Pete Birch Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 I am considering building a CS 20 in my basement but I'm worried the smell of epoxy fumes could asphyxiate my marriage. I'm prepared to isolate and mechanically ventilate the work space but still wonder if that will prove sufficient to eliminate the odours? Anyone with experience in this regard, I'd appreciate your suggestions. I recall reading about one brave builder who I think built his CS 17 in his living room; but now can't find his note. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hagan Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 Epoxy resin really doesn't have much smell ... not the real strong odor that you get with polyester resin that most people associate with fiberglassing. If you ventilate the basement, your wife may not even notice the odor. My wife actually doesn't like the odor of epoxy; while I can barely smell it, her nose is more sensitive. She could smell it while she was in the garage, but not in the attached house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Dufour Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 I'm building my boat in the basement, and SWIMBO has never mentioned any smell from the epoxy getting upstairs. I can barely smell it when I'm in the basement with it. The sawdust and noise is more annoying. (And the circuit breakers going off every now and then because I've got the microwave oven in the kitchen on the same circuit as my table saw. :? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Doug (WA) Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 I am building in the basement and have been using epoxy. My wife has never complained even when she comes in the shop. My wife has a sensitive snout. You should have heard her go on when I used some PVC glue on something. I heard about it for DAYS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 I share a house with three other housemates. I have the walkout basement with Rec. room, bedroom and bathroom. I built my Spindrift in the Rec. Room and I slept in the bedroom next to it. I only noticed an odor when I was mixing it. My housemates never noticed an odor upstairs. If you ventilate your basement separately, you should have no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Birch Posted October 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 Thanks Garry, P Doug, Scott and Frank for your replies, I'll use them in my closing arguments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Doug (WA) Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 Why not go down to the local hardware store and by some of that epoxy in the little tubes? Take it home and see if the smell is a problem. Inexpensive way to find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Nelson CS#35 Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 Or order the $10 trial kit from System Three. It has good infomation and is a good way to get the feel of Epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa Goudeseune Posted October 29, 2004 Report Share Posted October 29, 2004 I'm partway through building a Mini-Paw in my basement. In the past, I've found when painting or epoxying in the basement, the whole house tends to smell of the chemicals. I had my Dad build a fume hood of sorts, which is described on this webpage: http://sailing.guild.org/tanzer22/dinghy/minipaw.html The 50 cfm bathroom fan is more than sufficient to keep the smell from migrating into the house while the epoxy cures. Let me know if you have any questions about the design and construction of the tent, I'll be happy to clarify! Michel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Birch Posted October 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2004 Joe and P Doug, I had also thought of mixing a small test batch epoxy...my clincher argument. Thanks for responding. Also, thanks to Mike for the fume hood idea, I'll investigate further. A big reason for deciding to build the CS 20 is the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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