rolling awlgrip paint
- Thread starter salut!
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without proper equipment and practice, DIY can be more expensive than professional application. condensation and moisture are your biggest issue...and you have to use brushes and rollers that will not dissolve..then there is the whole time to set issue that you may run into with a 38'.
I would speak with the maker or Jamestown Distributors for specific pointers and materials.
Best of luck
I would speak with the maker or Jamestown Distributors for specific pointers and materials.
Best of luck
Back in 1980 or so, I was in Toledo Beach marina in Michigan wasting a winter day. There was a guy brush painting a big (36+) cruiser. It was white I remember. You could not see the brush marks. It looked sprayed on. Don't know what kind of paint it was of course, but it was very smooth.
jacques , hold on your paint job for a while, come see us up in bathurst, ill take my compressor down to the marina and my spray gun, all you would need is a bow shed over it for the prep and paint, it can be builded for around 400 buck, ill lend a hand to, awlgrip is a pretty expensive product to mess with in my oppinion. i would go with something a little cheaper if you are going to brush it on
I did the topside (above the rub rail) on my Tanzer 26 last spring. The paint kit (primer, thinner, paint) came out to $380 for a quart kit. I needed a little more than a quart of primer (2 coats). You have to paint while it is cool (not cold). Sanding between each coats. If it gets too warm, it will turn dull. I am pleased with the results but it is not perfect (I know where the drips and runs are, mostly in the primer layers which are hard to remove with sand paper). The prep work takes time and effort (I removed all of the hardware and had the stanchion bases and cleats powder coated). I rolled mine on with microfoam rollers (I did not tip the rolled surface), but the solvents in paint additives tear them up and they start falling apart. I used 12-15 rollers in two coats of primer and two finish coats. If you spray, be careful with the overspray... it travels. You need to wear a VOC respirator and tyvek suit; very toxic stuff. The final coat went on when it was in the 50s and was almost misting. It came out perfectly.
It is my opinion that nothing beats Awlgrip shine and durability. But applying it takes study, practice and effort and is not easy. I had a friend who had done it on three boats and coached me through it. Good Old Boat has had a few write ups on applying Awlgrip (most recently Nov-Dec '10 if memory serves) with the roll and tip method.
We painted our Mariner 40 from the boot stripe to the masthead with Awlgrip, all rolled on, and we are in the process of painting our trawler now. We have covered it quite a bit on both of our blogs. Get the info for the how to from the Awlgrip website and follow the directions. Don't shortcut on the prep, it is the most important part. Use only the small white foam rollers that can be found at Home Depot or Lowes. They are the best density for Awlgrip. Three coats of primer and three coats of paint. Awlgrip calls for sanding with 320 between coats but we get better adhesion using 220. I have not needed to tip the paint but many do. Mix everything in the correct proportion and use only the brushing thinners and converters. Use the first two coats for practice since you will need to sand between each. But by the third coat you will need to get it right. The trick is to get the technique down so you will not apply too much and know when to stop rolling, the bubbles will stop, and move on before the paint starts to tack. It takes some practice but we often hear even from the professionals that it looks like it has been sprayed. Oh, and we have saved a ton of money. Chuck
Good point, I found 180 to work best for rough areas with a 220 follow up, much faster and very nice results.
We rolled and then tipped our last boat on the hull and bottom (we dry sail) and it was very hard to tell that she wasn't sprayed. Remember, prep is everything because every flaw will really show.
Ray
Ray
How bad is your gelcoat as it a LOT of freaking working work and your gonna need about 1000 dollars just in sandpaper but it was well worth it and drought you starting off as bad as i did 
I used the rollers in awlgrip manual and your screwed IF you don't wait for low humidity weather and BUGS like the stuff
I used the rollers in awlgrip manual and your screwed IF you don't wait for low humidity weather and BUGS like the stuff
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