Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

I am repainting the decks on my other boat, 25' Whitewater. Original decks, Fiberglass over plywood. They are in decent shape and I have fixed soft spots with plywood and west system. I wanted to ask the readership of this site what the best non skid paint is for this application? I have used interlux two part paint on my 20cc with the nonskid additive applied with a roller before. This looks OK but is not very slip resistant. I was wondering if anyone has had better experience with other products?

Looking forward to your comments.

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

I've done more than a few projects, and over the years, what I've found best, is to use Awgrip in lighter colors. Do all your normal prep work and priming with finish primer like 545. sand to a perfect 220 grit finish. Then roll out and tip (large areas) or brush (smaller areas) the surface in full gloss. Let it cure for at least 30 hours. Mask off the areas to be non-skid (most jobs leave gloss around the edges and around hardware in a 3/4" band which happens to be the width of the widest Scotch "fineline" tape). If you have tight radius corners, use a razor knife to cut the edges. Sand the area to get non-skid with 220 grit dry then acetone wash to remove residue and any oils. Mix up the awlgrip. For rolling, use the slow dry reducer (T003 I think). Mix in 15% (by volume) Griptex fine and 15% (by volume) Griptex course non-skid particles. Add 25% (by volume) Flattening agent, then thin again with the reducer to get to the right consistency for rolling. Use a fine, short nap roller - 3" wide, (pink color from WEST), and roll in a uniform direction. You will need to add reducer as you go depending upon the heat and humidity. You may need to tip it with a good 2" brush or use a smaller brush for tough areas. Concept is to use the first gloss coat to cover, and then thin and flatten the non-skid coat to flow and hide any roller or brush marks. Then, 4 - 5 hours after rolling, pull the tape off. If yo wait, it will get harder and maybe pull the edge depending upon how thick you applied near the tape edge. This will give you an absolutely perfect result that will not chip (and show old subsurface) and be easy to clean up after fishing. Too much griptex or non-skid and you will be wearing the tops of the particles off and it won't fully cure. This is not the cheapest (materials-wise) method, but is the best possible result and doesn't require spray equipment. I am going to help a buddy do his cockpit and coaming on a 35' Egg Harbor that is currently gelcoat, I will try to shoot some digital pics before and after (and during) next week.

[ May 16, 2003, 01:40 PM: Message edited by: other tom ]

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

THE OTHER TOM METHOD LOOKS GREAT. I THINK THE MIXING THE TWO GRITS FIND AND COURSE IN THE KEY TO KEEPING IT A NON SKID FINISH FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS I DID MINE WITH THE TWO PART STERLING PAINT ROLL AND TIP METHOD WITH JUST THE FINE GRIT ABOUT A YEAR AND A QUARTER AGO AND HAVE DECIDED TO DO IT OVER AGAIN WITH A MIXTURE THIS SUMMER. JUST THE COURSE GRIT IS TWO MUCH AND JUST THE FINE IS NOT ENOUGH GRIT SO YOU GET TO BUY MORE STUFF TO GET IT WRIGHT.
FELLOW-SHIP [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

What about going over existing no skid? Do you need to sand it smooth first?
On mine I've done replairs and need to add the the deck. How will the new match up with the old?

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

Guys,

We went with Sanitred non-slip and it's serious stuff. It's the same thing you find on concrete industrial floors. It's all rubber, can cover a multitude of sins and is really non-slip. It's a more agressive surface than Interlux, but it's a fishing boat. The white looks great and UV tough. 10 year guarantee. We'll see how it goes.
You can order a sample kit to try it out.

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

You may also want to think about using gelcoat based nonskid. It can be rolled on in a variety of grits as well. My boat is 12 years old and the factory applied gelcoat nonskid is still in great shape. Just a thought

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

Bryan,

I also have a deck that I would like to paint with some type of non skid paint. I previously painted part of the deck with regular oil based marine paint with non skid mixed in, but it has worn off after 2 seasons. From the info I can find on the internet, a two part epoxy (ie Awlgrip or Sterling) is the most durable method to use, but these paints are expensive.

