Repairing , Modifying & Painting the Deck of Windsong

[Jolly Roger]

Hi Beersmith
I want to thank you for your very detailed application of the Interlux Perfection paint which couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I have a Down East 45 down in Titusville and we are planning to start to paint the masts with Perfection this weekend. First coat Sunday all being well.
I also found Interlux to be excellent in the advice department, because I too had reservations about using two pot paint, which I have used before especially Allgrip. I got an excellent deal from Defender for the whole lot.
We have also spent a lot of time getting the masts and spars down to raw aluminum and fairing out all the blemishes. I’m told, if we are careful and do it right it will look nearly as good as a spray job.
Of course we will use an aluminum pre-coat but the primer and top coats are the same. I’ve bought Mauritious Blue.
You might like to take a look at my own rather unusual renovation project on www.schooner-britannia.com
Good luck with the final coat.
Jolly Roger.

[bstreep]

Yeah, you've found the same thing we did - the dew settled on the horizontal surfaces, trapping the solvent.

[Beersmith]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

Hi Beersmith
I want to thank you for your very detailed application of the Interlux Perfection paint which couldn’t have come at a better time for me. I have a Down East 45 down in Titusville and we are planning to start to paint the masts with Perfection this weekend. First coat Sunday all being well.
I also found Interlux to be excellent in the advice department, because I too had reservations about using two pot paint, which I have used before especially Allgrip. I got an excellent deal from Defender for the whole lot.
We have also spent a lot of time getting the masts and spars down to raw aluminum and fairing out all the blemishes. I’m told, if we are careful and do it right it will look nearly as good as a spray job.
Of course we will use an aluminum pre-coat but the primer and top coats are the same. I’ve bought Mauritious Blue.
You might like to take a look at my own rather unusual renovation project on www.schooner-britannia.com
Good luck with the final coat.
Jolly Roger.

Glad this could help! I will be using the same system on my mast and spars later this year. I will read up on your blog and follow your progress. I always enjoy finding other Downeaster's to read about

[Beersmith]

Originally Posted by bstreep

Yeah, you've found the same thing we did - the dew settled on the horizontal surfaces, trapping the solvent.

Interesting. I wish I had the pictures available, but I found it quite peculiar how the vertical surfaces transitioned to horizontal with a curve and the paint just shifts from glossy to flat. I was worried it was the wind initially, but the vertical surfaces were getting the worst of the wind so I had to rule that out and contact Interlux. Their message board is a great place to get questions answered.

[bstreep]

2 weekends ago I put a coat of Perfection on our stern - it's a big area, and I wanted an extra coat. I just rolled it on, fairly early in the day. Turned out great - slight orange peel to the surface. Still debating on rolling or rolling and tipping the final coat.

It does seem that humidity is a very critical factor with this paint (and probably most/all 2 part paints). For a final coat, we will paint in the am as soon as we can get the dew to dry.

[Beersmith]

Laid down the third coat of Interlux Perfection on the deck this weekend. I intended it to be the last, but it just didn’t turn out as good as I hoped so a fourth coat will be called for.

The conditions were similar to the second coat, except much windier. I knew the winds would be in the 10-15 mph range sometime in the day, but I hoped they would be light in the morning. Temperatures were in the mid 70′s, lowish humidity and sunny. I thinned the paint approximately 10%, and did not keep it in a cooler with ice this time.

I got to painting at about 8:30, and was lucky any dew had dried up already. I was worried from the start about the winds, so I worked too fast from the start. Looking at the dried coat, it is evident I rushed the job and applied way too thin of a coat. Working too fast caused me to be careless in coverage and in the way I moved around the boat. Too careless and you will bump into drying paint and ruin it.

The wind also had a bad effect on the paint. You can’t see it from more than a couple feet away, but if you look close you can see tiny little marks the wind left on the paint. Combine this with the too-thin coat and the finish isn’t as slick as I know it can be. Otherwise, the paint laid down wonderfully, and looked great in the areas I applied it thick enough.

Here are some areas with good coverage:



Sorry about the finger…





It is hard to show an example of what happened in the areas that are too thin. Take a look at this photo for the best example I got on camera. You can see in the big area a few streaks, those are areas I didn’t roll over well enough.



