Deck refurbishment - epoxy & deck paint?

[LittleSister]

I am contemplating refurbishing our deck finish, and would appreciate advice on the suitability of epoxy for repairing dings, dents and wear in the deck gelcoat, and its suitability for overcoating with deck paint. Note that in the areas I am concerned with the deck is smooth, not the usual moulded in textured surface.

I was thinking of:

1) masking tape around the relevant deck areas (where one would usually have moulded in grippy surface or Treadmaster or whatever);

2) filling in a number of minor dents and scratches with epoxy with a litttle waterproof filler, and rubbing down to fair

3) 'painting' over the whole of the relevant areas with unfilled epoxy to give a smooth surface and replace the gelcoat covering of the deck, which is worn through in places,

4) washing off thoroughly to remove the 'blush' from the epoxy, then

5) painting with standard grippy deck paint (Internationl, Hempel or whatever) or Sandtex.

Any comments / advice?

 

[Boathook]

I have filled small holes, etc with gel coat and then painted over. Regardless of paint used, the preparation takes time and any small fillings not leveled correctly stand out.

 

[LittleSister]

I have filled small holes, etc with gel coat and then painted over. Regardless of paint used, the preparation takes time and any small fillings not leveled correctly stand out.

I was considering gelcoat, but I want to recover the area, as well as fill in chips. As I understand it (from reading other threads) epoxy has much better adhesion and waterproofing, is more flexible, and I am more likely to get a smooth surface. Is that true?

I note what you say on the importance of a good surface before painting.

 

[William_H]

Deck repairs

By all means fill the holes with epoxy. However I don't think it is good for a "paint" layer. Far better I think is a 2 pack polyurethane paint with appropriate tinting or pigment. For non skid areas I used an International product called Intergrip which is just granules that you sprinkle on the top layer of paint. I then added another coat of urethane because non skid was too rough. We tend to sail bare footed and thin clothes.
The polyurethane is tough grips well and handles UV unlike the epoxy which will deteriorate if exposed to UV. Contrary to advice I found polyurethane brushes fairly well and is easily touched up in following seasons. ( you can get a better finish with spraying but this stuff is very toxic when sprayed and requires positive air supply mask). good luck olewill

 

[Jaramaz]

Well, there's epoxy and then there's epoxy! Interlux "Watertite" epoxy filler works fine both as a filler and to paint on. Easy to use, easy to sand. Possible to carve with a knife in some stages during hardening.
Using gelcoat etc requires more work.

I have used Interdeck to the deck, works rather good, lasts some few years, then it starts to fade and becomes worn. I would not use Interdeck again!

Two-component last much longer, but then one must add some anti-slip, which is possible to get as well. Also possible to get anti-gloss as usual 2-component paint is very glossy.

/J

 

[oldsaltoz]

I am contemplating refurbishing our deck finish, and would appreciate advice on the suitability of epoxy for repairing dings, dents and wear in the deck gelcoat, and its suitability for overcoating with deck paint. Note that in the areas I am concerned with the deck is smooth, not the usual moulded in textured surface.

I was thinking of:

1) masking tape around the relevant deck areas (where one would usually have moulded in grippy surface or Treadmaster or whatever);

2) filling in a number of minor dents and scratches with epoxy with a litttle waterproof filler, and rubbing down to fair

3) 'painting' over the whole of the relevant areas with unfilled epoxy to give a smooth surface and replace the gelcoat covering of the deck, which is worn through in places,

4) washing off thoroughly to remove the 'blush' from the epoxy, then

5) painting with standard grippy deck paint (Internationl, Hempel or whatever) or Sandtex.

Any comments / advice?

Doing the repairs with an epoxy is probably the best method, strong and very good water resistance.

However, Epoxy is not UV stable so must be coated, there is an old saying the goes, " Epoxy will stick to anything but nothing will stick to Epoxy" with in mind you will need to cover the repaired areas with an Epoxy primer prior to painting.

Also note:
I have yet to see or even hear of a non slip coating that is easy to clean or long lasting, having tiny peaks with a few microns of paint covering them is doomed to fail.

Far better to install Industrial non slip patches available in a huge range of colours and textures that last longer and look better after a few years.

By the way have you considered using flow-coat rather than paint?

Good luck and fair winds.

 

[saltylegs]

I have the usual deck paint but have been thinking of using kiwi grip to give a proper textured finish.
After you have made all repairs.
http://www.kiwigrip.com/

 

[LittleSister]

Thanks for the tips, folks.

By all means fill the holes with epoxy. However I don't think it is good for a "paint" layer. Far better I think is a 2 pack polyurethane paint with appropriate tinting or pigment.... The polyurethane is tough grips well and handles UV unlike the epoxy which will deteriorate if exposed to UV.

My intention was to coat the epoxy with deck paint, both to protect the epoxy from UV, and to colour the deck.

I have used Interdeck to the deck, works rather good, lasts some few years, then it starts to fade and becomes worn. I would not use Interdeck again!

I assumed it would need repainting every few years, after all it has a tough life of UV, abrasion, etc.. Are you suggesting other similar type products would be superior to Interdeck?

there is an old saying the goes, " Epoxy will stick to anything but nothing will stick to Epoxy" with in mind you will need to cover the repaired areas with an Epoxy primer prior to painting....

By the way have you considered using flow-coat rather than paint?

Thanks for the tip on the primer.

I did consider flow-coat (that's what I meant when I said gelcoat above), especially as the existing gelcoat surface has lasted 35 years, and flow-coat is available pre-coloured. However I read somewhere that it is difficult to get good adhesion and is not flexible, and feared that any slight flexing of the deck might lead to cracking or loose patches.

It won't be possible to use industrial flooring, Treadmaster or similar patches, for reasons too complicated to explain.

 

[LittleSister]

I have the usual deck paint but have been thinking of using kiwi grip to give a proper textured finish.
After you have made all repairs.
http://www.kiwigrip.com/

That's impressive looking stuff! Thanks for the tip. However, probably not the thing for my current project due to particular complications.

 

[captainboo]

Deck Painting

I refurbished our decks due to the gelcoat having cracked/curled (under a teak deck that had life expired!).
The gelcoat was planed off and dents/defects filled with Hempel Profiller (Lightweight epoxy filler that is easy to mix/apply/sand afterwards).
Deck then painted with epoxy to seal.
2 coats of epoxy primer
2 coats Perfection Undercoat
2 coats Perfection Topcoat
Non skid areas masked off and painted with Kiwigrip.