Any tips for painting, staining, coloring seadek?

[Ronnie]

I plan to change the color of the center or the ring next to the center of this symbol to black and I’m not sure what to use to cover this part of the seadek / impact graphics from @JetBoatPilot.

 

[zipper]

I have not done it, but I would try this... https://a1foamandfabrics.com/products/sem-25000-series-marine-color-coat?variant=32282791510065&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwk6SwBhDPARIsAJ59Gwdk-_zqtr7xIDnqZ77zGO3hX59yYtnGmCgDzHwDbwMDIb2tVlj1kXsaAvsZEALw_wcB
Check out the description.

And some good tape.

FrogTape Products

The only painter’s tape with Paintblock Technology®, FrogTape® is the painter’s tape for every job, whether you’re a home DIY or professional painter.

www.frogtape.com

Try it on a piece of scrap you must have some kicking around.

 

[Bottom Bracket]

Get another one made, Bats are black....

 

[Ronnie]

Get another one made, Bats are black....

Unfortunately it’s not that simple. Seadek comes in up to two colors and I want three. You are right about the color of bats though so I will make the center black instead of the ring surrounding it. I just picked some oil based flat black paint and will be testing it on some. Seadek scraps soon.

 

[drewkaree]

@Ronnie if you have some scraps, what about testing some Rit dye to see if it'll bleed at all? IF it doesn't bleed, you could paint that thing more accurately, and see if the coloring is to your liking or if multiple applications would be needed, but I'd definitely test it out to see.

 

[drewkaree]

My wife just suggested this stuff, she's used it for some cushions that we leave outdoors.

 

[Ronnie]

My wife just suggested this stuff, she's used it for some cushions that we leave outdoors.

Thanks. I’m going to try something I can brush on first.

 

[Ronnie]

I bought three brands of oil based paint and just put a little of each on a spare piece of seadek. The first two are from Michael’s and are fabric/dimensional fabric paint , the third is from Home Depot. Currently this is sitting in the sun and probably will be for a few days. My plan is to wash the samples before deciding which, if any, to use on the boat’s seadek. Again just the two symbols on the sides.

 

[drewkaree]

From your pic, those bottom two look like they're OEM with the way they've left the brushed look come through, while the top one appears to sit on top of the SeaDek, obscuring it.

Here's hoping at least one of them proves to be fairly durable, this could be great for many folks!

 

[Ronnie]

@drewkaree , I think you are right about the second paint brand. It has a much thinner consistency than the other two as well. This falls under the “dimensional” fabric paint offered by Michaels. Both brands from Michael’s may be washed 72 hours after application. I should know by early next week if I will go with any of the three brands of paint I tested.

 

[drewkaree]

So if they hold up well enough, is the plan to tape stuff off, like using a mask, or to freehand it?

The other thing I just thought of was a Sharpie, or a paint pen, although that may be time consuming and/or blotchy. Milwaukee also makes a jobsite marker that, to me, is way better than a Sharpie and also may be something else to try

 

[zipper]

So if they hold up well enough, is the plan to tape stuff off, like using a mask, or to freehand it?

The other thing I just thought of was a Sharpie, or a paint pen, although that may be time consuming and/or blotchy. Milwaukee also makes a jobsite marker that, to me, is way better than a Sharpie and also may be something else to try

Sharpie fades when exposed to UV. I used a sharpie to mark the registration number on a dinghy. They needed to be redone a few months later.

 

[Ronnie]

I looked at RIT dyes and sharpies/paint pens as well. The RIT dyes always faded on me over time, especially when used on items exposed to the sun. Sharpies and paint pens would have me doing too many strokes to cover the surface to be painted evenly, moreso if I did more than one coat.

I plan to tape off the surrounding area and use a brush to apply the paint to the center of the symbol. One coat at first. More if needed. I need to be careful not to saturate the surface to be painted as I don’t want the paint to bleed to the red perimeter.