What’s Your Favorite Non-Skid Deck Paint These Days?

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

The Kiwigrip instructions do mention that you can control how aggressive the texture is by your application technique. I've got some samples of it sitting here and I can confirm their white is very white. And texture wise, it's pretty similar to the factory molded nonskid on my boat (although maybe a little more aggressive). Some of the color samples were rolled with a more aggressive texture than others.

Similarly, we used white and as mentioned by others it is fairly easy to control the texture. In fact, we made deck boxes and painted a smooth finish in the interior w/Kiwigrip.

The white is very white when first applied, then the whiteness tones down in a little bit.

[Hudson Force]

I always liked quartz sand sprinkled upon the first coat before it dried. I used a salt shaker.

[billgewater]

A problem I found when using graded sand is that the sand grains have a range of colours themselves. I use re-coatable white polyurethanes so when the paint wears off the grain tops, the brownish sand colours appear leaving a brownish worn "pathway" around the cockpit. I now use white grained grit provided by the polyurethane suppliers. Better than sand. They can usually show you sample strips using different %'s of their grit.

[Benz]

I use grip-tex, sprinkled dry onto a wet coat, with the excess vacuumed off later, another sprinkle coat, vacuum, then topcoat. I like the roughest grit--feels great on bare feet in the sun, but then I like to go barefoot a lot.
Since I have to scamper around my boat a lot when reefing or sail changing, the grit keeps me on even with the rail under.

[blubaju]

2-part polyurethane paint & coconut. Grind coconut with 2 different routers gives a fine and a course filler. Light weight for catamarans, easy to sand away and cheap. Good luck!

[oldbuzzard]

Believe it or not, i use hurculiner (spelling) brand truck bed liner. Got my first can at an auto parts store to coat the inside of my anchor rope locker. Comes in a kit
Seems to hold up under chain sliding across it.

I called the company and was told that commercial fishing boats use it on their decks. It comes in colors and you can get it in gallons direct from the company.

Its holding up in Florida for 4 years now on my islander. Easy on with a roller.

[smj]

Another vote for Kixigrip. Easy prep, easy application and easy cleanup. Try different rollers to get different textures. A foam roller will give a very light texture while the Kiwigrip roller with give an extremely heavy texture especially if you keep rolling as it’s drying. Make sure you mask of areas you don’t want nonskided as the roller will throw a little paint of and when dry it’s extremely hard to remove!

[Matt Johnson]

KiwiGrip

Originally Posted by smj

Make sure you mask of areas you don’t want nonskided as the roller will throw a little paint of and when dry it’s extremely hard to remove!

Yup! On our aluminum boat, areas of bare metal that weren't prepped for paint accidentally got Kiwigrip roller spray on them. Three years later and it still wouldn't come off. But where we sanded, etched, primer and painted with topside paint, it flaked off and chipped easily . That stuff has a bond like nothing else I've seen.


Matt

[jhulmer]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Oh yeah! I forgot all about the little rubber particles. That’s a good one. Not as rough on the lungs as colloidal silica. Mixed with a fairly easy-going, but durable paint, this might be a good way to go.

I have used SoftSand and I really like this stuff. I have put this down with Awlgrip oyster white. With a little experimenting I developed this perceedure that works very well and allows me to complete sections in one weekend.
- Mask and sand the area with 220grit. Wipe down with wax remover (Totalboat).
- Prime with Awlgrip 545
- After 10 hrs, Light sand the primer with 220 grit
- Roll on thick coat of Awlgrip topcoat
- Sprinkle a heavy coat of SoftSand on the wet paint (shouldn't be able to see the paint thru the SoftSand)
- Wait 1-1/2 to 2 hrs, then using an air hose with the pressure set at 2-3psi, slowly blow the loose Softsand into a pile in the middle of the area coated. Using a piece of brown craft paper folded like a dust pan, carefully blow the loose material on to it and pour back into the shaker. I was able to collect about 80-90% of the loose SoftSand.
- Roll on the next topcoat. You will get some of the loose material in the paint, it's ok.
- Wait another 1-1/2-2 hrs and roll on the next and last topcoat.
- Wait no more than 30 min (important) and pull the tape. Done. Cures completely in 2 or 3 days.

We have done this on two boats, my boat here and a friends that has just finished the first season with great results. It held up well with a cruise from Biloxi in the Gulf and all the way to Maine and back to Florida.


