Rustoleum too Glossy! Looking for advice

[Jim Pendoley]

Hi Everyone,
I am repainting my 16' OCTA that I picked up last winter. Skin is in great shape, I sealed a few thin spots with VC Watertite and then primed with Interlux PreKote (all tips I picked up on this GREAT forum-thank you). Problem I am having is with the Rustoleum enamel-they sold a glossy and non glossy version of the hunter green-I tried both on sample material and they seemed to have exactly the same amount of shine. I want less shine if possible. I rolled and tipped and the paint levelled beautifully without thinning, but the next day it is much too glossy for my taste and shows every unfair imperfection. I'd really prefer a flatter finsh because it hides imperfections better and I think a flatter finish looks better on a canvas canoe. I called Rustoleum customer support, but they did not seem to have a solution. Has anyone figured out a way to take the gloss down a bit?
All suggestions welcomed and appreciated.
Jim

 

[Jim Pendoley]

 

[MGC]

It was once common practice to apply several coats of varnish over the paint. A coat or two of Epifane Matte Finish might get you the result you want. I use it on older canoes as a last coat or two over the spar varnish to knock back the excessive shine. I have not tried it over paint but it seems like it should work.
If you are willing to repaint the Kirby flat colors look really good if you can get them to cooperate. They tend to be quite fussy to work with.
The shine might not appeal to you but it's worth noting that you did a nice job. It looks really good. Maybe you could try living with it. Eventually you'll need to repaint and at that point try something else.

 

[Jim Pendoley]

Thank you for the suggestion-I've done a lot of varnishing, but have visions of the varnish letting go as it ages and then having to strip. I had considered the Kirby paints, but had heard they were soft-perhaps softer than the Rustoleum. Maybe I'm being too fussy-the canoe is a 1982 vintage-nothing done to it except one early coat of paint (which was not glossy). I just don't like an excessively shiny canoe....

 

[Andre Cloutier]

this is your product.

 

[MGC]

Varnish over paint really does seem like a fools errand so Andre has provided a really great option. I might try it on one of my future projects.
For your paint (very high gloss) you would blend the one part interlux to three parts of the Rustoleum. It looks like the flattener stores well in the can for future use...interesting!

 

[mmmalmberg]

You could go over the whole thing lightly with some fine (000?) steel wool. You'd probably want to make a test piece first, but you might be able to knock it down controllably. (you can use something like soapy water as a lubricant wash)

 

[ppine]

I would paint it with non-glossy Rustoleum.
I used it on my OT Canadienne in Hunter Green.

 

[Jim Pendoley]

Andre, eureka! Called two paint dealers and they had no idea how to flatten the paint-but I dimly recalled flattening a paint job on a fiberglass hatch I made for a sailboat. A few years back.That interlux product was what I used. Just sanded the first coat with 220, will call my local boat supply store for an order-this group is a Godsend. Now I won’t spook the fish with my shiny canoe

 

[Jim Pendoley]

PPine-that’s rub-the above WAS the non glossy Rustoleum version of Hunter Green. I wonder if it was mislabeled. To my eyes it’s as glossy as a two part epoxy based paint with all the gloss but none of the abrasion resistance.

 

[ppine]

Mislabeled. That is about as glossy as paint gets.
Try a different can.

 

[Greg Nolan]

If you are going to repaint, you might consider Benjamin Moore Floor and Patio paint -- low sheen. A Benjamin Moore dealer can mix up just about any color you want, and can match a sample. I, and others, have used it with good results, as on both of these canoes:

 

[Jim Pendoley]

Greg, thanks for that suggestion. Your canoes look great by the way...The rustoleum is actually completely satisfactory-pretty hard, levels really well-just too brilliant a shine. My girlfriend reminded me that the Benjamin Moore deck enamel she used on the porch and on the kitchen floor did not hold up very well.
granted, we have three 14 year olds (thus the reason I need to launch the canoe), but I’m thinking knocking the gloss off the Rustoleum is the way to go.
I really appreciate everyone’s suggestions-I will post finish pictures so we can capture the data.
I know it’s just paint, but face it-we’re obsessed.

 

[Jim Pendoley]

This just in-Interlux flattening agent in stock at my local West Marine. Of course, it is designed for Interlux Brightsides, their one part enamels and their varnishes so no guarantees, but enamels are all pretty similar (I hope!) will give it a shot tomorrow...

 

[Nessmuck]

Iam about to paint my 16 Foot 1960 OCTA.....Iam using Easy Poxy from Jamestown. Never painted a canoe before...but a quart of this Easy Poxy came with the canoe ,when I bought it.

 

[Andre Cloutier]

works with other enamels. note no reflection on water during an otherwise sunny day

 

[Jim Pendoley]

Easypoxy is great-have used it on the sailboat I am enslaved to. You might want the flattening agent Andre mentioned above for the final coat. I chose Rustoleum because it is very inexpensive-$14 a quart. And I will say it is impressive in all respects-passes the thumbnail test after two days curing, flows beautifully without thinning and if you like a high sheen it can do that too. I have used the Interlux and Petit products and they are superb as well. I Painted a 32 foot glass sailboat with Interlux Perfection and it looked stunning. With the ability to control the shine, I think I would go with the Brightsides and flattened next time for a canoe-will see if we can knock Rustoleum shine down with Interlux’s flattened-that would be the best of all worlds-cheap and easy application and leveling
This canoe paint thing is addictive-my girlfriend keeps rolling her eyes at me when I go on about it. Thanks for the support group.

 

[Jim Pendoley]

As a follow up-I used the Interlux flattening agent with the Rustoleum and it worked perfectly. I mixed it 1-1 and it knocked the gloss down by at least 50%. There was no detectable difference in flow, leveling or coverage. It is still drying, but it has tacked up and just looks great-exactly the degree of shine I was hoping for. Doubt I will need a third coat. thank you so much to everyone and in particular thank you Andre for the suggestion of the Interlux flattener-it worked a treat.

 

[Nessmuck]

So what are the pros and cons of...shiny vs Gloss. I guess I can answer that...I’ve been doing Autobody and painting since 1975... to present....lol ....Iam going glossy next week....my canoe is not a Corvette and will be driven....

 

[Jim Pendoley]

Shiny is harder, I believe and I do like my fiberglass sailboat done in Perfection-it’s like a mirror. For wooden boats though I prefer a little less sheen. And my canoe is going to be used-primarily for fly fishing in Maine with a few multi day trips-definitely not an ornament.

Next project is scaring up the bits for a sailing rig. Have a rudder-need gudgeons and a seat for the mast and all the rest. Leeboards seeem easy enough -haven’t figured out how to build a mast yet-I had a lateen rig but it was stolen. Canoe theft is a heinous crime...