I have a large merbau deck that has always been stained with Sikkens Pine oil based stain.
We now wish to paint it and not re stain so what prep have I to do and which is the best paint to use and how can it be possibly made non slip when wet.
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Bobajob. It's wonderful to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about painting a deck.
In order for the paint to adhere correctly to the timber, all traces of the previous coating must be stripped from it. It's recommended that the deck be sanded to reveal bare timber. You'll then need to use Cabot's 2L New Timber Prep followed by Cabot's 1L Deck Clean. Continue this process until a water droplet is immediately absorbed into the timber. This is a good indication that you've flushed out the oil coating and opened up the pores, ready to accept a new coating.
It would be best to coat your deck with paint specifically designed for that purpose, like Cabot's Timbercolour. It can be tinted to a wide variety of colours. The paint isn't inherently slippery, even when wet. Painted surfaces become slippery when algae builds up on them, so regular cleaning is the best way to prevent such issues. However, if you have concerns then you can add Intergrain 200g UltraGrip Additive to the paint.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
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