Proper prep of molded nonskid deck for refinishing

[pescaloco]

Hello hope the wealth of knowledge here can steer me in the right direction.

I have occasions where I need to improve the appearance of factory molded nonskid decking due to age, stains or sun bleaching. While the profile of the nonskid is fine the cosmetics can be quite rough so I am looking for a solution short of grinding it all off and painting and applying new nonskid material which of course would loose the nice molded factory look.

I encounter the small textured dots (not much profile) and the more aggressive deep triangular type nonskid. Each seem to present a different issue to refinish.

If someone could offer suggestions as to the surface preparation and materials it would be much appreciated.

[mastcolin]

You can try all different sorts of cleaners which may or may not work - it all depends on the exact problem.(rust stain/general fallout staining is different from mildew which is different from yellowing of gel) Sorry to be vague but this is our experience. Take a bucket of stuff ranging from teak cleaner (boric acid - good for rust/fallout) to bleach to some branded yacht gelcoat cleaner and a scrubbing brush. Get down on hands and knees and scrub.

We have polished non-skid a few times (to remove overspray -doh!). Just set the mop on it's edge so as you don't trash it and so you can get into all the valleys easier. Use a rough polishing compound eg 3M Imperial. This takes off light staining.

The major problem is that the gel is degraded in most cases. It is porous and friable. If you do get it clean it soon picks up dirt again due to porosity.

You can try sanding it with a rough scotchbrite and the sanding paste 3M do(did?). Then paint as standard gelcoat ie primer, topcoat.

Our experience is though that due to the gel being old it will be pinholey which you won't cover with the new topcoat.

We normal grind everything flat with p40 paper then redo with antiskid mixed into topcoat.

You can of course get the stick-on non-skid tiles/vinyl which looks good and is perhaps easier as it avoids work after sanding exisiting non-skid.

If you go down strip and repaint route, applying non-skid with roller is a skill to prevent patchiness and is another story.

[gonzo]

You can use some of the factory made nonskid. There are some rubbery paints that don't have grit. The advantage of nonskid is that it covers pores and other imperfections in the gelcoat.

[pescaloco]

Guys thank you both for the replies.

I appreciate the tips of the cleaning or yellow removal, that is always my first course of action, but there are times when a fresh coat of paint is what is needed. Yet the owners are not up for the expense of a complete sanding and refinishing job.

What I was hoping someone would say is that they have found success in say an abrasive scrub with cleanser or TSP then rolling on a thin coat of gelcoat and Duratech High gloss clear or maybe an LPU paint minus the primer thus not filling in all the negative space in the nonskid.