I painted over the original anti-skid portion of my deck about six months ago with 2 part polyurethane (Interlux Perfection) mixed with lots (better than 50%) of their 2-part flattening agent. The flattening agent dilutes the pigment, so if you go this direction, best to pick a color that matches close to what you currently have to paint over.
The end result is virtually like a new boat finish.
The original non-skid relief texture on my boat was still in great physical shape. Just the appearance after 28 years needed improvement. The painted result is "flat" except when the sunlight angle is low, I do notice that some gloss still remains, despite the flattening agent. The reflection is noticeable, but not objectionable. Application without the flattening agent, I think would have a very noticeable gloss over a previous non-skid, despite the original anti skid relief being in good shape. Depending on your preference, the gloss may not be objectionable, but I think you will always notice it.
I added Interlux's non-skid powder to the paint. I am glad I did because the 2-part polyurethane is very non-porous (compared to the original surface) and without the anti-skid powder, I think the end result would have been more slippery that I would have expected.
I used a brush for the non-skid section. Not a hint of brush marks. Advantage of painting over existing non-skid texture -- very foregiving of application technique.
Before I started, I asked around about surface prep needs. All advise was that since the subsurface was in good shape, and never painted before, the 2-part could go right over without a primer. So far, it seems to have stuck real good.
As everyone states as critical, follow all instructions from the manufacturer to the letter. If in doubt ask. (Don't know if you noticed, but several days ago I posted about a failure of mine with 2-part polyurethane where I painted it over a one year old 2-part polyurethane surface. I didn't sand first. The new coat failed to stick -- complete failure. Fortunately the area was small and removable from the boat. I was able to pressure wash off all of the new coat back down the the underneath coat; which is totally undamaged. The manufacturer gives instructions that previous coats that have cured beyond their stated time limit must be sanded before painting over again. I didn't and the result was about as bad as could be.)
Also, if the non-skid already has been painted in the past, ask around to make sure about the new paint's compatability.
regards,
. We're just paying it forward so the next guy won't have to deal with what we have...
