Waterproofing Inside Of Mdf Hood

[myrtle]

Hi, I'm halfway through building a new hood for my tank using scraps of MDF we have left over from another project. However, it has just occurred to me - can you use yacht varnish on MDF or is it too porous? If not, what else can I use?
Thanks for reading,
Jo

 

[SuperColey1]

Not 100% sure but if MDF was porous it would still be like painting an unfinished piece of wood. First coat would soak into the wood and effectively seal it. From then you would be building up layers on top of the soaked in varnish. I used 4 coats on the inside of my hood which was pine. The first coat did soak in a little bit.

AC

 

[smegforbrains]

MDF is not an ideal material for varnishing.

If you can get hold of a clear primer you would have half a chance of varnishing sucessfully.

However, most MDF primers are either grey or white.


Seeing that it doesn't matter what the inside of your hood looks like, you could prime in white with a white emulsion top coat and then seal with a clear lacquer. You would need a couple of coats of lacquer to ensure a water-tight surface.

 

[myrtle]

Thanks, I made a pig's ear of it anyway - made it 1mm too narrow so I may have another go tonight with some old pine cladding! At least waterproofing it will be easier! On the other hand I may see if I can bodge this one as it took ages (I'm not the best carpenter ).
Jo