I am repainting my fiberglass boat that has a lot of molded in non-skid surfaces. How would I prep these areas so that I get good paint adhesion? I was thinking of using a cleanser product with a fine abrasive and scrubbing with a nylon brush that has stiff bristles. Any comments or sugggestions?
How to prep molded non-skid surface for painting
- Thread starter Papa Sailor
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Acid Bath
Sanding these areas is a no go, otherwise you risk eliminating the nonskid. My suggestion would be to use the product called ON/OFF hull cleaner. This is a liquid, mild acid solution, about $8 at WM, that will take off grit, grime, and other residue, and would in my opinion provide a clean surface to paint. This product is great to clean rust stains from your hull. It will not harm fiberglas. You need to wear rubber gloves and apply it with your stiff bruch or clean rag. Rinse a couple of time with soap and water. Good luck.
Sanding these areas is a no go, otherwise you risk eliminating the nonskid. My suggestion would be to use the product called ON/OFF hull cleaner. This is a liquid, mild acid solution, about $8 at WM, that will take off grit, grime, and other residue, and would in my opinion provide a clean surface to paint. This product is great to clean rust stains from your hull. It will not harm fiberglas. You need to wear rubber gloves and apply it with your stiff bruch or clean rag. Rinse a couple of time with soap and water. Good luck.
Scotchbrite 7440 Red.
I use this for aircraft painted non-skid areas. The idea is to give the Gelcoat some teeth for the paint to stick to.
I use this for aircraft painted non-skid areas. The idea is to give the Gelcoat some teeth for the paint to stick to.
Why not LIGHTLY
sand/bead blast ? I've done it with auto primers. Just enough to make the "shiney" go away. Leaves a nice "grippable" surface. Danny
sand/bead blast ? I've done it with auto primers. Just enough to make the "shiney" go away. Leaves a nice "grippable" surface. Danny
the easy way
This is the method we use and it works vey well. Tape off the area with a couple coats of masking tape. Then sand the area so that it is fairly smooth. Vacuum up the area and wipe down with acetone. Role on our paint and while it is still wet shake on the nonskid (best to do with two people and a can with holes drilled in the top) Shake on a fairly heavey layer of the nonskid. let dry over night, then vacuum up the loose nonskip. make sure you clean out your vacuum before you do this so you can save it for next time. once you have cleaned up all the loose stuff just roll on the next coat of paint. it is very simple and gives a really great looking paint job. I will try to post a pic later of a finished job.
This is the method we use and it works vey well. Tape off the area with a couple coats of masking tape. Then sand the area so that it is fairly smooth. Vacuum up the area and wipe down with acetone. Role on our paint and while it is still wet shake on the nonskid (best to do with two people and a can with holes drilled in the top) Shake on a fairly heavey layer of the nonskid. let dry over night, then vacuum up the loose nonskip. make sure you clean out your vacuum before you do this so you can save it for next time. once you have cleaned up all the loose stuff just roll on the next coat of paint. it is very simple and gives a really great looking paint job. I will try to post a pic later of a finished job.
Comet Scrub
A good scrub with Comet abrasive cleaner will do just fine. Use a scrub brush. After rinsing and drying, use acetone or alcohol to clean any wax or grease and then paint. Works great.
A good scrub with Comet abrasive cleaner will do just fine. Use a scrub brush. After rinsing and drying, use acetone or alcohol to clean any wax or grease and then paint. Works great.
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