And this is what happens when you rush and bump into drying paint:



Maybe I’m being too picky at this point, but I didn’t put this much work into the deck and not get a satisfying coat. I have enough paint for a fourth coat, so luckily I won’t have to shell out more cash. I have learned my lessons by applying too thick of a coat (first coat), applying it too late in the day (second coat), and applying too thin of a coat in high winds (third coat). I should be able to apply these lessons learned on the fourth and make it the final coat.

Unfortunately the weather looks pretty bad this weekend, so maybe next week if I can get some time off work or next weekend.

[Beersmith]

I finally found a decent day to lay down the fourth and final coat of Interlux Perfection on Windsong’s deck. This past Saturday was the day, and it was overall pretty good for applying this paint. Mid 80′s temperatures, low winds; cons were the medium-high humidity and clear sunny skies. As mentioned plenty of times before, having mild temperatures, low humidity, low wind, and no direct sunlight is impossible; so I have to take what I can get.

However, given all of the mistakes I’ve learned from the past 3 coats, I was able to really dial in the application and get a fantastic finish. As with the prior two coats I thinned at 10% and only rolled on, no tipping. I applied the paint slowly and methodically, ensuring good coverage and limiting mistakes.

The results are far better than what I though I could get. This coat leveled out better than any previous coat, retained the incredible gloss even with high humidity, and gave me a smooth mirror finish.

In order to complete the deck paint job I will now apply the Kiwigrip non-skid coating. However, the non-skid is not nearly as fussy as the gloss; and only one coat should be required. I am ecstatic that the hard part is over. No more nervously watching the weather, no more sanding the entire deck down between coats!

Here are a few pictures of the process and result. Check out the full gallery here:

Repairing, Modifying and Painting the Deck (Gallery)

These first few pictures are during the application, paint still wet:









These foam rollers were great for everything, even corners.





The block was vital to roll off excess paint. The tray only got so much, and you can’t have too much paint loaded in the roller or else you won’t get that smooth finish.



The mixing station:

[Beersmith]

These pictures are after the paint has dried about 24 hours later:









Thumbs up for a mirror finish!













The non-skid areas are still only covered with Interlux Epoxy Primekote. You can see that the white color of the primer has yellowed over time, almost to the color I want the actual non-skid to be.

[Saltyhog]

Awesome job! I've been following your progress and I know you have MANY hours in this. It's gota be gratifying to have come out with a finish you can be so proud of.

[Beersmith]

Originally Posted by Saltyhog

Awesome job! I've been following your progress and I know you have MANY hours in this. It's gota be gratifying to have come out with a finish you can be so proud of.

Thanks a bunch The transformation is getting fun

[Boatguy30]

I'm working on the orange trimaran in the yard. Will have a look as I will be painting my boat in about a year and considering perfection. If you spent this much time and money on the gloss I would use LP on the nonskid as well as I think the kiwi grip will not do the rest justice.

Send me a PM if you need any help with technical rigging or mechanical/electrical work.

Cheers,
Jeff

[SVTatia]

Great job!
Question: what will be the next step before the non-skid? Do you have to mask then sand then cleanup before applying Kiwi Grip?

[Beersmith]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

Great job!
Question: what will be the next step before the non-skid? Do you have to mask then sand then cleanup before applying Kiwi Grip?

you got it right on! Mask, sand, clean, apply Kiwi Grip

[bobconnie]

It's really great to see hard work and stick to it, doing the job !! You have shown others that it can be done right if ya do the work and take your time !! Ive sprayed decks that did not come out this nice !! And you have shown an old timer a new paint I was not aware of !! Thank you !! I still try to do the work myself, and you have made me Think about what one man can do if he's wiling to work and even save some bucks !! Great Job !!

[Beersmith]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

It's really great to see hard work and stick to it, doing the job !! You have shown others that it can be done right if ya do the work and take your time !! Ive sprayed decks that did not come out this nice !! And you have shown an old timer a new paint I was not aware of !! Thank you !! I still try to do the work myself, and you have made me Think about what one man can do if he's wiling to work and even save some bucks !! Great Job !!

thanks for the kind words! As I've been telling others, the real work in this paint job is the sanding. If you have the patience to sand correctly, methodically, and thoroughly to ensure a smooth base, the final job will be great. The whole surface needs to be faired and sanded smooth before you lay one coat of primer on, then each coat of primer and paint needs to be sanded flush before the next. That was the most time consuming part, but what I believe made the finish look good in the end.