Is there a deck paint...

[Trident]

that will let me make very stained no slip surface look nicer but still use the non slip texture of the deck without adding any or much grit?

Its a moulded GRP deck and after many years in the Caribbean it has some UV damage and stains and looks dirty all the time (even after pressure washing and scrubbing with acetone and oxalic (not together!) etc .

I would like to find something that is not a complete chore to clean and that doesn't stain easily - in years gone by I have used on other boats, with advice from here, things like exterior textured paint and even Awl grip and whilst both look good for a year maybe, they hold dirt over time much more than gelcoat and unless cleaned weekly (sometimes daily) they look grotty. I can't get tester pots of things like Interdeck etc so don't want to waste a lot of money if they are just the same.

Anyone used something that is more satin than mat and cleans off well , year after year? It's worth noting that I am on a catamaran with big wide decks and thus don't need it to be super grippy as the safety margins are much higher when you sit flat etc. Also must be white ...

 

[LittleSister]

I remember there was a PBO tree of various deck paints some years ago, and that found that non-boaty (masonry?) paint looked fine to start with, but did collect dirt noticeably worse than the usual brands of deck paint, though the latter weren't entirely immune, either. I don't have any direct personal experience on the topic to contribute.

 

[Rappey]

I used masonary paint for many years. It does get dirty and it's terrible to remove once it starts flaking.
I wandered round a large marina and looked at every boat with painted decks and nearly all had some form of paint flaking.
Didn't want to go down that route again so chose epdm mat and glued it down. 12 years later and it's still good..
Cork based mat seems popular on some new builds..

 

[oldbloke]

I have non slip tape on my launches floor boards and have used gloss varnish over it, and the rest of the floor board for a number of years. It's still non slip and doesn't attract the muck like non slip paint does. The tape is pretty aggressive and I don't know if gloss over your non slip would work as well.

 

[Poignard]

I always used International 'Interdek' and found it satisfactory.

https://www.marinesuperstore.com/pa...dium=pcn&utm_campaign=MSS&utm_term=INTER INTE

 

[Refueler]

I'm a user of Masonry paint .... mixed to colour I want by local shop.

I get a year out of it before its worn back to the previous .... any flaking is actually from the Marine Deck Paint used before I bought the boat .. over the years ... it slowly lifts ...

I just roughly sand - nothing exhausting or special ,,,, then Masonry paint.

I like it becuae it wears away reducing work load to recoat etc. Its kind on bare feet while still being non-slip.

The PBO Test some years ago ... actually rated it quite high ... surprising many.

 

[wrr]

I use chlorinated rubber paint with some anti-slip added. It is durable, as used on swimming pools etc., and I generally repaint after 3- 4 years or so just to brighten up the faded colour. It can be mixed in any standard shade and is quick drying.

 

[alahol2]

I used smooth masonry paint with a few added granules. After the first season I wasn't very impressed, it looked worn and stained. As I still had half a can of the paint left I washed and scrubbed the deck again and overpainted. For the last several years I have been very pleased with the result. It still looks pretty good and doesn't seem to stain (or at least it's easy to scrub clean). On that basis I recommend 2 coats of masonry paint.
I used the Valspar version (I think from B&Q) mixed to my choice of light grey.

 

[vyv_cox]

I always used International 'Interdek' and found it satisfactory.

https://www.marinesuperstore.com/paint-cleaners-care/paints/international-interdeck-non-slip-coat?attribute_size=750ml&attribute_colour=White&utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=pcn&utm_campaign=MSS&utm_term=INTER INTE

I did my decks in Interdeck and five years later they remained good, no flaking and not especially discoloured despite wintering in Greek boatyards, a particularly dirty environment.

My only criticism is that, at the time, it was not produced in light grey and I was forced to use white. In fact this worked out fairly well in practice.

 

[Boathook]

I used textured masonry paint on my last boat. Got about 4 years life from it before it started to look too faded and worn. I also jet washed it a couple of times a year.
Never had any of it flaking either. Repainting was a good clean with jetwasher, allow to dry, mask off and roller on new coat. Time consuming part was masking off.

 

[thinwater]

Nothing is going to be easier to clean than molded gel coat non-skid. Paint is higher maintenance than gelcoat.

I suggest being realistic about what floors look like. It's just a boat.

(I find drill-powered rotary scrubbers really help. Something about the way they go in all directions. But I wouldn't do that more than a few times per year unless you want to wear the non-skid out.)

 

[Sea Change]

I've used both Interdeck and Sandtex masonry paint.
Interdeck isn't really all that expensive and I think probably worth the extra cost. Main downside is the limited range of colours, and of course harder clean up compared to water based masonry paint.

 

[mrming]

I’ve also had good results with International Interdeck. It doesn’t last forever but 3-5 years is possible, and in my experience it wears thin rather than flaking off. I used it to replace treadmaster. If I had a boat with moulded non slip it would have to be very bad before I would consider painting it and adding yet another maintenance item to the boat.

 

[Trident]

Ok, so my take from this is Interdeck is best but putting up with some stains on the GRP and maybe trying to mechanically scrub would be the best idea unless I want to saddle myself with more maintenance (and as Interdeck say 3 layers of InterProtect and one of primer first) we're looking at £500 or so for my deck even though I get my paint at trade!

I have a few "dusty" spots where the gelcoat is really suffering from UV but maybe I'm best just to make a little impression of the GRP pattern and do some small repairs in those areas and stop letting the yellow stains bother me .. at least in bright sun they're hard to see anyway so a good excuse to stay in sunny climes

Thanks for all the replies

 

[Sea Change]

Well I wouldn't say that Interdeck is the best, it's just a nice compromise being relatively cheap, easy to find, and easy to use, whilst lasting longer and looking cleaner than masonry paint.
I've found that with both the primer and the Intereck itself, a little goes a long way.

If you want to spend serious money, take a look at KiwiGrip, which is quite impressive stuff.

 

[geem]

Well I wouldn't say that Interdeck is the best, it's just a nice compromise being relatively cheap, easy to find, and easy to use, whilst lasting longer and looking cleaner than masonry paint.
I've found that with both the primer and the Intereck itself, a little goes a long way.

If you want to spend serious money, take a look at KiwiGrip, which is quite impressive stuff.

Kiwigrip doesn't seem to last well for liveaboard use on the boats I have seen.

 

[Boathook]

Well I wouldn't say that Interdeck is the best, it's just a nice compromise being relatively cheap, easy to find, and easy to use, whilst lasting longer and looking cleaner than masonry paint.
I've found that with both the primer and the Intereck itself, a little goes a long way.

If you want to spend serious money, take a look at KiwiGrip, which is quite impressive stuff.

I've heard mixed views about kiwigrip. I still think, that a textured masonry paint is best value on the slightly cheaper boats.

The term cheap has different values to different people.

 

[geem]

Jotun two pack is about £100 for 5L from SML. Any RAL colour you like. If you want none slip, add polymer beads from Anti-Slip Aggregate for resin flooring
This is a very similar product to Awgrip Griptex that is stupidly expensive. We are currently testing this compared to the Awgrip paint we had that only lasted 3 years. The Jotun paint is easier to clean, better finish and gripper under foot with the toppus polymer bead. So far so good

 

[Humblebee]

Geem mentioned SML marine paints, above. I used their deck paint with added antislip beads and have been well pleased with it. Helpful folk too, might be worth giving them a call and asking their suggestions.

SML Paints | The Marine and Protective Paint Experts

 

[alahol2]

If you want none slip, add polymer beads from Anti-Slip Aggregate for resin flooring

Out of interest which size beads did you add?