Workshop: Renewing the base coat

Stephan Gölnitz

· 05.08.2014

Photo: Stephan Gölnitz

Workshop: Renewing the base coat

Whether bird sand with car paint, cane sugar with epoxy resin or skateboard decks - the wealth of inventions for renewing the floor paint is at least as great as the need for slippery decks.

Photo: Stephan GölnitzWith a little skill, you can also renew the base coat at home.

The online forums are full of tips that didn't work in analogue times. Modern technology offers no advantages over the oral tradition, on the contrary: it ensures the further spread of misconceptions.

For someone who should know, the matter is quite clear. "The best are the ready-made stand paints," says Claudio Fackelmann from the Cabon Clinic ( www.carbon-klinik.de ) on Lake Ammersee. Although the specialist uses a "house mixture" of ground glass in 2-component paint, "you need a spraying system with a special nozzle and also a proper protective carbon mask and extraction at the workplace, which is really toxic." So hobby painters are probably out of the picture. Professional repairs cost around 70 to 100 euros. This is rarely used; in the "clinic", refinishing work tends to be part of larger repairs.

However, with the ready-made paints from "M2" or "Nautix" (available from specialised surf shops), this is one of the few touch-ups that even the semi-skilled hobbyist should be able to do well.

Dabbing: As with all sanding and painting work, all pads and the rails around them should be dabbed well first. The best way to do this is with simple masking tape. If you are working indoors or on the terrace, you should remember that even small drops that spill are almost impossible to remove and cover the area under and next to the board extensively.

Sanding: Use 220-grit dry sandpaper to sand off as much of the old standing varnish as possible. Take care not to sand too deeply "into the decor". It is best to do this outdoors and always wear a dust mask.

Cleanse: Grease, dander, suntan oil - Claudio's list sounds a bit disgusting: the stuff has to come off. Specialised degreasers are quite expensive.

"Brake cleaner is much cheaper, but it's actually the same thing." Brake cleaner is also gentle on plastics; acetone jeopardises the decor.

Prepare the varnish: "Shake what you have" - the can with the resin/granulate mixture must be shaken very thoroughly, otherwise the stand varnish will later become unevenly rough because the particles in the can will accumulate at the bottom.

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Photo: Stephan Gölnitz

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Workshop: Re-designing and renewing the base coat (pdf)

Stephan Gölnitz

Deputy Editor in Chief surf

Stephan Gölnitz comes from Bochum and had Holland as his home windsurfing territory for many years before moving to Munich in 1996 for the job of test editor at surf magazine. The materials engineering graduate worked as a surf instructor on the Ijsselmeer during his studies and competed for several seasons for the Essen sailing team in the Surfbundesliga and the Funboard Cup. He completed a traineeship at surf-Magazin in the test department and since then has actively accompanied almost all tests on the boom and for more than 10 years also as a photographer. Stephan has covered many thousands of test kilometers, mainly on Lake Garda and in Langebaan, but also in Egypt and Tobago. He gets his hands on over 100 new sails and boards every year as his company car. Privately, he prefers to surf with a foil on Lake Walchensee or “unfortunately far too rarely” in the waves. SUP is Stephan's second passion, which he pursued for several years at numerous SUP races. Today, he prefers to paddle on river tours with family or friends - even for several days.

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