Lots of different ways to add nonskid to the deck. Painting the deck with something that will hold up is a BIG job.
It entails cleaning the area with a solvent to make sure no wax or dirt keeps the paint from sticking. Then you sand it down. Then you clean it with solvent again. Then you get to paint. If you use a one-part polyurethane like Interdeck you can use it right out of the can, but we found that it lasted only about a season before needed repainting. If you don’t want to repaint every year use a two-part polyurethane. For that you need to apply a primer coat after doing the solvent wash/sand/solvent wash routine. Then you sand the primer and apply topcoats of the tw0-part paint. It is more complicated because you have to mix the paint and catalyst in the right proportions and only mix the amount of paint that you can use before it “kicks”. It is also a bit more expensive than the 0ne-part polyurethanes. On the other hand, we found that the two-part paints lasted about twelve seasons in Connecticut. We added grit to our two-part topcoats and were very happy with the results we got rolling the paint on. (Tipping wasn’t needed for nonskid.) ALL the directions on the paint – both one and two-part polyurethanes – need to be followed to the letter. Temperature, humidity, wind and rain all impact the results. Because of this – waiting for the right conditions – it took us about three weeks to paint the deck of our J/36. Note that rain leaves dirt and dust from the atmosphere on decks that have been solvent-washed, so they will need solvent-washing again if it rains. Rolling two-part polyurethanes requires using a carbon filter mask. If you spray them, positive pressure air is required. Breathing the fumes is not good for you.
An easier route might be to apply something like 3M’s Safety Walk nonskid tape. https://www.westmarine.com/3m-safety-walk-nonskid-tread-white-4inch-ld-133603.html?&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=%5BADL%5D%5BPLA%5D%20Most%20Categories_Test&utm_content=autoag0000x21019836630x133603&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4f6zBhBVEiwATEHFVjnj3KauU3LYs_9AygEvy6fuaJ7WszTcUcMUxpb_AMD3H5EP9k3xMxoCqp4QAvD_BwE The USCG uses it on their steel decks. It comes in many different sizes and colors and seems to hold up pretty well. It would also be a LOT cheaper.
