Painting the Floor...
 

I have an 85 Steplift and as most are, my floor is a peach color. I'm redoing the seats, gauges, lighting and inside the cuddy... It would just be perfect if I could change the floor color. Is this paintable or not? If so, what can I paint it with that will stick and not lift and flake away.

With the proper primer and prep any anti slip paint would work. An epoxy paint such as Interlux Perfection would be the best but you would have to mix in anti slip granules. But that gives you the best option for colors.

Alot of people on here used Durabak. I did too on the deck of a 250 Sportsman. Its a very tough and I dont know how anyone could slip on it, its so "grippy". BUT i will never use it again. It is very hard to clean. You can almost count on just repainting it at the end of the season to cover up how dirty it gets. I wont use it on my V20. I asked a guy on the local forum "X-Shark" about it. He used it on his pilot house conversion Mako after spending 5 years rebuilding everything on the boat. Here are his exact words, "Don't use it .....It's the worst thing I've ever done. Extremely hard to clean....Always looks dirty."

I've noticed anytime I mix non skid into paint, it always holds dirt, I can get around it. Will interlux paint prevent dirt from sticking to it? Also, what is on the floor? Is this a laminate or is it an epoxy/paint? What kind of primer will etch into this so I can paint and not have it look like crap after a year

I believe its just paint. The only real way to keep any floor paint clean is to have a washdown on board, or keep a scrub brush and scrub it when it gets dirty.

I think the main reason new floor paint holds dirt is the dirt gets embedded in it. Again that comes back to a washdown or a scrub brush. Usually I will dump a bucket of water on the floor when running so it runs out faster and wont lead to a wet deck. We had a 150 Johnson on our V and I dont think it was enough weight. Either that or we had too much weight up front. The water would always run to the front of the deck while sitting still.

A very easy application is degrease and scuff existing floor then wipe down floor with Mek. The apply pre-kote primer by interlux then finish off surface with interlux inter-deck nonskid paint. Inter-deck already has the granule mixed in so it makes it easy to apply. Roll it on.

Thanks alot guys... I'm all over this.

I used the Duraback and liked it!! At the end of the day I always wash the boat and use a scrub brush and bleach, always cleaned up nice! You can also buy Duraback smooth with no anti skid in it, then add as much as you see fit when you apply it. some just use sand so its a fine anti slip.
the anti slip is no good it you go bare feet!

Here is mine before

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/...4/P0002597.jpg

After

http://www.wellcraftv20.com/gallery/...um94/559_G.jpg

Huge difference... I like that.

I also used the grey Durabak. Put it on last summer.

It has a nice patina now...

Go to "Search" and type in "Durabak18" for my old thread on the subject.

thanks... can it be applied without grit, without being too slick?

smooth is a bit slippery!! But texture is a bit ruff on the bear feet, thats why people use both. but i think thats to much cash!! i would just paint with smooth and sprinkle fine sand on it, this way you get something in between.

It is gel coat just as any other fiberglass surface of the boat...it just has a bit of a non-skid surface to it rather than the super slick outside hull...the prep is key to prevent the flaking you mention...follow what the others are saying about prepping the surface...I remember readin' one guy who put the non-slip granules in the paint...applied it, then sanded to get the TOPS off the granules...THEN painted again w/out granules...PERFECT!!...

I'm gonna get into it.... Soon enough, school just started and I need to replenish my bank a bit from my boys school shopping.

the way I've done it is to tape off the area real good(sharp lines make it look great)apply one coat of paint, either spray it or roll it. Then I take a cool aid container(or any other half qt container with a lid), drill numerous holes in the lid to make a salt shaker for the non skid material(best to have this ready before the firsts coat, test it out to make sure you have the right size holes in it). While th first coat is still wet(let it dry a little, but not very long), I sprinkle enough non skid using the salt shaker to cover all the wet paint, let it dry over night. Take a wisk broom and an air hose, brush or blow all the excess off the no dry paint. Once you got all the loose stuff up, put one more coat of paint over it. I've had the best luck with the Awl grip heavy non skid, but I've done it with sand and the "top sides" non skid as well

I'm gonna add my 2 cents.
If you go to home depo in the paint dept. They carry a aggregate that is a silicon. Either mix it in the paint or sprinkle while the paint is wet. Lowes carries the paint made made by the same company that makes the aggregate but cant sell the aggregate. I found its better to lightly sand after the first coat a apply a second coat without the aggregate. If it still feels to ruff. Add a 3rd coat.