SoftSand is easier on the knees than sand and molded no-skid.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by oldbuzzard

Believe it or not, i use hurculiner (spelling) brand truck bed liner. Got my first can at an auto parts store to coat the inside of my anchor rope locker. Comes in a kit
Seems to hold up under chain sliding across it.

I called the company and was told that commercial fishing boats use it on their decks. It comes in colors and you can get it in gallons direct from the company.

Its holding up in Florida for 4 years now on my islander. Easy on with a roller.

Another really interesting outside of the box idea. You know that stuff is durable. People use it in the back of a truck. And it lasts for 10 years. And people throw all kinds of stuff and they’re dragging it all over the place. Very interesting thought.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by jhulmer

I have used SoftSand and I really like this stuff. I have put this down with Awlgrip oyster white. With a little experimenting I developed this perceedure that works very well and allows me to complete sections in one weekend.
- Mask and sand the area with 220grit. Wipe down with wax remover (Totalboat).
- Prime with Awlgrip 545
- After 10 hrs, Light sand the primer with 220 grit
- Roll on thick coat of Awlgrip topcoat
- Sprinkle a heavy coat of SoftSand on the wet paint (shouldn't be able to see the paint thru the SoftSand)
- Wait 1-1/2 to 2 hrs, then using an air hose with the pressure set at 2-3psi, slowly blow the loose Softsand into a pile in the middle of the area coated. Using a piece of brown craft paper folded like a dust pan, carefully blow the loose material on to it and pour back into the shaker. I was able to collect about 80-90% of the loose SoftSand.
- Roll on the next topcoat. You will get some of the loose material in the paint, it's ok.
- Wait another 1-1/2-2 hrs and roll on the next and last topcoat.
- Wait no more than 30 min (important) and pull the tape. Done. Cures completely in 2 or 3 days.

We have done this on two boats, my boat here and a friends that has just finished the first season with great results. It held up well with a cruise from Biloxi in the Gulf and all the way to Maine and back to Florida.

Your technique is good, and I’m sure the final product is great. But this is precisely the kind of labor intensive project I’m trying to avoid. Your post is definitely a gold standard for someone looking to go that route. It looks great. But I have too much other work to do. I can’t put this much time into something like the nonskid paint on the top of the deck house. One that is barely walked upon.

[JBP]

Another trick I've heard of is to make the final coat thick and cover it with coarse salt. When thoroughly cured, wash with water to dissolve the salt. I've never tried it though.

[JBP]

Originally Posted by jhulmer

... using an air hose with the pressure set at 2-3psi, slowly blow the loose Softsand into a pile...

Why not use a clean shop vac with a soft brush attachment?

[jmschmidt]

I too have used 2-part linear polyurethane for non-skid decks. But I use the broad-cast-to-rejection process: (Paint a section of deck, scatter the grit around with a can with nails holes in the bottom. Come back in the morning and carefully vacuum up the remaining grit. Laydown two 10% thinned coats of the LP paint to lock down the grit.)

You can buy pounds of non-skid grit for peanuts from Sherwin-Williams online which is identical to the expensive yachtie brand of grit.

For my upcoming job I am thinking about switching to one of the new one-part paints which may be equal or superior to the 2-part LP. I'm researching non-yachtie paint manufactures to find the best product.

In my next lesson I will discuss how to buy (dirt-cheap) non-yachtie approved hose in sizes from 1/2" to 1 and a half inch for everything including holding tank and overboard waste but not wet exhaust and potable water. Its twice as strong and long-lasting as any yachtie brand. Scratch that, I am keeping that a secret for now. Don't want the manufacture to hear that yachties typically are willing to over-pay for everything or they will jack up my price.

[GafferMate]

I've used an Australian product called TREADGRIP all-in-one application for the last 23 years.



First time was before leaving for the Philippines, a primer plus three coats on Port Orford Cedar decks, second time 12 years later, two coats shipped to Philippines. A year ago I ordered a gallon that was damaged in transit, finally FedEx financially compensated but by then reshipping during the pandemic has not yet been easy. Am about to try again but not any urgency as the deck is still good.



It's water-based, extremely easy to seamlessly lay on with a brush WITH NO LUMPS of the non-skid rubber bits. Magic, how evenly distributed they are.