How do I get these off the non skid? I’ve tried Clorox, starbrite mildew-mold remover, pressure washer, toilet bowl cleaner, Starbrite, black streak remover, diluted TSP solution, starbrite non skid deck cleaner, starbrite rust remover. Ugh! Thanks for any ideas!
How do I get these off the non skid? I’ve tried Clorox, starbrite mildew-mold remover, pressure washer, toilet bowl cleaner, Starbrite, black streak remover, diluted TSP solution, starbrite non skid deck cleaner, starbrite rust remover. Ugh! Thanks for any ideas!
Try acetone. It works well removing carbon grease rubber types of marks.... such as shoe sole scuffs, rubber dock guard marks... things like that.
It will evaporate quickly, but you should rinse well anyway because over time it can affect paint and gel coat. Hope it works... lots easier than replacing non skid... but... if replacement becomes your choice... think about covering the old molded in type with something like KiwiGrip. I put that on my boat's molded in nonskid, which had all kinds of hairline cracks. I workd really really well and looks fantastic. Like a brand new boat.
It will evaporate quickly, but you should rinse well anyway because over time it can affect paint and gel coat. Hope it works... lots easier than replacing non skid... but... if replacement becomes your choice... think about covering the old molded in type with something like KiwiGrip. I put that on my boat's molded in nonskid, which had all kinds of hairline cracks. I workd really really well and looks fantastic. Like a brand new boat.
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I had the same issue, I think. I removed the black by using a good boat soap, a medium bristle brush. The non-skid is a diamond pattern, I scrubbed in a direction that had the bristles following the grooves, then did the same in the other direction.
I’ve had the marks for a couple of years, couldn’t get rid of them, then this year I tried the above method and it worked. Seems like too easy a solution, but it worked. Hope this helps…..
Cheers
I’ve had the marks for a couple of years, couldn’t get rid of them, then this year I tried the above method and it worked. Seems like too easy a solution, but it worked. Hope this helps…..
Cheers
I agree with DaveJ….are you sure it’s not just imbedded dirt. I get that on my boat every year after outside winter storage. In various spots, not all over. I’ve used mild boat soap and a plastic medium bristle brush. I also scrub in one direction and then the other of the diamond pattern.
It loosens it up and washes right off. I’ve even done mine with just plain water.
It looks black to me, but when lightly scrubbed it turns green. Which leads me to believe its mold in the crevices.
But it does come right out. A little back breaking at times from the crouching down but cleanable. Some of the chemicals seem a little harsh.
I have used a product called Super Clean, it comes in a purple gallon bottle. It cuts grease and works on those spots. It can strip wax, so limited use is preferable, but you don’t want any wax on non skid surface anyway. In my use I have never seen it strip any wax from surrounding areas.
It loosens it up and washes right off. I’ve even done mine with just plain water.
It looks black to me, but when lightly scrubbed it turns green. Which leads me to believe its mold in the crevices.
But it does come right out. A little back breaking at times from the crouching down but cleanable. Some of the chemicals seem a little harsh.
I have used a product called Super Clean, it comes in a purple gallon bottle. It cuts grease and works on those spots. It can strip wax, so limited use is preferable, but you don’t want any wax on non skid surface anyway. In my use I have never seen it strip any wax from surrounding areas.
Above is an enlarged section of the OP's photo. Notice the relative uniform shape of the dark areas and how the white gelcoat fades away to the dark area. Also notice the white streaks in some of the dark area. The dark areas are all in the valleys.
Thus far, no one has reported success at removing these kinds of dark spots, because it is not dirt, it not mold, is the fiberglass under the gelcoat. Gelcoat is sprayed into the mold when the deck is built and it is not an entirely uniform thickness, thus, some areas under the nonskid are a little thinner or thicker than other areas. After 30 years of scrubbing, the thin layers wear out. The gelcoat is thinnest under the valleys in the non-skid.
There is no easy fix, all will require standing the non-skid smooth and adding new nonskid. There are options that range from gluing on a rubberized non skid, a one part fix like Kiwi Grip, painting and adding grit like Soft Sand, or using gelcoat and Gibco Flex mold. The other option is just learning to live with it as it is.
Wish there was a more optimistic solution. One thing for certain, more aggressive scrubbing will only make it worse.
Good analysis, Dave. I have done non-skid repairs using a latex mold by masking, molding, and then taping and peeling the latex, applying gelcoat, and the replacing the latex over it; it requires skill and patience, and it's time consuming and sometimes frustrating.
In this case I think painting with a small amount of silica grit added is the best approach. One could mask and then paint with a contrasting color, like beige, which could look very nice.
To the original poster, what was the outcome? My dark areas are all gone, I had to use my thumb nail sometimes and the marks came off, sometimes leaving a greenish trail…. I’m thinking they were mold or some other ‘natural’ growth. A little Vim or Bar Keepers Friend was needed for some of them. Decks are like new, the marks were not fibreglass under the gel coat. Hope you had the same success.
Cheers
Cheers
If the gel coat doesn’t come clean with a soft yellow brush and boat soap, I’ll try a liitle more aggressive soap as you have and a surgical nail brush like is. Then when all else fails the finger nail is next on the list.
use non skid deck cleaner. spread with a deck brush and let sit 5 minutes. scrub with a stiff hand brush. after it's clean, use non skid wax.
You could paint the non-skid, I used total boat non-skid paint on a diamond pattern, the pattern is less pronounce yet the nonskid properties remained. Not perfect, easy to apply, here's what boat looks like...
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if it is not damage, I cannot tell from the pic, but I had something very similar and tried everything, but Tylex took it off in seconds.
Good luck!!
Good luck!!