Iam going to paint the deck - I think

[lenseman]

I am going to come up with a suggestion (solution), which is so far-fetched you will think I am joking!

A guy in my marina was painting his deck last summer and I casually asked him what he was going to do about making the deck 'non-slip' as he seemed to be using common gloss paint (marine) and from the midship point, the side decks rose steeply towards the bow (about 1 in 8 climb).

He said watch this . . . and he proceeded to go below and return with two or three 2kg bags of granulated SUGAR !!!

I kid you not, and proceeded to sprinkle the deck paint, while still wet, with liberal quantities of granulated sugar. I could not believe it!

I thought he was joking but when the paint was dry, he had a yacht with a very impressive non-slip deck as I did not think it would work I had to try it.

Apparently, when the deck paint is dry, you just hose off the sugar (which dissolves) living very sharp pits all in the paint which in turn forms the end result.

 

[Tradewinds]

Apparently, when the deck paint is dry, you just hose off the sugar (which dissolves) living very sharp pits all in the paint which in turn forms the end result.

Which is where all the dirt & sh!t lives

This, to me, is the problem - getting a reasonable non-slip finish that doesn't look dirty & careworn after a week or two. Where I'm based on the Orwell the air is full of oily grime which deposits itself all over the coachroof and deck. I don't want a non-slip deck that is a real barsteward to keep looking decent.

 

[planteater]

I have experimented with a bit of Dulux Smooth Masonry paint on a spare bit of glass fibre. I was going to use it on the coachroof and those bits of the deck not already covered with non slip pads but the finish is matt and I'm not so sure that it would look so good.

For others who have used this on their coachroof areas, are you pleased with the finish?

I've gone for a satin finish on the smooth bits and sandtex on the textured bits. IMO this works well as the satin is still easy to clean but cuts down on glare and hides any imperfections. As an experiment, try drilling some holes in your spare GRP, filling and sanding them and then applying a high gloss covering! I did this and no amount of prep would give a decent finish.

 

[dleroc]

I've gone for a satin finish on the smooth bits and sandtex on the textured bits. IMO this works well as the satin is still easy to clean but cuts down on glare and hides any imperfections. As an experiment, try drilling some holes in your spare GRP, filling and sanding them and then applying a high gloss covering! I did this and no amount of prep would give a decent finish.

Thanks. Yes I can understand that blemishes after filling are near always visible with a gloss finish.

I have added another coat today and will check it tomorrow for it's appearance. Have you applied the paint with brush or roller - or pad?

 

[planteater]

Thanks. Yes I can understand that blemishes after filling are near always visible with a gloss finish.

I have added another coat today and will check it tomorrow for it's appearance. Have you applied the paint with brush or roller - or pad?

I used a small gloss roller and it worked fine for me. I had to work it quite a lot to get any bubbles out but the satin finish is quite forgiving and didn't need tipping with a brush. I did this last summer and was lucky with the weather. I suspect the environment is as important as the prep to get a decent finish.