deck prep for painting

[richardh10]

Have accepted the fact that the only way I am going to get a decent deck finish is to strip off all the old paint before repainting. Has anybody tried one of those wire abrasive discs on a grinder to get the worst off before using something gentler to get a decent finish. Or will it be too savage. There are a number of layers of paint which look like they've been applied with a bog brush, so they are going to have to come off, and I tried a patch last year with a sander, and it took forever.

I want it to look good, and I don't mind taking some time over it, but not 12 months!

Any advice welcome

Cheers

 

[joliette]

Have accepted the fact that the only way I am going to get a decent deck finish is to strip off all the old paint before repainting. Has anybody tried one of those wire abrasive discs on a grinder to get the worst off before using something gentler to get a decent finish. Or will it be too savage. There are a number of layers of paint which look like they've been applied with a bog brush, so they are going to have to come off, and I tried a patch last year with a sander, and it took forever.

I want it to look good, and I don't mind taking some time over it, but not 12 months!

Any advice welcome

Cheers

If you have a steel deck the tool you suggest will be just fine! However, if it's wood or grp I wouldn't use any form of rotary abrasive tool. A belt sander will remove many layers of paint. You just have to keep it moving when you're using it, a figure-of-eight type motion is a good idea. However, you're likely to run into various obstructions unless you plan to take everything off the deck(?). A good orbital sander may also be worth considering.

I don't particularly like marine deck paint. I used Sandtex on my Settimo Velo and I'm very pleased with the result. It takes about three coats but it's easy to apply with a roller.

 

[rob2]

I used one of the rotary "twisted knot" gizmos on GRP (inside) and it was very effective. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't leave much of anything resembling a gel coat, though. I'd agree that it's probably worth trying a belt sander. That should yield a reasonable smooth/flat finish ready keyed for the new paint.

I'd suggest a chemical stripper first to shift the bulk of it, but now we've got a hosepipe ban so you can't sluice it off!

Rob.

P.S. sand blasting or slurry blasting would be effective, but you'll be clearing up for months and you're not allowed a hosepipe for the slurry...

 

[andygc]

You don't say what your deck is made of or what sort of paint you are removing. If it looks like it has been put on with a bog brush, maybe it is deck paint? My deck is canvas-covered wood and I take old deck paint off with a hot-air gun. It comes off in sheets. I can't see any reason to try to take paint off with abrasives unless using some form of abrasive blasting on steel. Any form of abrasive paper will clog (and be a long, slow job) and wire brushes will damage any surface softer than steel.

PS. If you don't have electricity for a heat gun, an old-fashioned paraffin or gas blow-lamp used with care will do just as well.

 

[BACUS]

use a paint stripper suitable for the material of which the boat is constructed.(i used black fryers, their tech department was very good)
Regards
Bacus

 

[Gordonmc]

I have just finished painting my decks which were in a real state... numerous layers of different paint systems, then derelict for nine years.
What paint was left was extremely hard and a laughed at both a belt and random orbital sander.
On the principal that if I could not shift the paint it might as well stay I flattened the craters with a coarse angle grinder flap disc before painting with Kiwigrip.
Decks are fibregalass over ply (saloon) and ferro (side-decks).

 

[richardh10]

Sorry to keep banging on about my decks, but I have started to strip off the paint this morning using a heat gun (why didn't I think of that?) and have become a bit alarmed at what has come off! As you can see from the photos there are either a lot of layers of paint, or I have gone back too far! Could somebody reassure me that all will be well when I repaint.

The black marks are where there was cracks in the paint and the water has got under. Presumably when these have dried out it will be ok to paint over

I too tried originally with an orbital sander. No wonder I didn't get very far!

The decks are fibreglass

 

[G12]

What are the decks made of? It looks like GRP from the photo's in which case you really shouldn't be using a hot air gun on it! Plenty of paint on there though. Maybe use something agressive until you start to see the underneath and then remove the last bit with a belt sander?