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View Full Version : fiberglass/finishing help for custom cooler?



wotan2525
06-03-2010, 07:09 PM
I'm almost done with converting my rear ski locker into a cooler. Here's what I've done.

Removed ski locker fiberglass shell.
Removed old natty carpet from shell.
Sanded rough.
Filled the entire ski locker with 1.5" closed cell foam insulation
Several layers of poly resin and matt
Sanded rough.
Added drain hole and fitting to drain to bilge.

My original plan was to spray it with spray-on bedliner. That stuff is durable, cheap and hard to screw up. I'm wondering about other options now since I can't find anything but black locally. I was looking at some of the epoxy based garage floor coatings but I'm not sure how they'd adhere to the sides and whether they have any flex at all? Will they stick to fiberglass? What else could I paint/coat the bottom with that will be durable and crack-resistant?

saltare inverts
06-03-2010, 11:07 PM
Buy FRP and cut it to size. Glue it in then caulk corners. FRP (fiberglass reinforced plastic) is sold at Lowes and is easy to work with. I have lined showers with it. Comes in 4 x 8 sheets. One side is smooth the other has a small textured finished, use either side.

Salty87
06-04-2010, 08:56 AM
epoxy will stick to poly but not the other way around. epoxy is a better product as it's more water resistant and stronger but it's not cheap.

wotan2525
06-04-2010, 10:32 AM
epoxy will stick to poly but not the other way around. epoxy is a better product as it's more water resistant and stronger but it's not cheap.

I'm leaning towards epoxy but I'm not sure if I can find it locally.... Will it stick well enough to a vertical surface or does it all flow downhill? Right now my fibgerglass is pretty rough... will this self level it out or should I sand it to 400grit first?

Okie Boarder
06-04-2010, 05:54 PM
What about sanding and maybe even doing a little filling / fairing work. Then paint it with bilge paint.