Over on the Bertram 31 site the guys were talking about painting their bilges with an industrial grade epoxy available from rustoleum. I cant seem to find the exact discussion thread on the site but I am pretty sure that this is the paint they were talking about:

http://www.rustoleum.com/product.asp...t_id=169&SBL=2

This paint comes in several different colors, is about 90 bucks a gallon and sounds extremely durable.

So, if I decide to use this paint here is what I think I would do:

First, lay down a coat of this epoxy, letting it set up till tacky and then sprinkle some type of aggregate (either sand or one of the commercial anti skid additives) over it. After letting this dry, add another coat of epoxy over the aggregate thus locking it in place.

This seems to me like it would work quite well, however, there is always the chance that it could turn into a disaster.... [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

I recently built a flats boat and spray painted it with Imron. I purchased a non-skid additive from the store, I believe there were micro-sheres. I added the appropriate dose per instructions but did not think it was enough, so I tripled the dose and sprayed it. The decks turned out great, probably the best thing on the boat. My decks were flat and void of any pre-existing surface, I'd think you might need to remove any existing non-skid before refinishing. With allitle taping, you can do get very professional looking results.

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

I agree w/ Ed. I did a non-skid w/ gelcoat and Awlgrip's (US Paint) non-skid ' particle mix '. It worked great. Not to mention you can make it just about any color you want.

A couple of notes here. When you roll the resin on w/ a roller - don't go too thick. Typically, you add the non-skid particles to the cup of resin before applying the resin to the non-skid area. If the resin is rolled on too thick, these gritty particles may settle too 'low ', via gravity, in the applied resin lay-up, therefore not exposing enough grit for a nonskid surface.

Instead, do two thin layers. Make sure you mix the container holding the resin and grit often to assure that the grit does not settle to the bottom of the container.

You can also use a sugar /salt shaker to apply the coarse particles to the wetted out area.

Hope this helps...

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

Thanks Guys. I see alot of good ideas. I probably won't get to painting for another two weeks. I am still rebuilding the hatch hole. Original construction very poor. I think it was rushed on account the boat was originally built for running drugs!?. Any othe Whitewater/Seacraft owners out there on this site.

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

Bryan A-

"The Other Tom" has a beautiful 25' Whitewater that he completely rebuilt. He can probably answer any questions you may have.

Ed

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

I have has luck with gel coating the deck. You may want to try skipping the grit (which can come out over time) and molding the grip right into the gel coat.

You can do this easily using a "texture" roller which is sold at hardware stores...it is basically a roller that is usually used to add a texture pattern to a freshly painted wall. It is basically a roller made up of small plastic loops.

Spread the gel coat very thick in a workable area (4' x 4'). Go aggessive with the hardner so the gel coat will set up quickly (in about 5 minutes). Roll out the gel coat with a normal roller - once it is spread, wait for it to start kicking, as soon as it starts to set up, run over it with the texture roller. This will lift the gel coat up. Keep rolling until the gel coat starts to hold shape. If you want a really aggressive grip, keep rolling, the more you roll the more grip you will get until the gel coat is completely dry. If you add TOO much grip, you can lightly sand the "peaks" off the gel coat with a sanding block and some 120 grit - that will knock down the sharp "peaks" that are created.

This will add a permanent grip that will never come out - easy to clean. If you wear out the gel coat, you can simply roll out some more right on top.

It sounds tough, but is really easy to do.

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

I wouldn't use awlgrip because it is veeery slippery when wet... even with nonskid mixed in. A friend of mine had his 23' recently rebuilt with awlgrip/nonskid and i almost fell over when the decks were damp in the morning. I have had trouble keeping my footing while out fishing too, so in my opinion: awlgrip meant for a clean looking/shiny finish (hull)- not nonskid. I would also use GELCOAT. Try cook composites- they wholesale most likely to someone in your area and carry a full line of gelcoat products.
http://www.ccponline.com/ Gelcoat not only looks good and cleans up really well, but is great even with no nonskid mixed and very durable.

Re: Best Non skid Deck Paint?
 

