curing in the cold

Builder's Forum
1

I took advantage of a mild day yesterday (mid-60s) to fiberglass the deck of my Wood Duck 12. The epoxy cured to the point of non-tackiness by late that night.

By morning it was dry and hard but the temperature has fallen to the 40s and the forecast calls for more of the same.

So the question is, will the epoxy be OK? From what I've been reading, the curing process continues for a while. I'm assuming that with the falling thermometer it has slowed or stalled and wonder whether it will continue to cure once the temperature comes back up -- which in this area (southeast Ohio) could be a day or a week or a month.

Or should I bring it inside for a day or two?

2

Mike,

I was working in the high 40's when I glassed my deck so I called MAS to see if there were issues.  (This, of course, assumes you're using MAS...???)  The rep told me the slow hardner was good down to 41 degrees.  Amazing stuff.  She also told me not to worry about humidity, that if I wasn't standing in the rain glassing, the humidity wouldn't be an issue.  She caveated that by saying that fiberglass will collect moisture from the air, so you need to keep it sealed until you're ready to use it.

I think your cure rate may slow down but as long as you're above 40 you shouldn't have any long-term issues.

Good luck,

Larry