What's the best way to get a professional looking non skid deck that will last a while & is easy to keep clean?
Don't mind hard work or spending money on good materials.
No KiwiGrip recommendations please, I used it on my last boat & didn't like it, pretty grippy but it was a nightmare to keep clean & didn't seem to last that well.
Don't mind having a go at spraying, but keep in mind that I've only got about 10cfm available at the boat so i would have to be a fairly small HVLP or LVLP gun.
Guess that leaves Gelcoat / or 2 pack paint with non skid particles added.
I made a test piece using gelcoat (with the wax added) thickened with fumed silica and then rolled into a texture using an old kiwi-grip roller, the result was a very grippy but sharp texture, I took the tops off the ridges off with a sanding block & then left it outside a few months to see how it held up. Unfortunately it seems to hold onto dirt really well & I can't scrub it clean. Not what I want on the boat, maybe I got my ratios wrong though.
I also had a go at adding the international inter grip particles to flowcoat & rolled that out onto a test panel, unfortunately that didn't seem to work as the resulting surface looks good, but is deadly when wet.
So yeah gelcoat / paint, spraying / rolling, any tips on getting a good looking long lasting finish?
Don't mind hard work or spending money on good materials.
No KiwiGrip recommendations please, I used it on my last boat & didn't like it, pretty grippy but it was a nightmare to keep clean & didn't seem to last that well.
Don't mind having a go at spraying, but keep in mind that I've only got about 10cfm available at the boat so i would have to be a fairly small HVLP or LVLP gun.
Guess that leaves Gelcoat / or 2 pack paint with non skid particles added.
I made a test piece using gelcoat (with the wax added) thickened with fumed silica and then rolled into a texture using an old kiwi-grip roller, the result was a very grippy but sharp texture, I took the tops off the ridges off with a sanding block & then left it outside a few months to see how it held up. Unfortunately it seems to hold onto dirt really well & I can't scrub it clean. Not what I want on the boat, maybe I got my ratios wrong though.
I also had a go at adding the international inter grip particles to flowcoat & rolled that out onto a test panel, unfortunately that didn't seem to work as the resulting surface looks good, but is deadly when wet.
So yeah gelcoat / paint, spraying / rolling, any tips on getting a good looking long lasting finish?