How to Paint a Wood & Canvas Canoe

The beauty of a wood and canvas canoe comes from the contrast between the warm, varnished, interior, bright wood and the glossy, painted exterior -- the glossier the better. As with many painting projects, getting the perfect coat seemingly requires a magic paintbrush or years of skill. Fortunately, using a few tricks you can get a near perfect coat with limited work and a few inexpensive tools -- you won't need an expensive paint spray gun. Set aside several days in a clean workshop because you'll apply multiple coats that will need to dry between applications.

Things You'll Need

  • Screwdriver
  • Sandpaper, 120-grit, 220-grit
  • Hand-held clinching iron
  • Shop vacuum
  • Paint thinner
  • Alkyd enamel paint (rust paint)
  • Mixing cup
  • Paintbrush or foam brush
  • Wet sandpaper, 320-grit
  • Bucket
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the screws in the outer gunwale of the canoe to remove it; this allows you to paint under the gunwale. Painting the canvas under the gunwale helps prevent mold and rot in the canvas.

    • 2

      Sand the canoe's surface with 120-grit sandpaper. Follow the 120-grit with 220-grit sandpaper until the surface feels smooth. The smoother you make the canvas during sanding, the smoother the paint job. If you notice any tacks sticking up through the surface, re-clinch the tack by holding a hand-held clinching iron inside the canoe under the tack and gently pounding the tack with a hammer.

    • 3

      Remove the dust from the canoe's surface with a shop vacuum.

    • 4

      Thin the alkyd enamel (rust paint) by 12 to 15 percent using a paint thinner.

    • 5

      Apply the paint with a foam brush or paintbrush quickly and evenly. Work in small 1-foot sections from the keel to the gunwale on one side of the canoe. Keep a "wet edge" between the current section and the next by working quickly enough to prevent the current section from drying before you move to the next.

    • 6

      Tip the paint before moving from the current section. To tip, run the brush lightly across the fresh paint's surface vertically and then horizontally. Tipping helps prevent sags and bubbles.

    • 7

      Paint the entire canoe and allow it to dry for 48 hours.

    • 8

      Sand with 220-grit sandpaper between the first and second coats. Wet sand with 320-grit sandpaper between the second and third coats and the third and fourth coats. To wet sand, keep the sandpaper wet and clean the grit out of the sandpaper by pouring a little water on the canoe and dipping the sandpaper into a bucket of water.

    • 9

      Vacuum the dust away after sanding between coats.

    • 10

      Finish painting four coats.