The present disclosure provides a method for coating a composite structure, comprising forming a first slurry by combining a first pre-slurry composition with a first carrier fluid, applying the first slurry on a surface of the composite structure, and heating the composite structure to a temperature sufficient to form a base layer on the composite structure. The first pre-slurry composition may comprise a first phosphate glass composition and a low coefficient of thermal expansion material, wherein the low coefficient of thermal expansion material is a material with a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 10×10−6° C.−1.