Nonskid Repair - Old School Part II
Part II of II - The Ecstasy of Application Application of Medium & PaintWe used AWLGRIP two part polyurethane paint mixed with AWLGRIP top coat converter (H3002). There is a third ingredient - the Pro-Cure X-138 accelerator, or “hot sauce” as the boatyard folk call it, and it was the catalyst which determined the drying time. The more hot sauce, the faster we needed to work. We found about a capful to a quart worked well. Our primer coat was AWLGRIP Matterhorn White that we applied directly to the gelcoat. We investigated doing an epoxy coat but since that is what seemed to fail on the last repair, we skipped it. The white paint contrasted with the gelcoat to show coverage. Sand applied on first coat of Awlgrip This part most definitely required two people as one painted and one liberally sifted the sand onto the wet paint spreading it as if tossing feed to chickens to an even depth of about 1/8”. It’s key to keep about a foot of clean wet edge between the painter and the sifter and to work with the wind or early in the morning. Within 45 minutes, we used a leaf blower to remove all the excess sand and were left with a very even and consistent surface. We then pulled the top layer of tape to minimize the mess on the sandy edges. Sand is unforgiving Our next two coats were done in cream that matched the sections we were not re-doing. We did not use a flattening agent so the decks have a bit of a sheen but are quite “grippy” nonetheless. We found that rolling along or with the edge (rather than toward or away from it) minimized the tiny splatters. We used ordinary short nap 6”, small diameter rollers from a hardware store. AWLGRIP needs to applied in coats when it is still tacky so we had no more than 45 minutes between the two topcoats which was just enough to start mixing a new batch. We found that two coats gave us the texture we were looking for but a third coat can be applied for a smoother surface. First coat after sand takes a lot of paint We used about a gallon of paint in total for the three coats. The first coat on top of the silica needed more paint to be mixed as the sand provided more surface area. However, we did have left over paint after each coat which we used for engine room floor boards and even to paint the dock box so it’s difficult to estimate exactly how much we used for our 50 square feet of deck. Finishing TouchesWe began pulling tape 30 minutes after the last coat of paint. Waiting longer, resulted in the slippery vinyl tape separating from the paint unevenly. Where we didn’t get a clean edge, we trimmed the non-skid with a razor and then pressed it down with our fingertips. It was all dry to the touch after about 90 minutes and fully cured after 24 hours. Now, that's a clean edge Four of the sections were done one weekend when there was a cool breeze. The other two sections were done the following weekend when local conditions known as the Santa Anas sent blasts of hot, dry wind across the deck. Those last two sections were problematic in that they dried quickly and kept us hustling between coats. The high temperature also caused the tape to leave adhesive behind. We found the best clean up for this was to wait a week as the adhesive dried and yellowed so it was visible and then scrape it off with a plastic scraper to avoid gouging the gelcoat. Liberal sand and paint application make for an even finish Tips & ThoughtsA quick word about sand. There is no nook, cranny, channel nor pocket that it won’t find and settle into. It makes for an extremely messy job that will revisit you weeks and months later when you shake out an outboard cover or pull a winch handle out of a locker. Sand or silica medium is also abrasive and can scratch Lexan, gelcoat and varnished surfaces and therefore it is best to clean thoroughly, then repeat. Wanting to avoid splatters on our new hatch lenses, we left the Sunbrella covers on. However, the silica found its way underneath the covers and had to be blown, then rinsed and finally wiped off the lenses to prevent scratching. After a repair like this, check every surface before walking or sliding on it to make sure it is clean. The lighter color the silica, the better. No matter how good the paint, a non-skid surface has many points and ridges from which the paint will eventually wear off and a light colored medium will look better under a light colored topcoat. It is best to leave any small bugs or other aerial presents that land on the last coat until the coat is completely dry. Most will brush or wash off later and you don’t want to make indentations as you pick anything out. If prep was 40% of the job, then clean up in this case was another 40% which left a very quick and easy repair job in the middle. We expect our new non-skid will last at least 5 years, hopefully longer, so we can avoid slip sliding away as we move around on a wet deck in the future.