Here is a suggestion from DIY boat owner magazine

Stucco Style Repairs The most common style of random pattern non-skid resembles stucco and is applied in much the same way, using a paint roller loaded with gelcoat thickened with colloidal silica. This style of non-skid also provides an excellent surface underfoot and is by far the easiest to apply. Roll-on slip-resistant coatings, however, are still subject to matching problems. It's relatively easy to produce a reasonable match to the original deck texture but an exact match is much more difficult and not guaranteed by most repairers.

Minor differences in gelcoat viscosity and rolling technique cause large differences in the non-skid texture. With practice it should be possible to get close to the original texture but for the repair to be considered acceptable by the customer, close may not be good enough. Once again, to minimize side-by-side comparisons of texture (and color) it makes sense to isolate the new non- skid from the original surface by creating a distinct boundary or cut-off for the repair area. If the original non-skid is arranged in panels, then refinish the whole panel. If the non- skid is continuous from stem to stern it makes sense to create a smooth border or spillway, as outlined above to separate the new area from the old. Again, a matching break on the other side of the deck is considered mandatory to preserve symmetry.

Application:

STEP 1 PREP Presuming the repaired surface has been filled and faired with gelcoat and sanded smooth with 80- to 150- grit paper, remove all dust with com- pressed air and wipe it with a lint- free rag damped with acetone (or lacquer thinner). To simplify masking, complete adjoining repairs to smooth gelcoat. Carefully delineate the non-skid area with 3M Fine Line, Long Mask or 233+ masking tape and seal the inside edge of the tape by rubbing it with a plastic spatula or the back of a fingernail.

STEP 2 MIXING Pour some of the color-matched poly- ester gelcoat pre-mixed with air-dry wax into a litre (quart) size paper bucket or smaller. Add clean colloidal silica (strained through a sieve if in doubt), a bit at a time to the gelcoat, and mix vigorously by hand with a paint stir stick. The mixing proceeds until the silica is absorbed and the gelcoat achieves the approximate consistency of mayonnaise.

STEP 3 TESTING At this stage, before adding catalyst to the gelcoat, it's time to test the mix for its appearance as non-skid. Scoop out a sample blob onto a scrap sheet of plywood and rollout using an 18cm 17") short nap paint roller. The thicker the gelcoat the taller the "peaks" left by the roller and the more aggressive the non- skid will be. (Aggressive non-skid is good for footing but can tear a lot of skin in the event of a fall.! Compare the sample roll to the original gelcoat and adjust the mix accordingly. Add silica if too flat; if too aggressive, add gelcoat. Keep track of the mix ratios so the same gelcoat consistency can be achieved batch to batch .

STEP 4 CATALYZING Here is where a pro's experience shows. Unlike epoxies, which have a fixed mixing ratio, polyesters are flexible and the catalyst ratio can be tailored to give more or less pot life and to compensate for ambient temperature. Mix ratio can vary from 2% to 5% catalyst depending on temperature" the type of catalyst used, and the working time needed. Regardless, working times are seldom more than half an hour. Once the catalyst is added and mixed, it's time to hustle.

STEP 5 APPLYING Give the work area a final quick , acetone wipe before the "hot" mix is thinly applied by trowel to the repair j surface. Work the mix with a roller to finish spreading it evenly over the surface. Initially, roller strokes are applied in a unidirectional pattern using firm pressure to distribute the gelcoat. Once the gelcoat is evenly spread ease pressure on the roller to avoid causing streaks. In small areas, a random back-forth-sideways action with the roller tends to give the most consistent results. On large open areas, like a foredeck, rolling in one direction with overlapping strokes is best. If, however directional streaks appear, correct these by rolling across them at right angles. Stop rolling the minute the gelcoat looks consistent, as it never pays to overwork the surface. Thickened gelcoat non-skid is usually applied with one heavy coat. It's important to avoid leaving overly thick areas, especially overlapping onto the masking tape. As soon as rolling is completed and while the gelcoat is still wet, carefully peel off the masking tape, pulling at a 45° angle away from the wet surface. If the tape is left until the gel has cured, it will be difficult to remove and leaves behind a ragged edge. Clean up with acetone.

STEP 6 DETUNING If the peaks are uncomfortably sharp after the new gel- coat has dried, lightly scuff it with 80-grit sandpaper. It should not scratch bare skin !