[Public-List] Deck Painting

[Bill Wallace]

For the kiwigrip, it is necessary to clean the non-skid but not necessary to sand it.  The spider cracks probably won't show through the kiwigrip but will certainly show through the Awlgrip.  The basic order is (you MUST have a paint/vapour rated mask, one of the ones with the big cartridges if you are using Awlgrip).

1. Clean the deck thoroughly
2. Get a ton of rags and wipe the deck with acetone - once you have wiped a bit with a rag, do NOT re-use that rag section.  Use good gloves and a good mask.  Idea is to get rid of all silicone release agent.  If you skip this step, you will regret it as the paint will peel anywhere the water beads in the next step.  If you do this step after sanding you will spend forever sanding/cleaning to get the silicone out.
3. Spray with water.  The water MUST not bead - anywhere it does, you need to clean with acetone again (you can use this before the acetone to figure out where you need to clean rather than doing it everywhere, but you will get better adhesion if you just do it everywhere).  
4. Fix any spider cracks you care about (not sure what to suggest here - I just painted and lived with them).
5. Sand/clean until the clear (skid) areas are about twice as smooth/fair as you are willing to live with.  You can get anywhere from just ok to mirror smooth finishes.
6. Mask the wood or other areas around the clear (skid) paint, but NOT the non-skid areas.
7. Paint the clear areas with a roller, tip with a foam brush - WEAR the RESPIRATOR.  The paint is VERY smelly and strong.  Alternative: use the 2 part WR-LPU for 3 coats and then 1-2 coats of clear top over the white water based paint (this does not look as good as Awlgrip but is far less hazardous and easier to work with - paint this part during cool times instead of when it is really hot - the WR LPU can be coated 3 times in a day.
8. Let the clear areas set at LEAST a week - you have to mask them and if you do it sooner, it WILL peel (don't ask how I know)
9. Mask the edges of the kiwigrip - make sure you have handles to pull this as you will be pulling the mask as you paint or else it will not give you clean lines.
10. Roll the kiwigrip on - start at one end, roll a small section and start pulling tape.  You can't leave any tape to dry as it will pull chunks of paint away.
11. Let sit 12 hours - you can then walk on it with bare feet/socks, and in another 12-24 hours with shoes - but I would wait 48 hours before expecting to use the non-skid in anger.
12. Sit back and admire the beautiful job - this really makes a boat look a lot nicer.

This entire job took me 3 days on a 17' Siren, about 4-5 hours each day.  I didn't remove anything, just masked it.  I've used both Awlgrip and WR-LPU - the water based 2 part is much nicer to work with but I don't think it produces as nice a finish.  Despite that, I will be using it on my Alberg 30, but this time will try it with the clear coat.
The painting part takes about 1-2 hours for each coat of paint you do, so most of your time will be in prep, not in painting.

The roller and how heavily you apply the kiwigrip determines how aggressive a pattern you get - but it will wear some over the first month to be a bit less aggressive than initially applied.

Bill
Alberg 30 -  626


________________________________
 From: James Allocco <jamesallocco at gmail.com>
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> 
Sent: Wednesday, August 21, 2013 6:51:58 PM
Subject: [Public-List] Deck Painting
 

Fellow Albergers,

I was reminded by Mike Lehman's restoration project that I have been
thinking of painting my decks. The decks are solid with no soft spots or
delamination but there are spider cracks, mostly around the stanchion and
pulpit bases.
I had added backup plates under the stanchions but neglected the
pulpits.The nonskid areas are in good condition but are faded and need
attention. The white gelcoat between the non skid has worn away and
shows the fiberglass underneath in some spots.

Having read the testimonials of Kiwigrip my wish is to use it to paint the
nonskid and use a 2 part paint such as Awlgrip on the rest of the deck.

I have some questions on how to proceed and would greatly appreciate any
advice you anyone might have.

What is the best way to repair the spider cracks show they don't show
through?

I have only worked with epoxy but would polyester fillers be better suited
for repair?

As the diamond pattern is in reasonably good condition is it necessary to
sand/grind it smooth before applying the kiwigrip? What other prep might be
necessary?

What 2part paint do most of you recommend?

Thanks for any information you could provide.
Jim Allocco
#565
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