nonskid paint additive

[Red]

Is there any good reason why clean play sand shouldn't be used as a nonskid paint additive on a wood ramp? It's more coarse than commercial additives but in my case it's free vs $6 for purchasing some. I was told that the fine commercial stuff stays suspended in the paint whereas the sand is heavier and would settle to the bottom. But if you sprinkled the sand over applied wet primer, let dry, and covered it with a coat of paint it would appear that you would have a good nonskid surface. Am I missing anything?

Red

[Ed Pawlowski]

The one time I used it, I just sprinkled it on the top coat of paint. It worked well. Probably would work in your case too, but the paint is going to cover the grit a bit. Worst case is you sprinkle more on top.

[dadiOH]

Nope, it works just fine. It would work better if you primed, painted, sprinkled sand in wet paint and then painted again after the first coat is dry. Reason? The primer dries thicker than the top coats so sand in primer would be less effective.

[Joe]

In several floors I have done with epoxy over concrete, only one with a very fine anti-skid additive was successful. My latest (Sears epoxy kit) was furnished with the usual fine sand and is a total mess just like earlier ones. In any traffic area the sand scuffs off regardless of the number of epoxy layers, and the resultant little craters are dirt traps that are totally unacceptable. Even when the area is untouched by traffic, the sand grains make sweeping an aggravation. Haven't researched anti-skids yet, but I suspect the people that have boat decks have some good stuff to solve the problem of what works best on a wood ramp.

Joe

[clare]

Depends on the primer, and the paint.

[Tony Miklos]

Yep. I have some high build primer with an epoxy hardener that could hide the sand completely, and some lacquer primer that wouldn't be thick enough to make the sand stick.