Deck refinish, 2 part paint, awlgrip, or gelcoat?

[Macturn]

I'm a complete newb to refinishing and my deck is in serious need of it! What are the pro's and con's off each? (i'm pretty sure gelcoat is out of the question) Thanks in advance!

[Scott Berg]

Check out kiwi grip


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[Lepke]

Gelcoat isn't that hard to do. It lasts years longer than paint.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Macturn.

[bsurvey]

kiwi grip and a stipple roller

[Dance Aweigh]

I had pretty good luck with Interlux Perfection (2 part polyurethane)

[Tailwheel]

I did gelcoat. Very happy with it. Not that hard, as I chose to roll it on. Like previous pater said: lasts longer than paint.


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[jackheape]

Be careful with Kiwi Grip in the winter months. This stuff cannot ever be frozen. Its water based.

[TrentePieds]

Awlgrip is terrific stuff - as long as you don't breathe it.

A friend of mine worked with it commercially for years refinishing yots. Perhaps not sufficiently attentive to the HazMat specs. A few weeks ago I heard from a common acquaintance that he had "cooked his brain" and died prematurely a victim of dementia. I believe it. Don't breathe the stuff if you do use it for a superior finish.

TrentePieds

[CarinaPDX]

Deck paint, or enamel with non-skid added, usually has a much shorter life than gelcoat. The rubber type deck paint is probably the best functionally, and I would hazard a guess that it will last longer than other paints but you should find that out from someone who has been using it.

The life of gelcoat is highly dependent on the thickness. I had the house top redone decades ago and it is still holding up. It was done by building up a thick layer of gelcoat, and then sanding it fair (which can be a lot of work). I then masked for the non-skid and rolled on more gelcoat with sand in it (which has since worn too smooth, and is hell on wheels to remove - not recommended).

One local professional has developed the technique of first fairing the area before spraying a thin layer of gelcoat, and then polishing that. The results look amazing - for a few years if you're lucky. If the gelcoat is thick enough to last a long time it will require serious sanding and polishing - otherwise you are wasting your time.

Greg

[bootstrapper]

Hi, Gelcoat mixed thickened with some filler powder and rolled on will give a good non skid finish, can be tinted and lasts a long time. Prep is not so hard, sand and wash with acetone and roll it on( experiment with the amount of powder to give a nice nonskid) Only needs one coat and can be mixed with the hardener to kick in a couple of hours. Prep one day and mask with blue tape then apply the next day. Don't mix too much at a time. A real pro looking job.

[Dave Lochner]

Here's a link to a very recent video on the merits of gelcoat and paint.

Gelcoat or Paint.. Which One Should I Use?? : Boatworks Today

[Macturn]

Thanks for all the input!

Originally Posted by Dave Lochner

Here's a link to a very recent video on the merits of gelcoat and paint.

Gelcoat or Paint.. Which One Should I Use?? : Boatworks Today

Yeah, I have been watching his video's...(good stuff)

The kiwigrip looks good for deck wear area's but, what is best for the rest of the topsides? Is there a good 1 part paint that works well for non wear topside area's?

[HopCar]

Dave, thanks for that link. That guy does a great job of explaining the pros and cons of both. The gel coat on my deck was in pretty bad shape and I had the yard shoot it with Awl Grip. That was about three years ago. So far so good. If I was going to apply it myself, I'd roll on Interlux Perfection.

[wannacat]

We've used the Kiwi Grip both inside and outside the boat to great success. Very easy to work with and holds up well. The key is to stay off it for 4-5 days till it really cures hard and hopefully no rain on it for a day or 2 after. We mixed the white and cream colours together to match our existing faded tones. As far as the topsides go, we used the Pettit Easypoxy last year and really liked it. Try to make sure it's not too windy and hot when your doing it. Do small areas overlapping slightly and quickly. Try both roll and tipping, also just rolling sometimes worked better for me.