# I need help - Epoxy over foam board



## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Are you adding fiberglass cloth first ?


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## tibberous (Mar 25, 2010)

oh'mike said:


> Are you adding fiberglass cloth first ?


Nope - the board is ridged and screwed to 2x4's, and the epoxy holds good to the board after it dries.

I'm going to try using fumed silica, which I guess is like a powder you add to epoxy to make it thicker. It seems like a minor problem, but how can you paint a thick coat of something when it just runs off?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Why not just buy a cooler?
Your using all the wrong stuff and wasting time and money.
Go one the West System web site for the info you need.


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## TarheelTerp (Jan 6, 2009)

tibberous said:


> I am trying to build a cooler...


Gotta ask... why?
and what sort of dimensions?


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## tibberous (Mar 25, 2010)

joecaption said:


> Go one the West System web site for the info you need.


I've been there, geared towards boaters and everything seems damned expensive. Their price for epoxy is about the highest I've seen, and they sell fumed silica for about three times what it is on ebay.

Do you know how to build a cooler? They are generally just sheet metal over a wood / foam frame. Doesn't even make sense to say the 'wrong stuff', seeing as how all you are doing is making an insulated wall (the epoxy is just for looks / cleanability / durability)


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,.... Good epoxy ain't cheap,... I get mine from Larry at raka.com...
Mixin' additives too, cabosil is the trade name for silica...
A little bit, thickens the fluid, alot creates a putty...

Unless yer willin' to paint it, epoxy will Rot from UV sunlight...

And lastly, Resins, without fiber have virtually *No* strength...
Ya need a layer of Glass...


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## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

4X8 fiberglass panels that they use in food service enviroments are not that expensive and they are by design easy to keep clean. Big box stores used to carry them too. Maybe they still do. I have seen them used in walk in coolers too.


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## tibberous (Mar 25, 2010)

PoleCat said:


> 4X8 fiberglass panels that they use in food service enviroments are not that expensive and they are by design easy to keep clean. Big box stores used to carry them too. Maybe they still do. I have seen them used in walk in coolers too.


Are you talking about the real thin ones? They end up being as expensive as epoxy, and you still end up with seems. Might as well just pour the epoxy over the foam board and let it dry, rather than having to cut fiberglass panel, then try and attach it.

I'm really hoping this fumed silica works to thicken the epoxy I have -- otherwise I'll probably have to use silicone =/


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## tibberous (Mar 25, 2010)

Bondo said:


> Unless yer willin' to paint it, epoxy will Rot from UV sunlight...


It's for the inside of an indoor cooler, but yeah, I've heard epoxy doesn't hold up well to UV. That said, they use it for pool decks and swimming pools, so I'd think it would last for a few years?

Still not quite sure the difference between epoxy, epoxy paint, floor epoxy, fiberglass resin, urethane, solvent / water based, 100% solids, ect. I think they take basically the same substance and add a couple different additives to make it behave differently, but it sucks because you almost have to buy some to know whether or not it will work for your application.


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

You may need something applied to the surface that bonds well enough to the XPS foam and then coat it with an epoxy.

A few years ago we had a 4'x4'x8' hollow concrete block made out of XPS foam. A carpenter glues together sheets of the XPS, formed the radiuses and smoothed the seams. It was painted with a latex textured paint and then covered with a gray epoxy that had some sand mixed in for a texture. We used it for displays and a centerpiece for several years and it had many, many miles on it not to mention moving it and out of convention facilities. - It was fun to throw around an 8' long foam concrete block, but it held up well.

Dick


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## tibberous (Mar 25, 2010)

concretemasonry said:


> You may need something applied to the surface that bonds well enough to the XPS foam and then coat it with an epoxy.
> 
> A few years ago we had a 4'x4'x8' hollow concrete block made out of XPS foam. A carpenter glues together sheets of the XPS, formed the radiuses and smoothed the seams. It was painted with a latex textured paint and then covered with a gray epoxy that had some sand mixed in for a texture. We used it for displays and a centerpiece for several years and it had many, many miles on it not to mention moving it and out of convention facilities. - It was fun to throw around an 8' long foam concrete block, but it held up well.
> 
> Dick


Glad to hear it held up. I think that there are a lot of great products that people don't use either because they cost a little more, are tricky to learn, or just because you can't walk into home depot and buy them.

To be fair, the XPS board is flammable, and I don't really like how Owens Corning shows using it to wrap an entire basement.


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## Gary Sutherland (Nov 19, 2007)

I've used this: http://www.demandproducts.com/eifs-items/item.php?=&sku=GROUPLR on foam shapes with good results. Never tried it for something like a cooler,tho.

Gary


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## CaptRandy (Nov 9, 2011)

Use thin PVC board instead and connect ends with 5200 to make it water tight.


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