Removing old non-skid

DennisF

DennisF

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I'm halfway through replacing the non-skid paint on my Westerly Berwick. When I removed the old non-skid from the coach roof last year I tried a cheap random orbital sander (useless) and ended up using a chisel and hammer at a shallow angle. This did a good job but took forever. Hence having only done the coach roof due to the mental scars.....

I'm going to be doing the side decks and foredeck this Winter - does anyone have any tips for removal of the old non-skid?
 
DennisF said:
No, it is non-skid paint. I've always thought paint removers were supposed to be useless. Are there any that are effective and safe on GRP?
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I have had good results with RemovAll 220 (http://cirrus-systems.orderfullfillment.co.uk/5-removall). They used to say it was OK for GRP, but stopped they introduced RemovAll 620 which was recommended for GRP instead. I tried it and found it dreadful so went back to 220 again. If you are anywhere near SW Scotland you are welcome to a free 3 litre tub of 620, with no promises at all.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I have had good results with RemovAll 220 (http://cirrus-systems.orderfullfillment.co.uk/5-removall). They used to say it was OK for GRP, but stopped they introduced RemovAll 620 which was recommended for GRP instead. I tried it and found it dreadful so went back to 220 again. If you are anywhere near SW Scotland you are welcome to a free 3 litre tub of 620, with no promises at all.
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I'm in the Midlands, sadly! What sort of results did you get with the 220? Did it just soften it a bit or did it actually make it much easier to remove the paint?
 
DennisF said:
I'm in the Midlands, sadly! What sort of results did you get with the 220? Did it just soften it a bit or did it actually make it much easier to remove the paint?
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I'll be in Milton Keynes sometime in the next couple of weeks. if that's any use. However, the 620 was, as I said, rubbish.

The 220 is a gel which you slobber on and then leave for at least eight hours, though I have found 24 hours better. It needs a damp day so it doesn't dry out - they suggest covering it with cling film but that sounds like a messy faff to me. At the end of the at time the paint looks very slightly wrinkled, but has turned into a paste which you can remove with a spatula.

It worked very well for me on a GRP bonnet (Daimler Dart - sadly not mine), roof (Reliant) and hull topsides (Hunter 490). It didn't do much good on the underwater part of the Hunter hull, but I strongly suspect that there was some two-pack involved and I think that's immune to everything except mechanical violence. I finally removed it, laboriously and painfully, with a hot air gun and a 3/4" chisel. Never, ever again.
 
Not sure why you want to go to all that work to remove it if you are recoating. Just flat it down and fill and fair any big holes if the paint lifts locally and repaint. Should only need recoating every 5 years or so if you use the proper stuff.
 
Tranona said:
Not sure why you want to go to all that work to remove it if you are recoating. Just flat it down and fill and fair any big holes if the paint lifts locally and repaint. Should only need recoating every 5 years or so if you use the proper stuff.
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Good point. And I have an unused can of proper Westerly-shade blue Interdeck lying around, doing nothing ...
 
Tranona said:
Not sure why you want to go to all that work to remove it if you are recoating. Just flat it down and fill and fair any big holes if the paint lifts locally and repaint. Should only need recoating every 5 years or so if you use the proper stuff.
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Because the previous owner (or someone before him!) used some sort of masonry paint over old paint, which is has come off in flakes all over the place. I'd rather get down to GRP and then prime and paint properly. I've got the primer and paint I need from doing the coach roof - but am still scarred by how long it took to get all the paint off the coach roof! Still, the side decks and fore deck are a smaller area.......
 
DennisF said:
Because the previous owner (or someone before him!) used some sort of masonry paint over old paint, which is has come off in flakes all over the place. I'd rather get down to GRP and then prime and paint properly. I've got the primer and paint I need from doing the coach roof - but am still scarred by how long it took to get all the paint off the coach roof! Still, the side decks and fore deck are a smaller area.......
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Whether you remove it physically or chemically it will be hard work. Given that you don't exactly know what you are dealing with you will just have to experiment with the strippers suggested until you find the least worst way. Would not worry about the surface underneath too much as you will probably need to make good in some areas before you recoat anyway.
 
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