OR

You can always do what I did and use truck bed liner (Like Rhino liner) on your deck. It works great, is non-skid, is flexable, doesn't seem to wear out and cleans up easily.

I used a product made by U-Pol called Raptor. It's a urathane coating you spray or roll on. Comes in a kit, is tintable to whatever color you want. (as long as they make that color that is) It's very easy on bare feet, and yet it has urathane rubber's inherent non-skid properties. Oh, and it looks great also.

This is my deck after I did it.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...511/photo9.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...1/photo8-1.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...11/photo10.jpg

Reel I will have to check into that one. I was actually considering getting my floor and bracket Line-X'd. That is a good looking color.

I'm gonna jump in on this one because non skid is gonna be my next purchase. Grizzly grip is a great product that is a "bedliner" type application but it requires expensive primers. I really like the Durabak because it does not require expensive primers and it takes dynamite or c-4 to remove it.

MJ , I like the durabak and probally be using it on my boat. Did you roll it on? How did you like it on your boat? I've heard horror stories about it getting dirty and then being hard to clean.

Destroyer, the bedliner you used did you roll it or spray? Did you buy the clear base and then tint it your color? Can you get it in white? Do you need to prime the surface? Thanks Des!

I don't mean to highjack this thread, I figured we could all gain some knowlege.

Kracker this coming from experience. The durabak comes with stipple rollers to roll it on. Hit the surface with sixty grit paper and it bonds well and does a very good job of hiding repairs. I liked it on the 250 Sportsman because you could not slip on it, even with a nice coat of fish slime and blood. I go barefoot on my boats and it was not so bad on the feet. But I used dark grey and it got so hot in sunlight you could not stand on it. I painted a section white with some sherwin williams tile clad hs epoxy right over the durabak and that fixed the hot deck issue. That section also stayed the cleanest for some reason. Durabak is a good product but it just gets so dirty and nasty looking even with constant cleaning. Its wonderful for a barge or a workboat. But for a restoration you spent a year on, i think you will be dissapointed. Maybe the answer lies in coating over the durabak with an epoxy paint? I sold the 250 Sportsman before i could find out just how well it worked.

as stated above it comes with rollers, and thats how i did it. as far as cleaning, it got messy, but i had a salt water wash down, so would keep the mess down thur out the day. when getting home i would wash every day with bleach & scrub brush, and always like new. But my v20 like the Sea ox is a fishing boat never saw wax or anything like that, just clean and go!
If new or restored maybe I would have been worried about keeping a shine, but its a boat for doing what i want, no time to worry about teak, blood, guts, shine, ect... ect... ect...

I used the interlux and my only problem,like some others,has been that it's tough to keep clean.I may re-paint mine this winter and go with a paint that doesn't have any no slip material in it.The next time i paint i'l use as smooth of a roller as possible which may help with keeping it clean.

Don't go to smooth. I still have a bruise on ankle from slipping in my buddies May Craft. I keep a floor brush in my boat at all times anyway, I dip it over the side and scrub every once in a while to knock the grim down. I'm still liking that durabak.

truck bed liner works great,just dont use white.It holds up well but after a couple years the tops wears off and gets a bull black look,(wears off the white,on top of the non skid)

I sprayed it on since I did the work in my brothers garage. (No wind to contend with and also it's the recommended way to apply the product) The base comes pre-measured in a bottle, (4 bottles to a kit) you add the hardener into it, screw on the cap and shake for 2 minutes to mix, then remove the cap and screw on the shutz gun to spray it. As I recall, yes it comes in a white version also. No, you only need to prime the surface if it's bare metal. For fibreglass just lightly scuff the area with a sanding disk, clean and degrease and you're good to go.

