SoftSand Non-Skid Rubber Paint Additive

What I thought was going to be a tough job to get right having watched several YouTube videos in reality has proved to be even harder. I used the cast method having carefully prepared the surface, what I wasn't prepared for was the clean up afterwards, as you lightly brush it afterwards to retrieve the the excess to reuse as it's really expensive the sand goes everywhere! I spent hours trying to get it right. Problems included, not uniformly adhering to the 'Wetedge' coat you lay down to cast onto which then means you have to try an infill the bare spots, also when you apply the final coats even when you leave it to cure for a week and lightly vacuum it the roller picks up or dislodges grains the sand and deposits them on areas that should be smooth. The finished product is definitely non skid and looks good but to a perfectionist be prepared to fail.

I made a 15 degree short inclined plane that I use to keep my achilles tendons stretched while I'm shaving and brushing my teeth at the sink in the mornings. For years I had to splash a bit of water on the unfinished wood surface to keep from slipping off the incline. Recently I had some exterior paint left over from a project and saw this product. I mixed a liberal amount of the SoftSand in a small amount of the paint and painted the surface. It was dried withing 12 hours and I used it the next morning. What a difference! I don't slide off the inclined plane anymore! I should have done this years ago, but I didn't know about SoftSand back then.

To get the best results sprinkle heavily over a coat of 2 part paint vacuum after cure and recoat with paint.If mix with paint it will have more inconsistently to the texture

Easy to use I did like a youtube video that I saw about this , Very helpful

Original molded fiberglass non-skid on cabin top of small sailboat provided no traction. Going forward even in calm conditions required care. Having sailed on boats with sand non-skid, I've experienced the abrasive impact on hands and knees from the sharp edges of sand. I did a small experiment with soft sand, with good results. I applied Wet Edge paint, sprinkled on medium size soft sand rubber. I was concerned, if I quit at that, shoes could pull a portion of the rubber sand loose. I put a second coat of paint over the soft sand rubber. I was very happy with the outcome, the second coat of paint did not reduce the traction from the soft sand. Moving around on desk is easier, with a feeling of confidence and safety.

We used it on a 44 Striker and a 18 Whaler and both turned out great. It's perfect with Alex Seal Paint.

We needed a non-slip finish for the deck of the 30ft sailboat that we're restoring, to provide a good grip for shoes, but not too abrasive for people sitting on deck. I know Griptex (fine) is very good. For test purposes I ordered a small amount of Griptex, and having heard good things about SoftSand added a small packet each of their fine and medium stuff. I now believe Griptex works well if you're spraying, or perhaps mixing then brushing on, but it's an extremely fine powder so unsuitable for ""scattering"" or ""broadcasting"" because it blows all over the place. SoftSand has more heft to it, much easier for scattering onto the wet painted deck. I ordered a couple of quarts of fine, and we did it outside with a gentle breeze blowing, ending up with a truly excellent non-slip finish. After brushing off the residue the second day we recovered almost half the particles. If I did it again I'd probably order 3 quarts to make life easier.

Fantastic product. DO NOT WING IT. Follow the instructions. I used with 1 part Wet Edge Topside Paint. Later found out SoftSand does not recommend 1 part paints. I still got ok results and would have gotten perfect results if I had done a couple of things differently. I worked in too big an area and some paint skinned over and the sand didn't stick. Work in a smaller areas and have someone follow with the sand to get it on while it's wet. Buy twice the amount of sand you think you'll need. You really need to pile it on (completely covered). Using the one part paint is doable, but drying time is increased a lot. Don't apply additional coats until paint is fully cured. If I was doing it again I would use 2 part paint and buy a couple gallons of the sand. You can recover all the extra sand and use it again by sweeping it up and back into a container but you DEFINITELY need to FULLY cover with the sand until you can't see any paint underneath then let it fully cure. Couple of days is best. You will thank me. Do not mix into the paint and roll. Comes out really uneven. Even with my mistakes, I am very happy with my results. It's a great product. I would just follow the directions more closely next time.

I painted my deck & used soft sand broadcasted over deck & it came out great & looks factory.

I used this with Awlgrip paint and it turned out very nice! I followed Andy's method on BoatWorks Today YouTube Channel With one exception. I didn't wait 16 hours between coats. Yes this works. I masked off the non-skid area, light sanded with 220 grit, primed with awlgrip 545 primer and waited the 10 hrs min, then lightly sanded with 220 grit. I applied the first coat of Awlgrip topcoat and immediately liberally sprinkle SoftSand over the paint. You want this covered so you can't see the paint. I waited for 1-1/2 to 2hrs until the paint was tacky. I then used compressed air at about 2-3 psi and moved the loose Softsand on to a piece of brown paper with the back creased up 90 deg to catch the material. This material is reusable, put it back in the shaker. I was able to recalm about 90% of the loose material. I then was able to apply the 1st top coat. I used a mole hair roller and yes you pick up some of the loose SoftSand but this doesn't hurt anything. I waited another 1-1/2 to 2 hrs and put on the 2nd and final top coat. I pulled the tape about 30 mins later. Perfect finish and cured nicely after a couple days. What made me experiment with is method was the specs of the Awlgrip. When spray application it is ok to apply up to 3 coats after the previous coats tack off and we are going for finish shine so sanding between coats is not an issue.