Adding texture / coloring gel coat

[SBTOM]

I'm going to be rolling on textured gel coat for my deck surface and I want it to be roughly "fighting lady yellow". Does anyone have any ideas on which pigments to use and whether or not they will be relatively UV stable? I have used some liquid pigments from Fiberglass Hawaii in the past, but that was with a straight up laminating resin.
Also, what is the best technique for adding a rough, sand texture? Should I add sand to gel coat before rolling? should I roll it out, scatter sand on top, wait for it to cure, and then roll out more gel coat on top? Thanks- Tom

 

[marcortez]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

http://boatbuildercentral.com/howto.php

This site is a treasure trove of info....to include a video on how to apply a non skid.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

You should also know that your rolled on gel coat will have a texture of its own. Unless you either mold gel coat or sand it a lot, or you add a significant amount of a product like Duratec high gloss additive, it will be patterned according to the application method.

IE, if you use a roller you will see roller marks, the pattern of the roller cover, etc in the gel coat. It does not self level to a shiny, smooth surface at all.

Some people just spray the gelcoat and use the resulting finish like a textured non-skid surface.

Erik

 

[SBTOM]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

Thanks for the responses. Eric, I guess that I could spray the gel coat, but the major issue is that I am borrowing all of the spray equipment from a production facility. I can spray white gel or black tooling gel, but thats about it, because the hoses leading from the pots are probably 30 ft long... it would take almost a gallon of gel coat just to fill the lines, and then after I was done shooting I'd have to flush them out again.

I guess I could thin it down and spray it with an HVLP gun, but I am hoping that if I am pretty carefull with a roller, I can get a good enough result. I'm ok with a bunch of texture so long as its pretty uniform. Do you think I can get away with not adding any texture to it and just going with whatever the roller leaves behind?

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

I suspect that unless you're going to sand it flat, you're going to end up with whatever the roller leaves behind anyway

Try rolling some onto a flat piece of wood or glass, and see how you like the pattern you get.

Alternatively, I bought a gelcoat dump gun with a 32 oz. reservoir for $120 from US Composites....

Erik

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

If you add some Cabosil to the gel coat it will thicken it slightly and leave more texture, or use sand, plus any large hardware store will have other nonskid additives you can use. I use fine sand from the hardware store most of the time, the cheap stuff in a bag can get too aggressive and take skin easily, but works well for an industrial application.

The typical roller pattern doesn't offer much grip if the surface gets too wet, or if some other type of liquid is spilled on it.

 

[SBTOM]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

cool, thanks for the advice guys! I bought some gel coat colors after work today and I'm gonna try and test it tonight... I think I'll end up throwing in some sand, because the boats gonna be used mostly for fishing and my feet are pretty roughed up already I'll post some pics of the tests and hopefully get the deck rolled tomorrow night.

cheers- Tom

 

[fauxmeister]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

Just to add my .02, I am a decorative painter specializing in wall textures ie...venetian plasters, etc. And I roll on textures pretty often using a 4" mini roller available at HD called a corner roller (not a foam roller). It has a "furry" cover that leaves a nice texture if rolled in a non-uniform "x" pattern. I "feather" roll in a random pattern with no pressure once the product has been spread. This breaks up the normal roller marks of rolling in straight lines. Hope this helps...

 

[MTribe08]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

You should also know that your rolled on gel coat will have a texture of its own. Unless you either mold gel coat or sand it a lot, or you add a significant amount of a product like Duratec high gloss additive, it will be patterned according to the application method.

IE, if you use a roller you will see roller marks, the pattern of the roller cover, etc in the gel coat. It does not self level to a shiny, smooth surface at all.

Some people just spray the gelcoat and use the resulting finish like a textured non-skid surface.

Erik

Not necessarily true. I rolled my Gel Coat and it did not cure textured much at all. A few bumps and rolls from the glass underneath, but the surface is very smooth and very slippery..but I put removable carpet over it, so it doesn't matter to me.

Here is my Gel Coated deck, rolled with a very short nap roller from HD.

 

[SBTOM]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

I think I might use a texture roller for areas that are going to be the heavy yellow texture, and a 1/4" nap roller for the areas that will maintain the factory sort of alligator texture. I didn't even know these things existed, but check out the texture roller, this thing is extreme! the bristles are super stiff

 

[SBTOM]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

MyTribe, how much gel coat did you go through doing your deck?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

How gel coat levels when rolled can vary a great deal depending on brand, type, color, temperature, age, gel time, and even just that particular batch made by the manufacturer, so there's no good way to compare results.

That type of roller may help some, but the standard and most reliable way is to use some kind of grit.

 

[SBTOM]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

I'm not too worried about a few scrapes here and there cause I'm already pretty scarred up, but I am worried about slipping and falling overboard, or worse yet, slipping and losing a fish

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

The best method is to apply a layer of gel coat (no wax) and then sprinkle sand on it, let that get hard and apply at least one more layer of gel coat. If that seems too coarse you can apply more layers of gel coat until you get the desired texture, the last coat will need to have wax for it to cure tack free though.

The amount you sprinkle on the surface will affect the look and texture, so you might do a test panel with different size and/or type of grit and the amount applied to see what you like first.

 

[MTribe08]

Re: Adding texture / coloring gel coat

MyTribe, how much gel coat did you go through doing your deck?

I ended up using 1 Gallon. The first coat I put down, I wasn't exactly laying it down right. You don't roll out Gel Coat, like you do paint. Meaning, you don't roll it out, then go back over that same spot. Load up the Roller nice and thick and lay out one thick line at a time. Do not let the roller run dry. Going back over it, just messes it all up. I also, wanted to darken the tint from my first coat, so I had to go back over the whole thing. Make sure you don't use a long nap roller..sucks up way to much Gel Coat and doesn't lay it out worth a &%^*.
I had the best luck with the 6" roller from HD, that comes on a long 24" handle. I can't find it online, but it was pink.

good luck.

This is how much space I had to cover, and I did inside the ski locker as well.