painting nonskid deck

[Rob]

any suggestions about what type of paint to use and method of painting brush roller masking...thanks R.J

 

[Mac]

I've done it

Use a good marine deck paint, you can buy anti-skid additive. You simply mix in the additive to your paint per the directions or add a little more. Take your time and tape (blue tape) off the area to be painted after you have prepared it, filled any holes or cracks, sanded it lightly, and wiped down with solvent. I applied it with a two inch brush, the tread surface is waffled, and it goes on smooth. You can not tell it was brushed on. The additive dulls the finish somewhat. Of course you do not ever apply wax. I have over 700 hours on a boat that I repainted the anti-skid on it has held up great. Save a little in a jar for touch ups and you will be good for years to come.

 

[Dick of Sylvan]

Roller

Rob: I suspect you could avoid some brush marks by using a roller. I've used one of the small diameter rollers made for polyurethanes (purchased from Home Depot) to apply epoxy paint and linear polyurethane on my old (ugh!) runabout and only had to use a brush in the tight spots. I didn't add the non-skid, but from what I've read that's the way to go for your situation. Some sprinkle on sand to wet paint, but that might be hard to get an even coating. I suppose you'll need to stir your paint-non-skid mix frequently, and you may want to run a little trial on a spare board before attacking the deck to see how it goes. Dick

 

[LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners.com]

Sprinkle sand

I did this with my boat & it worked really well. Prep the area to be painted (lightly sand & mask), roll on a small portion of paint (I used Interlux Brightsides), sprinkle on a coating of non-skid sand (it comes in a can & you just punch holes in the top like a salt shaker), paint another portion, sprinkle, etc till it's done. Let it dry overnight or so, then go sweep or vacuum up the extra sand. Roll on a top coat of paint & you're golden. I've heard from several folks that adding the sand to the paint actually causes more unevenness than the sprinkling method cuz the sand falls to the bottom VERY quickly. I have very few uneven spots and that was my fault cuz I either painted too large a patch or got lazy in the application of the sand.LaDonna