TotalBoat-492063 Clear Penetrating Epoxy Wood Sealer Stabilizer for Rot Repair and Restoration (Pint, Cold Weather)

I bought this to use on a section of RV floor that would have been super difficult and extremely destructive to replace. I've used other epoxies thinned with recommended ingredients as penetrating epoxy for rot or water damage on wood before, so knew to both follow directions and use "penetrating' holes (whatever they are called) to get best saturation. This product worked extremely well without needing to thin at all.Material used on was 3/4" OSB underlayment used in the RV industry. Small area to repair (roughly 1'x1').Process: Removed flooring, drilled holes at 3/4" intervals with a 3/16" drill bit and stop set to 1/2", extending holes an additional 4-5" on sides of severely damaged underlayment. Allowed to dry out for 2 days of 90+ temperature. Did test pour on 2" square on day 2, allowed to set overnight. This was satisfactory the next day (and penetrated thoroughly). Did full pour on day 3, temperature around 84 at start. Poured, worked in with rubber squeegee and chip brush. Left windows and screen door open for 24 hours, checked the next morning. Process was successful, and penetration was even better than hoped. Scraped and sanded some bumps because I didn't vacuum sawdust from drilling adequately and replaced flooring after 48 hours. We left the windows open for 3 days after (RV is under cover, so no concerns about rain getting in)The floor is sturdy now. There was never significant smell or concern about VOCs. I did wear a NIOSH mask and use a vacuum while sanding. I wore gloves at all times while using the uncured product, and while sanding. If I had used a larger bit for my penetrating holes, I would have put a second coat on to thoroughly fill the holes, but with a small bit I didn't need to do that. If this were to be visible instead of a structural repair under the vinyl flooring, I would have sanded thoroughly and put a thinned skim coat on, then some sort of UV protectant like Polyurethane, paint, or whatever.Hope this helps others :).

*Consider my 5 stars with a disclaimer that I've never used any other purpose built penetrating epoxy*Use - I'm restoring a 30yr old camper where the manufacturer had a few leak prone spots and used OSB sheating for the sub floor. In a few spots the OSB had water damage making it slightly soft but not what I would call serious dry rot. I cut out the really bad spots and patched with plywood, and looked for a product to restore the strength of the OSB in soft spots that weren't rotted away yet. I ended up finding this no VOC low viscosity epoxy on Amazon and decided it was worth a shot. I drilled 1/8" holes 2/3rds of the way through the OSB and spaced the holes about 3" apart. I bought disposable injectors and used them to inject this epoxy cut 33% with denatured alcohol into the OSB in a small section of my floor. After curing for about 48hrs at 45*F the subfloor was ROCK HARD, and the product had easily penetrated the areas between the drilled holes and cured into a hardened mass throughout the wood. I'm now 100% confident that this area of the OSB could be exposed to any leak and the steel frame beneath it would rust away before the OSB loses strength. I'm ordering more and drilling holes ALL THE WAY AROUND THE PERIMETER. I'm considering getting a filling agent and using it to level and seal the entire OSB surface. For the time and effort expended and the weight added to my trailer, there was no better way to make this repair and I couldn't find a better no VOC epoxy for the money. I've never personally worked with fiberglass or epoxy construction, but I have a chemical engineering degree and access to alot of expensive products unattainable to an average consumer so it takes alot for something to impress me like this. I think this is actually the first time I've been driven to write an Amazon review.Pros - Easy to mix 2:1 ratio- long enough pot life to load and reload a syringe with epoxy multiple times- Low enough viscosity out of the bottle to inject into 1/8" holes drilled into the OSB for better penetration- Contains NO VOCs!!- Able to be cut with the solvent of your choice to further reduce viscosity and increase penetration and pot life- Used in cold temperatures and still achieved impressive resultsCons - None that I observed

Low viscosity penetrates into wood very well. Instructions even allow equal part of organic solvent (acetone, etc) if you need even lower viscosity, but I have not tried this.Drying the substrate as thoroughly as possible is essential, take the time to allow minimum water content. Water will cause bubbling of the mix and prevent full penetration.Reviews that say it did not properly catalyze may not have mixed properly. This is a 2:1 mix ratio product, ie 4 oz hardener + 8 oz resin = 12 oz total. Go to your local paint store & get a graduated mix pail.Bonus - If working overhead (or just sloppy) you can clean up spills, hair, clothing, skin, etc (don't ask how I know) using white vinegar 2-3 minutes followed by soap&water/laundry. Even 2+ hrs after mixing... so long as it has not fully catalyzed. This actually works far better than lacquer thinner/acetone/mineral spirits. Just do not use it in your working mix or substrate, only for cleanup. You won't believe how effective it is, far safer, and immediate. DO NOT contaminate your work with this, the acid completely breaks down the epoxy bond if not fully catalyzed.

Found the product easy to use and worked as advertised. The fuses were minimal (mainly due to the fact that it was thinned with alcohol.)