Repainting GRP deck

[Scuppers1]

Hi. New member here. I was wondering if anyone could pls point me in the right direction. I am in the process of repainting a GRP deck, I have stripped as much paint as I can off and sanded it down etc but not managed to get all of the old stuff off.

With that in mind I think I ought to prime with International Yacht Primer before I applying Interdeck. Has anyone tried to do anything similar?

Thanks

 

[pcatterall]

Lots of views probably coming your way but some of us have had success with 'Sandtex external wall paint'

 

[Simonpk]

Sandtex for me too and they can mix it to the colour you like.

 

[sailorman]

re coat over what you have rubbed down, i use Interdeck painted on NOT stippled on
Sandtex in my obs picks up dirt, here in GB might be ok in the sandy bottomed Med

 

[pcatterall]

re coat over what you have rubbed down, i use Interdeck painted on NOT stippled on
Sandtex in my obs picks up dirt, here in GB might be ok in the sandy bottomed Med

We are in the Med but try to keep our decks away from the sandy bottom!

 

[Boathook]

Another for textured masonary paint. The tin said it was acrylic resin and it can be mixed to any colour you want.

 

[Poignard]

I would use International Primer and Interdeck.

I stripped my deck and epoxy-coated coachroof completely and applied 2 coats of Hempel Multicoat with Hempel granules. It has been a total failure; flaking off within a year

Now I'm doing the job properly using International products.

 

[neil_s]

Hmm - Hempels worked for me, but I applied it over a sound, pre-existing paint layer, after a good clean and rub down.

 

[Poignard]

Hmm - Hempels worked for me, but I applied it over a sound, pre-existing paint layer, after a good clean and rub down.

I think that's the difference. Applying it over a sound primer.

Hempel claims their Multicoat will act as its own primer. My experience is that it isn't as good in that role as a dedicated primer would be.

 

[pawl]

For what it's worth here are my thoughts. When I repainted the deck of my Westerley it was suggested that I use B&Q masonary paint. This I did and the result was very smart. It still looked good when I sold her some years later. It was also a much better non slip surface than the original. I simply painted it on over what was there after a thorough wash and quick rub over. A couple of tips if you decide to go this route, firstly, stipple it on with an ordinary paint brush, I found that two coats was sufficient. Secondly, use electrical tape for masking that way you can leave it in place for a while.

 

[FlyingGoose]

Kiwi Grip all the way, 3 years in and still looking like new, expensive , but designed for the marine environment
This was done after taking off all the old treadmaster , with a grinder smoothing the surface and then paint , it will self level so no need to worry about small uneven surfaces . IMHO ofc

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

KiwiGrip is the best way forward by far. Have a look at on YouTube; I have used it extensively on my previous boat; not cheap, but very good. Whatever you do, make sure that you prime the surface before putting any top coat paint.

 

[differentroads]

Two and a half years ago I painted my decks with sandtex and my cockpit with Kiwigrip kinder to skin, clothes, oilies). We didn't use primers and both have adhered well and kept great grip.

The sandtex looked a bit grubby sooner than the smoother Kiwigrip but the latter is also now showing an ingrained grubby finish that just won't clean out. I suspect its down to a very slight sticky quality that the Kiwigrip has in high summer temperatures. We live aboard and the cockpit gets a lot more footfall than the deck. But even the areas of cockpit that get little footfall look grubbier than I would have hoped for.

I admit that I've got fairly low standards when it comes to scruffiness. With that caveat, next time I repaint the decks I'd still use Sandtex or an equivalent rather than going to the cost of Kiwigrip.

 

[Scuppers1]

Many thanks to all, some great points and tips here. I am most grateful.

 

[coopec]

I'm going to do mine again but this time I'll roll it on. I'm very interested in "Sandtex external wall paint" although at this stage I don't think it is marketed in Australia (I'll check again) Would this paint be similar to Sandtex? (I like the idea of a matt finish for a deck)



Currently the deck is a cream color. What color is most popular these days?

 

[Carib]

I used cream Sandtex on my last boat. It's durable, non-slip and long lasting. BUT I found it looks grubby quickly and dirt, even a bit of mud from the anchor, was very hard to remove - it never looked smart again. I wouldn't use it again for that reason. (That said, I haven't done a comparison and guess this might be a problem with any non-slip painted surface.)

 

[coopec]

I used cream Sandtex on my last boat. It's durable, non-slip and long lasting. BUT I found it looks grubby quickly and dirt, even a bit of mud from the anchor, was very hard to remove - it never looked smart again. I wouldn't use it again for that reason. (That said, I haven't done a comparison and guess this might be a problem with any non-slip painted surface.)

Yep! My cream deck get dirty too so that's why I wondered about alternative colors.

 

[Iliade]

After years of paying International's prices for deck paint I used a faintly mud-coloured ( think teak effect) sandtex copy. Unlike the International stuff, it didn't flake at all, was. a fraction the price, was water based so far easier to clean up and, if anything, lasted longer. I don't recall it being harder to clean, but it was certainly easy to refresh with a quick additional coat. No need to mask for that as water based so overshooting could be wiped off.

 

[Boathook]

I repainted my decks this year with Johnston's textured masonry paint that was replacing Dulux masonry paint that I did 7 years ago. Dulux I thought lasted well seeing that I jet wash the decks each spring and mid summer. The preparation was easy, I just jet washed.
So far, the Johnston's just seems to shrug off dirt including the mess from birds (feathered ones!) perching on the mast.