Recovering from Failed Awlgrip on Diamond-Patterened Non-Skid

[CREOLE-BELLE]

I am in Saint Lucia and just finished having my deck repainted with Awlgrip. The painted said he could prep the diamond patterned non-skid with a wire brush and get good adhesion. Unfortunately, it did not work out. In some areas I can lift the paint with duct tape. The paint adheres to the tips of the diamonds but not the valleys.

I see the task now as two fold. First, how to take off all of the non-skip paint job and hopefully retain some of the non skid property of the original diamond pattern. A possible alternative here would be to be able to test the adhesion of the new paint job. My only tool right now is a quick jerk to 4 inches of duct tape. This approach will probably lead to missed areas

The second challenge is how to apply a new coat that will adhere to the valleys as well as the peaks. I am told a possibility here is a cleaner / abrasive used in the auto body shops. One brand is scuff stuff.

Would appreciate any help I can get on this subject.

[boatman61]

What the hell was He/You doing Awlgripping the non slip sections in the 1st place... that alone screws their purpose...
Thats why there's a product called Non Slip Deck Paint thats used for those sections....
Was not the 'Dallas Cowboys Paint Shop' by any chance...

[xsboats]

I use a de-waxing no sand primer, followed by 545 primer, followed by Awl-Grip with griptex added to it for non-skid. The residual wax in the valleys was your problem with adhesion. Awl-grip with aggregate has always lasted longer than the one part non-skid deck paints for me.

[cabo_sailor]

I used Awlgrip to paint the non-skid on my last boat about 12 years ago. I just added sand to the paint. Looked like new and since it was a friend that bought my boat and is in the area, I know it has held up really well. Key was always using the exact same amount of sand in each batch of paint. Prior to painting I scrubbed the decks with a green scotch pad and then cleaned the deck with Interlux 202 Fiberglass Solvent Wash using plenty of rags.

I lined the paint tray with brown wrapping paper which was changed for each batch of paint. I also used new roller covers for each batch.

[Mark Johnson]

Originally Posted by xsboats

I use a de-waxing no sand primer, followed by 545 primer, followed by Awl-Grip with griptex added to it for non-skid. The residual wax in the valleys was your problem with adhesion. Awl-grip with aggregate has always lasted longer than the one part non-skid deck paints for me.

I agree with your take on this. They probably didn't sufficiently dewax the valleys. You will first have to remove as much paint as you possibly can, with a wire brush & duct tape!

After thorough solvent washing, I use a combination of a brass or SS wire brush, followed by a paste of AJAX & water with a stiff bristle brush. Really scrub the hell out of it! Then a complete power washdown, and final solvent wash. Afterward, 545 Primer & Awlgrip. (multiple rolled coats, with coarse Griptex). Don't over roll, or you'll lift it. Fix those bad spots with the next coat. You can also ROLL the "spray" formula, and thereby apply three coats in one day, but apply them QUICKLY without working it.

I did experiments, (the cross hatch test), and found that the "coat early the next day, after primer" chemical bond, between 545 primer and topcoat, is actually BETTER than the "wait several days and sand" bond. It saves a lot of work to get the topcoat on the next morning, and avoid sanding. ESPECIALLY in those valleys, where you CAN'T sand. This is essential here.

"Grey" primer under the white topcoat, rather than white primer, is opaque, so protects the hull & deck better from UV damage, and makes it a tad cooler down below as well. I did temp measurements on a side by side sample, half with grey, and half with white primer, and both topcoated with white topcoat. It is a small advantage, but doesn't cost a penny more or take more time.

There are few messes as bad as poor adhesion of anything to anything else on a boat. No matter HOW much work it is, the prep HAS to be perfect.

I spent 6 weeks in a Trinidad boatyard, right at the corner of "spray painter's central". These several spray painting contractors were popping out beautiful work regularly, but their prep was totally inadequate. They didn't use "guide coat" in the sanding process, so didn't know what was sanded and what was just flat from age. They would run a sander down the side of a hull in 2 hours, that I would've taken 2 days on. (I used to inspect their work closely, when they'd gone home). There is a reason that third world paint jobs are cheaper. They usually last several years anyway, and the client is usually 2,000 miles away when the paint starts to fail. You can't tell a thing about adhesion on your new paint job, without doing the duct tape "cross hatch" test all over it. NO one does this, and they know it.

This isn't to say that they ALL are too sloppy in the prep, just that MANY are. It's true Stateside too, but to a lesser degree.

If I ever hired someone else to paint my boat, I would be there the ENTIRE time, during the prep work. Worst case... what cost $20,000 to apply, could cost even more to remove, before starting over again. I've been there, it's a BEAST!

Best of luck getting this right,

Mark

[Bruce Bevan]

If the paint tends to flake off then I think I would try a pressure washer first to blast off all the loose paint.

Another suggestion if there ends up with a patchwork of solid/bare paint would be to use a sandblaster that uses dry ice. I have been told that this method is the cleanest and most delicate method to strip paint. Clean in that it does not contaminate the surface as regular `sand' based sandblasting would. It should certainy remove anything in the valleys.

BB

[CREOLE-BELLE]

Thanks to all and particularly Mark Johnson for your help. Does anyone know if Awlgrip can be removed with a paint remover. The chandlery here suggested Interstrip 299E.

Talked with an individual here that has done a lot of sand blasting and he believes the process would be too hard to control. Anyone have experience with this?

[capngeo]

AwlGrip is a beyotch to strip chemically with today's "green" strippers.

Mark Johnson gave it to you straight, especially the 545 part; that stuff is amazing!

I would think if you scaled down the sand blasting and were very adept at masking it would be do-able