Non slip deck paint

[Slow_boat]

My boat has old 'sand type' non slip deck paint. The original grey looks pretty solid but it's been painted over in blue, which is now flaking of in big bits. I assume that this is because the grey was not prepared properly prior to painting the blue on.

My question is; How do you sand down paint that is itself like sandpaper? How can I make sure my new paint sticks?

 

[guernseyman]

Scrape off the flaky stuff. Detect areas waiting to start flaking by tapping. Scrape them. Sand step edges smooth. Paint.

 

[Slow_boat]

But how does that help the new paint to stick to the grey original? The blue didn't.

 

[guernseyman]

Sand. Clean with detergent. Rinse. Dry.

 

[Slow_boat]

But my point is, how can you sand a paint that's 50% sand itself?

 

[Spuddy]

I used the coarsest wet or dry paper I could find and dipped in bucket of water with sugar soap. This should get rid of the oily deposits/film which prevents next coat sticking. Rinse and spot prime when dry. Yes, the old paint wore holes in the wet or dry.

 

[andy_wilson]

Thouroughly jet wash the flaky areas to lift all the loose stuff.

Wash around the affected areas with a good detergent or sugar soap.

Abraid with coarse wet'n'dry (I used one of those coated sponge jobs) to physically remove any remaining contamination and to feather the lifted edges a bit.

Re-wash and rinse affected areas.

Patch-paint affected areas.

Wash all over.

Re-paint all over to disguise the odd patches.

 

[tazzle]

Forget sanding.

Wire-brush off old flaking paint. Use palette-knife / scraper to lift any areas of loose sanded paint. Detergent wash and clean water rinse.

I then used Protectakote rubber granule paint over the old sanded paint - non-slip properties and adherence are fantastic but colour-cover over contrasting base is poor.

 

[guernseyman]

The point is, the bit in between the sand granules is paint. Wire brush it if you cannot bring yourself to sand it.

 

[Slow_boat]

Wire brush!!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Why didn't I think of that?

No reply necessary. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Thanks.

 

[Poignard]

Don't laugh, but I have seen a recommendation on an American website that you should use sugar or salt instead of sand in your deck paint.

When the paint dries you wash off the salt/sugar and the resulting pits form a non-slip service. As the paint wears through more salt/sugar gets exposed and washed off leaving fresh pits.

When you want to sand it down there's no sand to wear out your abrasive.

Apart from the hazard of sailing around with a swarm of wasps following you [if you use sugar], it seems feasible.