I cant believe I forgot this stuff... I was gonna do my small boat with it... How long has it been down? Hows it holding up? What prep did you do first?

I just looked at the Raptor. I am going with it for my V20s deck. Also doing my rocker panels, truck bed and the RanchHand front bumper on my truck if I like it.

http://www.tptools.com/p/2600,233_U-...Liner-Kit.html

I'm liking this u-pol product also I'm might kick rocks on the durabac product. Tell me more destroyer! How was the over all application? Is it a soft non-skid?rubberized material? I really like the price of the u-pol. How do you tint it? If I wanted white what would I do?

from the website:
"To Match Your Vehicle Color - Purchase the Tintable Kit and simply add up to 10% urethane base coat available at your local paint supplier."

Application was fairly easy. I sprayed a piece of plywood first to get a feel for how it applied. Masked off everything topside just like you would do for a car, then sprayed. http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l1...1/photo6-1.jpg
(And don't believe them on the quantity needed). I had to buy 2 kits to do my deck. Of course, I did use some extra on that plywood, but plan on 2 kits. The tinting is easy, the bottle has two marks on it. First mark is how much hardner you add, and then just above that is a second mark for the recommended amount of tint to add.

It's been down for about 3/4 of a year now, with no evidence of pealing, fading or anything bad, and the boat sits outside in the weather all the time. It's urathane, very flexible, soft on bare feet, yet hard. Hard to describe really... think of a tire... same feeling, but with a pebble texture. I'm very happy with the results.

Well, I'm sold... Over the winter that is... I have alot of plans for this off-season:
Ambient LED's,
Reupolsturing the cuddy,
New Gauge Set
New seats all around
New fuel lines
new bottom paint
adding A/V entertainment system
adding second battery
Now this floor recovering
Blacking out the glass framing
possibly tinting the windshields
Maybe, just maybe painting the hull
Soooo many pics will follow as I progress

I was thinking about painting my windshield frame white. Cant wait to see it done.

The only problem is its aluminum... Be sure you buy the right paint. I'll be using a hammered or textured finish. White is a cool idea too. I was even thinking about an anodized color... But with the whole boat still white, I have alot of choices to make before I start.

When i did mine i used gelcoat. I bought a half gallon waxed and a half gallon of unwaxed. I lightly sanded the deck then wiped it down with acetone, 1st Using a flat resin roller i applied tthe unwaxed gelcoat because it stays tacky and will accept the 2nd (waxed ) coat ,within an hour i applied the the 2nd coat(waxed) with the same roller . I immediatly then i used a stippled roller that i use for applying contact cement to plastic laminate . i load this up with more gelcoat and roll staying 3/4 of an inch away from the edge of everything, this keeps the edges lookin flat like a factory job . it looks perfect and no cleaning issues ( trapped dirt ) what so ever! This method is so easy and you have a gelcoated deck, Most of this i got help from member Nymack who by the way i have not seen on the board in a very very long time ??????

I have also been looking at the gel coat application. I'm thinking of give mine the work boat look. And like you said it very easy to do. Can you gel coat over existing gel coat as long as you scuff it up first?

kracker jack , yes its very easy to do, just set aside half a day, i also mixed in a bit of cabosile . I remember letting the gelcoat start to kick a bit, then sort of pulled it up with the stippled roller .

Well KJ are you going with the U-Pol? Better than Durabac. Destroyer liked it & seems to be holding up. Or you going with the Gel Coat?

Anyone have extended longevity on the U-Pol? Is it better than Durabac?

Truthfully I don't know exactly how long it lasts/holds up.... But I asked a friend of mine who owns a marina in south Jersey who repairs and sells boats what he uses and U-Pol was the product he recommended. I figured that if it was good enough for professional use it was good enough for me. As I've said before, I love the results, and so far when cleaning it seems to hold up nicely to my pressure washer. Of course this is only season one, and there's (hopefully) a long way to go before I can give an informed opinion. :zip:

Well I am getting a couple gallons of Epoxy Primer today we will see if I am close for the weekend, as long as it holds up to pressure washer & kids. It has to stay flexible so it feels good in bare feet.

Good enuff for a pro good enuff for us chickens:head: