Spraying my decks - what to use? Interlux Perfection?

Noah · Post by **Noah** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:54 pm

I'm looking at re-painting my decks and cockpit in the next couple of weeks. I have the hardware removed and the non-skid sanded down. The non-skid was painted with Interlux Perfection paint and Interlux non-skid additive and rolled on.

The rest of the decks are the original gel-coat.

I thought the easiest thing would be to spray the Interlux Perfection using an HVLP spray gun. I put in a call to Interlux and the tech was worthless and couldn't tell me much about spraying it, and had no idea what HVLP was, so I'm looking for help here.

I was planing on purchasing the TP Tools TP-90PL HVLP Turbine system which uses a gravity feed cup:

The 20 oz ProLine Gravity Fed Spray Gun with adjustment valve at gun to further reduce overspray. Equipped with automotive nozzle/air cap set (1.0mm nozzle, needle and .5 automotive air cap). This nozzle set will spray lacquers, enamels, base coats, urethanes, clears, primers, and epoxies. (Optional nozzle setup is recommended for 2-part clear coats and high-build primers, call). 20 oz gravity fed gun features an aluminum cup assembly with gasket for positive sealing, stainless steel nozzle and needle with floating aluminum air cap, and adjustable spray from the size of a dime up to a 13" pattern.

Is there a different product I should be using to paint the decks? I'm open to all suggestions, but I don't want to take the Perfection that is on the decks down to bare gel-coat. I can sand down the non-skid, and remove the edges from the painted surface, but to remove all traces of it would take years...

Thanks,

Noah

Post by **Tim** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 1:58 pm

FWIW, Perfection was specifically formulated to be applied with brush and roller. That doesn't mean it can't be sprayed, but the whole purpose behind the product was to optimize a 2-part polyurethane for DIY brush and roller application.

Not to defend bad tech support, but this could be part of the reason why they had little to say about spraying this particular product.

The TP Tools HVLP turbine setups are nice units, but beware that the nature of turbine guns tends to require that you use quite a bit more reducer in your spray mixes than what the paint manufacturer recommends. I use up to 50% reducer by volume when using a TP gun to spray Alexseal paint.

The reason is that the turbine guns heat the air slightly during the process, which accelerates curing of the paint and flashes off solvents more quickly; this in turn can lead to excess orange peel in the finish. This can be managed with technique and proper reduction, but is something good to know about in advance. The stock needle/tip setup works fine for all products you'd be likely to use.

Noah · Post by **Noah** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:29 pm

Ok, that's good information.

The interlux guy did say it could be sprayed (and they have info about it) but not specifically with an HVLP system.

Being my first time painting would you recommend a different product for this application?

Thanks,

Noah

Post by **Tim** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:09 pm

Unless you want to jump to the premium paints--Alexseal, Awlgrip, Awlcraft--the Perfection would be a sound choice.

suntreader · Post by **suntreader** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:43 pm

I guess I'm a little confused. I thought Perfection (which I used on my Flying Scot topsides and looks great) was a 2-part poly, and was the similar in characteristics to Awlgrip and was therefore extremely hazardous to spray without a full air supplied-suit and other proper gear. Where is the boat going to be sprayed? A lot of boat yards prohibit spraying 2-parts and you wouldn't want to do it at home unless the nearest neighbor is far away and you can keep the pets upwind.

David

Noah · Post by **Noah** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 5:03 pm

I will ask the boat yard what their policy is on spraying - the boat has a full cover over it, and I was planning on using an external air supply respirator, and wearing a full paint suit.

Capn_Tom · Post by **Capn_Tom** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:48 pm

Interlux's website has the spray instructions. DEFINITELY requires positive air respirator.

Noah · Post by **Noah** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:30 pm

Well the boat yard is debating if I can spray my decks - the winter cover goes down well past the toe rail, but they aren't sure they will allow it. Perhaps they will move the boat well away from others and let it happen.

I'm kinda screwed right now if they don't let me - I can't imagine a roll and brush job would work with all the funky cockpit corners - drip city.

No question on the remote air supply respirator.

Ceasar Choppy · Post by **Ceasar Choppy** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:20 am

If done correctly, you should have absolutely no problem. When the paint is atomized, it should dry in the air in a matter of seconds.

Best to take the cover off of your boat and use the plastic or whatever to cover the boats next to you if you are worried. This way you can see what you are doing since the space is less confined. You might get bugs in the paint, but they will buff out.

Noah · Post by **Noah** » Fri May 09, 2008 10:50 pm

I thought I should post an update:

While I was going to purchase the TP sprayer, a Fuji Q4 came up locally on Craigslist for a good price, so I drove down and purchased it tonight. It has the #4 air cap, which appears to be correct for what I want. On the plus side, the turbine is pretty small, which will be good for me because I'm working on the boat in the yard.

I also purchased a new supplied air respirator system - well worth the $500. I'm only 32 and I would like to live for a few more years.

I'm still trying to decide whether to go with Perfection or Awlgrip. As I mentioned before, I painted my non-skid with the Perfection last year, and it's darn hard stuff to sand off. My current plan is to sand down all the edges of the non-skid paint (and knock off the top of the rest) and repaint with the same color Perfection gloss. I will then re-tape the nonskid and roll a new coat or two.

What this means is that I will have the same color non-skid and non-non-skid (is there a better way to say that?). This will eliminate a whole bunch of sanding and use much less paint.

I think it will look good - the reality of a 53'6" boat is that when you want to do stuff it takes a crapload of man hours! If there is a ding or two up by the front hatch, it's still 35ft from the cockpit and no-one will ever notice.

I will let you all know how the priming goes.