Anti-Skid Powder for Paint

[Orchidius]

Hi there,

I'm looking to paint some parts of my deck this summer, and would like to incorporate some sort of anti-skid paint. I've found that many marine paint suppliers also sell very expensive "anti-skid powder" to mix into their paints for the desired effect. This just seems like a real easy way for the paint companies to make a few extra bucks, and I was wondering if there were any alternatives that are cheaper and easy to source yourself.

Has anybody got any experience with this?

[Ex-Calif]

I just painted the topsides of my boat. I used the International paint stuff. I found a UK supplier that sells small quantities but not a US one.


International Paints Non-Slip Additive, Marine Paint & Varnish | Mailspeed Marine

I bought about a quart can of it. Yes it was expensive. The "old-timers" suggested I just get beach sand and strain it.

My big dilemma was whether to spread it on the wet pain or mix it in. I chose to mix it in.

I mixed it in 10:1 by volume so 50ml per 500ml of paint. It seems about right and the coverage is even and consistent which is one reason I chose to mix it in. the second was that I planned to do a second coat over the top that encompassed the anti-skid area. I thought the "loose" sand would foul the roller on the second coat and carry the sand to the areas where I wanted no anti skid.

So -

- Mask the anti-skid areas
- Paint the anti-skid area with one coat, sand mixed in
- remove masking
- paint one coat on "skid" areas, don't worry about overlapping the anti-skid coat
- do second coat over all

I probably have enough "sand" to do my boat 20 times over but I could not get a smaller quantity. I would send you a zip baggie of it in the mail but homeland security might get the cackles up - LOL...

I recommend this stuff over beach sand BTW...

[Hudson Force]

I bought a ca. 20lb bag of uniform fine quartz sand from from Home Depot for a few dollars. As I was on my bicycle, I kept a quart Zip-lock bag of the sand and gave the remaining sand to a fellow customer at the store exit.

I used to mix this type of sand into my paint, but I found that the sand did not remain suspended and I was less able to judge the desired amount of sand. Instead, I apply my first coat of deck paint and then sprinkle the sand onto the wet paint. After it is dry I apply a second coat over the sand.



I used to apply the sand from a salt shaker, but it did not result in an even distribution. I tended to have "lines of sand". My best result is to shake the sand from the salt shaker over a screen held in my other hand. This gives me a very even random distribution.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

I bought a ca. 20lb bag of uniform fine quartz sand from from Home Depot for a few dollars. As I was on my bicycle, I kept a quart Zip-lock bag of the sand and gave the remaining sand to a fellow customer at the store exit.

I used to mix this type of sand into my paint, but I found that the sand did not remain suspended and I was less able to judge the desired amount of sand. Instead, I apply my first coat of deck paint and then sprinkle the sand onto the wet paint. After it is dry I apply a second coat over the sand.



I used to apply the sand from a salt shaker, but it did not result in an even distribution. I tended to have "lines of sand". My best result is to shake the sand from the salt shaker over a screen held in my other hand. This gives me a very even random distribution.

Try a flour sifter.

[thinwater]

Try salt. I did this last summer on a project (I stretched the boat 2 1/2 feet) and am very pleased. Unlike sand, it is not hard on the knees or clothes and is easy to refinish; MUCH better than sand for places people sit. I have done this may times with varnish.

* Mask off the area.
* Apply the last coat rather heavy.
* Use a salt grinder with coarse salt. How much is up to you, but cover fairly well. Table salt is too fine.
* Wash off with water. Do NOT over coat.

Like any new finish, it is good to try it on a small project first, to gain confidence. But this one is dead simple and lasts quite well.

----

I've tried some of the mix-in powders, and they worked. This is cheaper and better, IMHO. And you never mix more than you need.

As for even application, so long as you stay high above the surface I never had a problem. Perhaps for larger surfaces it would be a challenge. I think it is a matter of taking your time.

[Hudson Force]

Like so many choices, you'll need to select what fits your needs .... mix in or sprinkle on; ..... grinder, sifter, shaker, screen; ....... salt, sand, specific purpose powder.

It's true! If you slide on your knees on my non-skid you'll come up bloody, but it comes with a tenacious grip to my deck shoes. If some deck bunny wants to lounge on my deck, then he or she will need their own towel or a bikini with knee pads and more. I've heard of the flour sifter idea before, but that can't happen for me. Everything I own is on my boat and I don't sift any flour. I don't keep special space for tools that I would only use once every few years and I always have screens handy. I don't think liveaboard cruisers keep things like this unless they are on very large boats relative to mine. I like the salt idea, in that you are using the salt that dissolves away to leave a pits in the paint to produce the non-skid trait, although the sand will far outlast the hole in the paint surface.

All the alternative choices for non-skid have their compromises and there are more choices that have not yet been mentioned here, like those glued on rubberized matts that I would avoid too.

[roverhi]

Local painter uses the reflective grit that's used in paint for marking roads. Spreads it on paint then top coats it, the more top coats, the less aggressive. Since it's reflective, looks really cool in the night after a bit of wear. Too rough for my tastes, however.

One boat that i've seen that seems to have a perfect non skid texture, used a commercial non skid grit sprinkled on West Epoxy and vacuumed off when the epoxy had gone off. He then top coated it with paint of choice.