Part II of II - The Ecstasy of Application
Application of Medium & Paint
We used AWLGRIP two part polyurethane paint mixed with AWLGRIP top coat converter (H3002). There is a third ingredient - the Pro-Cure X-138 accelerator, or “hot sauce” as the boatyard folk call it, and it was the catalyst which determined the drying time. The more hot sauce, the faster we needed to work. We found about a capful to a quart worked well.
Our primer coat was AWLGRIP Matterhorn White that we applied directly to the gelcoat. We investigated doing an epoxy coat but since that is what seemed to fail on the last repair, we skipped it. The white paint contrasted with the gelcoat to show coverage.
Sand applied on first coat of Awlgrip
This part most definitely required two people as one painted and one liberally sifted the sand onto the wet paint spreading it as if tossing feed to chickens to an even depth of about 1/8”. It’s key to keep about a foot of clean wet edge between the painter and the sifter and to work with the wind or early in the morning.
Within 45 minutes, we used a leaf blower to remove all the excess sand and were left with a very even and consistent surface. We then pulled the top layer of tape to minimize the mess on the sandy edges.
Sand is unforgiving
Our next two coats were done in cream that matched the sections we were not re-doing. We did not use a flattening agent so the decks have a bit of a sheen but are quite “grippy” nonetheless. We found that rolling along or with the edge (rather than toward or away from it) minimized the tiny splatters. We used ordinary short nap 6”, small diameter rollers from a hardware store.
AWLGRIP needs to applied in coats when it is still tacky so we had no more than 45 minutes between the two topcoats which was just enough to start mixing a new batch. We found that two coats gave us the texture we were looking for but a third coat can be applied for a smoother surface.
First coat after sand takes a lot of paint
We used about a gallon of paint in total for the three coats. The first coat on top of the silica needed more paint to be mixed as the sand provided more surface area. However, we did have left over paint after each coat which we used for engine room floor boards and even to paint the dock box so it’s difficult to estimate exactly how much we used for our 50 square feet of deck.
Finishing Touches
We began pulling tape 30 minutes after the last coat of paint. Waiting longer, resulted in the slippery vinyl tape separating from the paint unevenly. Where we didn’t get a clean edge, we trimmed the non-skid with a razor and then pressed it down with our fingertips. It was all dry to the touch after about 90 minutes and fully cured after 24 hours.
Now, that's a clean edge
Four of the sections were done one weekend when there was a cool breeze. The other two sections were done the following weekend when local conditions known as the Santa Anas sent blasts of hot, dry wind across the deck. Those last two sections were problematic in that they dried quickly and kept us hustling between coats. The high temperature also caused the tape to leave adhesive behind. We found the best clean up for this was to wait a week as the adhesive dried and yellowed so it was visible and then scrape it off with a plastic scraper to avoid gouging the gelcoat.
Liberal sand and paint application make for an even finish
Tips & Thoughts
A quick word about sand. There is no nook, cranny, channel nor pocket that it won’t find and settle into. It makes for an extremely messy job that will revisit you weeks and months later when you shake out an outboard cover or pull a winch handle out of a locker. Sand or silica medium is also abrasive and can scratch Lexan, gelcoat and varnished surfaces and therefore it is best to clean thoroughly, then repeat.
Wanting to avoid splatters on our new hatch lenses, we left the Sunbrella covers on. However, the silica found its way underneath the covers and had to be blown, then rinsed and finally wiped off the lenses to prevent scratching. After a repair like this, check every surface before walking or sliding on it to make sure it is clean.
The lighter color the silica, the better. No matter how good the paint, a non-skid surface has many points and ridges from which the paint will eventually wear off and a light colored medium will look better under a light colored topcoat.
It is best to leave any small bugs or other aerial presents that land on the last coat until the coat is completely dry. Most will brush or wash off later and you don’t want to make indentations as you pick anything out.
If prep was 40% of the job, then clean up in this case was another 40% which left a very quick and easy repair job in the middle. We expect our new non-skid will last at least 5 years, hopefully longer, so we can avoid slip sliding away as we move around on a wet deck in the future.
