I need to repaint some old fibreglass sheeting that’s now being used as the walls of a small shed. The weather and general knocks have made a few dents and splits in it in a few places. None of them anywhere near to going through the material as it’s very thick but obvs best to fill these small spots before repainting.
What type of filler should I use? Will whatever is the French equivalent of Texion ie generic filler, do? I did consider a strong plaster powder I’ve got that was recommended to fill in holes in a wall that might sometimes get wet.
As there are quite a few spots although none of them severe I’m hoping the answer’s not going to be automotive filler as those are difficult substances and very expensive. I’m prepared to repaint frequently looking for protection not perfection.
Does anyone know if the Ronseal product is sold in France or anything similar? Courier flat rate charges and VAT for imports are probably going to make this uneconomic if it’s shippee from UK.
As Ronseal is a polymer acrylic guessing that’s the way to go. It’s a shame i’d be looking at French brands for this type as Ronseal is mostly really reliable and French brands do seem to vary.
@Dr-Le-Dolly i like Sinto products a lot
But had eliminated this one due to cost sadly.
Filler for masonry and/or wood is useless for GRP. You need the proper stuff. That is, a kit of GRP chopped strand mat and the jollop with which you impregnate it and stick it over your holes/split/cracks.
There’ll be loads of vids on TY on how to do it. GRP is GRP, whether it’s an old shed roof or the hull of a Contessa 32 [like Ted Heath’s ‘Morning Cloud’!] See below.
I was never very good at repairing splits/cracksholes in GRP when I had a boatyard… I had a man who did all that.
One morning I got the 2nd most mournful voicemail I have ever had, “My boat was struck by lightning last night and is on the beach at Cargreen. Can you get her off and ashore in your yard, please?”
The bolt had chosen this boat, the wonderful Contessa 32 but with a dodgy name ‘Anubis’ because the base of the mast in a Contessa is bolted onto the keel - two tons of lead. A straight run to earth down an 10m aluminium pole to a huge lump of lead, immersed in seawater. Job done, Thor!
As it happened I saw the very lightning bolt. "“Blimey! Straight down into the boats off Cargreen!” Some brave/stupid folk who were sipping G & T’s in their cockpits out on the river saw this and saw she was '‘settling’ [sinking is a bit too ‘Titanic’]. They rafted up a couple of dinghies and beached her on the rocks.
And one result was that a crack had opened up about two metres long between the two halves of the hull along the keel line. You could run a dining knife down it.
I got out the GRP repair kit and did my best. It was not helped by being soaked in sea water. But we managed to get her ashore before she shipped too much more of the Tamar.
Unfortunately, my man who does the GRP work was an remand in HMP Exeter at the time …
Ermmm thanks @captainendeavour. What does GRP stand for? Are there any brand names I can ask for at (any particular) brico please? Hoping this is not a nasty 2-part solvent mixture? Or am I not that lucky ?
Glass Reinforced Plastic. ‘Fibreglass’ is what most people call it but that is actually a US brand name, like Hoover.
It is strands of glass formed into a mat. Chopped strand is the coarsest and all you need for your job. There are finer and finer mats till you get glass mat that feels like fine linen. Those are for where the result will show and must be R-R repairs standard.
These kits are very common in car repair, too. It’s the most likely place you will find it.
I’m not yet up to speed with the FR equivalents of UK hardware retailers but if there’s a FR equiv of Halfords or Autoparts, they have these kits.
Yes. It’s messy and smelly! But it works. Nowt else will.
That’s a grade or two above chopped strand mat. The finish is far finer that c.s.m. and can be filled and sanded to a good finish, followed by gel coat.
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