List of steps - Topside Painting

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Hello All

I have searched this site repeately and have a found a "over whelming"
amount of instuctions on how to do a wondeful job of painting the decks
of your boat.

I plan to use a two part interlux paint for the top deck this spring and plan to start sanding once the boat is out of the water this fall before the long
canadian winter sets in. My building is not heated.

Does any one have a complete list of steps to sanding, priming and painting for a "new to the world of boat paint" person? IE For the person
who has not taken a course.

Regards

Bruce

Shark 24

[Rachel]

I'm sure others will chime in; but for starters, good step-by-step painting instructions can be had from Interlux, Awlgrip, and other paint manufacturers. They also usually have good "help lines" for technical questions about their products.

You can augment that information with "real world" info. from this site, in addition to answers to specific questions, moral support, etc. Everyone loves to see progress (or even "before") photos too.

One thing to note when you're talking about your plans is that "topsides" and "deck" are not the same thing: Deck is.... deck; and topsides is the part of the hull that you see above the waterline. After all, you don't want to end up with non-skid topsides ;-)

--- Rachel

[Jason K]

Hi Bruce,

Here's a basic step by step plan:

1. Remove all hardware - including winches, portlights, lifelines, etc. Now is as good a time as you'll get for rebedding and the removal of hardware makes every other step much, much easier.

2. Sand thoroughly. Get the right tools (Porter Cable DA sander) and the right sandpaper (from McMaster Carr) and prepare your surface carefully.

3. Take your time fairing the decks. After sanding you'll be in a hurry to lay paint down. Make sure your decks are fair first.

4. Tape extremely carefully and us the right tape. 3M #225 is a good choice. When taping, move very slowly and lay the tape down with careful attention to making sure you have solid adhesion everywhere. The quality of your taping job wil determine the quality of the paintjob.

5. Practice before you paint your boat, especially with a two part paint. Get a feel for the ratios and for the roll and tip technique (or spraying technique).

6. Follow manufacturers instructions for preparing the surface. If it says wipe down with a specific solvent, use that solvent.

7. When painting, be organized. With marine paint speed is important as you need to maintain a wet edge. Consider how you will move around the boat. Know where you will set the paint tray, roller, and brush down. You'll perfect the path around the boat during the primer coats, but foresight pays off.

8. The topcoats will not hide imperfections in the primer. In fact, it will highlight them as it is glossier. If you see an unfair spot or a run, address it before moving on to the next coat.

9. However, if a run occurs while you're painting and you notice it after you've progressed well past that spot, leave it alone and deal with it after the paint cures by wet sanding it out. Trying to fix it while partially cured will only make it worse.

10. Before painting, clean your entire boat, inside and out, and the shop to get rid of dust. Sanding will put dust everywhere.

11. Take lots of photos and post them here for us.

[Rachel]

That's a great list, Jason. You make it sound very doable, yet you have it well covered :-)

Bruce - I hope my last post didn't come across as un-helpful. I just meant to point out that the manufacturers themselves can have some good information (in addition to the great knowledge base here) , but re-reading it I wondered if it sounded unfriendly.

--- Rachel

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"Deck is.... deck; and topsides is the part of the hull that you see above the waterline. After all, you don't want to end up with non-skid topsides"

Uhmmmmm - It did sound a tad un canadian..... We are all not Doug and
Bob MacKenzie types up here:)

Jason - Thank You for the list. One last question what grit of sandpaper do you recommend.

Regards

Bruce

That's a great list, Jason. You make it sound very doable, yet you have it well covered :-)

Bruce - I hope my last post didn't come across as un-helpful. I just meant to point out that the manufacturers themselves can have some good information (in addition to the great knowledge base here) , but re-reading it I wondered if it sounded unfriendly.

--- Rachel

[Tim]

Jason's list is very good. I would add to his #7 that, while speed is important in order to maintain that wet edge, this doesn't mean that you should rush or hurry. Move efficiently, yet carefully. Rushing will lead to mistakes and poor results.

In the end, the quality of any paint job is entirely dependant on the quality of the prep work. Do a good job with preparation, and the final paint will look as good as it can, even if there are flaws in the paint. But poor prework will show glaringly through even the best-applied finish coats, so don't take this chance.

what grit of sandpaper do you recommend

You'll need a range, depending on the initial condition of your decks.

It's nice to start with as light a grit as you think you can get away with, and only go to coarser grits if necessary. I'd try starting with 120, but that may not be aggressive enough. 80 is a good all-around grit for initial prepwork, and is probably what you'll end up using.

If you need to remove heavy layers of paint or other material, you may need 36 or 40 grit, though these should always be used with care.

A comprehensive supply of sandpaper always includes 80, 120, and 220. I have found for this sort of work that there's little benefit to including an interim grit between the 120 and 220, but each individual can make this decision on their own. For bulk removal, 36 or 40 grit is a must. Some 320 for light sanding between coats of finish paint is a good choice as well.

[Rachel]

Uhmmmmm - It did sound a tad un canadian..... We are all not Doug and
Bob MacKenzie types up here:)

Well I had to go look them up. Ohmigosh, I didn't mean to imply that you're dim-witted - not at all! No-one comes into sailing knowing what to call everything (and to some people it's never that important even later). I only mentioned it because deck/topsides is something that - if you call it by the "wrong" term - does happen to mean kind of the opposite thing, i.e. something right next door that people also paint often, which can be confusing.

