benefit the coverage of the gloss giving it more depth. Applying two coat of gloss is recommended. Brush painting should leave a smooth finish with little or no brush marks. Gloss is the finishing layer that takes the brunt of the weather so it has the tougher formulation so it should be durable and remain relatively colourfast for many years. |
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STEM TO STERN ●
PROFESSIONAL NARROW BOAT PAINTER ● EST
1992 |
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