Re: DIY non-skid deck
I have done just about every type of non skid there is.
Like he said, sand can be very aggressive, but finer grit sand is a little more forgiving. You don't cover it with 1/2 an inch of sand, you can either sprinkle it in a somewhat even pattern (a little tricky to do when covering a large area), or just cover the whole surface, it just needs to be covered, not a 1/2" deep.
I normally use gel coat with sand, apply a coat with a roller and then put down the size and amount of sand needed for the texture desired. When that's hard you sweep and/or blow off the excess sand, now you apply as many coats of gel coat as you need to get the right surface grip needed, more gel coat layers means it will be less aggressive. More layers of gel coat will help it look good longer because the tops of each point will wear away and eventually you will be able to see the dark sand showing through.
With paint it works the same, but paint goes on thinner, so finer sand or more coats of paint are needed to mellow out the texture of the sand. Paint will also wear away quicker and expose the dark peaks of each piece of sand. You can get white sand though, so it may not show up as much, but it will cost more.
I always roll the paint or gel coat over the sand (at least the first coat), if you don’t some of the sand will blow away and land on the rest of the surface you’re spraying. When the non skid is done and looks right then it gets painted again when the rest of the deck is painted.
Also if you ever need to repair a non skid surface that has sand in it it can be a nightmare, it can take hours and a ton of grinding discs to make any headway.
As a non skid surface sand works great, but remember, sand will take the skin off of any body part that slides across it, feet, hands, knees, etc, so if the wife and kids are on board they may not like it.
Other types of grit (shells, powders, rubber, plastic, glass beads, and others) can be exposed and be seen as the paint or gel coat wears away, so try to match the grit with the color of the finish.
If the family is on board one of the softer, rubbery non slip surfaces may work better.