Note to self: Don't mention this sort of thing in future unless you can figure out a way to make it sound friendlier. Geez.

No, I'm not Canadian. I wouldn't mind it at all though! :-)

--- Rachel

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No Worries Rachel.

Thank You everyone for your advice.

Bruce

Uhmmmmm - It did sound a tad un canadian..... We are all not Doug and
Bob MacKenzie types up here:)

Well I had to go look them up. Ohmigosh, I didn't mean to imply that you're dim-witted - not at all! No-one comes into sailing knowing what to call everything (and to some people it's never that important even later). I only mentioned it because deck/topsides is something that - if you call it by the "wrong" term - does happen to mean kind of the opposite thing, i.e. something right next door that people also paint often, which can be confusing.

Note to self: Don't mention this sort of thing in future unless you can figure out a way to make it sound friendlier. Geez.

No, I'm not Canadian. I wouldn't mind it at all though! :-)

--- Rachel

[Summersdawn]

I would like to add two steps - the first before step 1 - wash and scrub the deck thouroughly. Remove as much grime as possible. I'm sure you are planning on doing this anyways, but if we are making a list, it should be included (just in case you have a tendency - like me - to blindly follow lists).

The next step would come between 1 and 2. Use a heavy duty surface prep solvent (Interlux paints recommends Interlux Fiberglass Solvent Wash 202) to remove any oils, wax or mold release agents still left on your boat. Use 2 rags, one to wipe the solvent on, one to wipe the solvent off. Use different parts of the rags with each wipe. Change rags frequently. Once you think you have it wiped sufficeintly, mist the surface with water. Anywhere the water beads up, solvent wipe again. You want to remove this before you start sanding, as sanding will drive this deeped into the gelcoat. It is good to solvent wipe between every step (step 6 in Jason's list).

At the end of the day, sit back and have yourself a cold Elsinore beer ;-)

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8. The topcoats will not hide imperfections in the primer. In fact, it will highlight them as it is glossier. If you see an unfair spot or a run, address it before moving on to the next coat.

How many coats of primer do you recommend and what is a good brand
for two part topside paints?

Thank You

Bruce

[Jason K]

Hi Bruce,

Typically, 2 to 3 coats of primer will be necessary for the white (or "skid") portions of the deck. The primer (and the topcoats) are very, very thin. You'll be amazed at just how thin after you get some paint down. I was still able to see the color variations from fairing compound even with two coats of primer, which is why I went with three coats. Of course, I sanded fairly aggressively after my first coat of primer went on as that turned out to be a, um, practice try. I had a number of runs and a whole lot of visible brush strokes.

In fact, I had a hard time keeping the brush strokes out of the primer, I find the topcoats level much better.

The type of primer will be determined by the topcoat you decide to use. Every brand I know of has a proprietary primer that is part of a painting system. You will want to be sure that all of your products - primers, solvents, and paint - are all part of the same product family.

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"9. However, if a run occurs while you're painting and you notice it after you've progressed well past that spot, leave it alone and deal with it after the paint cures by wet sanding it out. Trying to fix it while partially cured will only make it worse"

Hi Folks

Well its been a busy summer of spray painting, sanding, spray painting and sanding.... My first top coat of awlgrip two part went on today and of course I have a few runs.

Once the paint has cured I will be sanding the runs out. However what does one mean by wet sanding and what are the better techniques?

Thank You All

Regards,

Bruce

[Tim]

You can either dry sand or wet sand between coats. Wet sanding simply means using waterproof sandpaper--the black silicone carbide kind--and lots of water. Wet sanding can be preferable sometimes because the water acts as a lubricant and helps remove the sanding debris, making it easier to sand.

Obviously you wet sand by hand, or with air tools...not with electric! (In the "duh" file, but it's been done...)

When sanding out a run, do your best to avoid sanding through the paint, as this bare spot will be tougher to cover with subsequent coats. In practice, this can be a real challenge, but at least keep it in mind. Sometimes, cutting down the thickness of the run with a razor blade or "nib" helps make it easier to sand, but there's a technique to this too, and it's not necessarily as easy as all that. Do your best.

Good luck.

[rshowarth]

Well its been a busy summer of spray painting, sanding, spray painting and sanding.... My first top coat of awlgrip two part went on today and of course I have a few runs.

Once the paint has cured I will be sanding the runs out. However what does one mean by wet sanding and what are the better techniques?

Hmmm, this must mean there are a lot of pictures, descriptions, tales, etc., all unposted.

Bruce-

While you are resting, feel free to post your photo album and observations.

[dan sundy]

I recently redid the foredeck and cockpit with new paint, using sand for my non-slip material. I was glad I stated with the side decks because I chose a much too large size sand to start. (Very secure footing, but would be a danger to bare skin.) For the cockpit I used a commercial product used around swimming pools (still just sand but a finer grain) It came in a convenient shaker.

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Tim, Thank you for the advice!

I will try and post some pictures this weekend.