Hi!
I've tried to do the clear coat, sugar (glasse) drops, then washing dissolving the sugar and the surface is not adherent enough.
I have some doubts: a few people proposed to use "clear coat". Is that something in a spray can, or else something that you spread with a roller or paintbrush?
The other best options about using some particles are not easy to get here in Spain.
My doubt is, if someone had succeeded with some housemade methods, what exactly is the product to put into the surface before the sugar?
I tried with a spray can of clear paint or lacker and the surface was too thin I guess, the quantity of sugar that stuck is really low.
Commercial stuff I can get here are Nautix Pro Clear Grip and Kiwi Grip
Thanks!
Two pack polyurethane clear coat mixed with a non slip powder works good, looks good and last a long time.



I have this.
seems similar...
so, sugar or salt is supposed to be dissolved leaving a texture in the paint or resin. Could both methods work or not? I could go sugar or mineral route :-)
Fun to read these and and real fun to read about sugar nonsense. You can make non slip same as production..
# 1. buy acrylic dust powder (med or fine). Don't buy coarse.. You will bleed.
# 2. sand the board and cover with super thin layer of epoxy or acrylic-based clear coat
# 3. Let it sit for some time depending on the curing time of given epoxy/coat.
# 4. Put dust powder into a salt bottle and sprinkle on the board and make sure it's evenly/nicely distributed. Shall take 15-30 mins
From my experience #3 is important because epoxy/clear coat has surface tension and you don't want fine/med dust granules to be covered in epoxy/coat as you sprinkle them but only glued on one side..
Before doing anything on the board test it on a small sample (small piece of cardboard/wood). You can test many variations of tech at the same time. Same with glues. Never use any new glue on anything major unless you tested it..
boardlady.com/nonskid.htm
Fun to read these and and real fun to read about sugar nonsense. You can make non slip same as production..
# 1. buy acrylic dust powder (med or fine). Don't buy coarse.. You will bleed.
# 2. sand the board and cover with super thin layer of epoxy or acrylic-based clear coat
# 3. Let it sit for some time depending on the curing time of given epoxy/coat.
# 4. Put dust powder into a salt bottle and sprinkle on the board and make sure it's evenly/nicely distributed. Shall take 15-30 mins
From my experience #3 is important because epoxy/clear coat has surface tension and you don't want fine/med dust granules to be covered in epoxy/coat as you sprinkle them but only glued on one side..
Before doing anything on the board test it on a small sample (small piece of cardboard/wood). You can test many variations of tech at the same time. Same with glues. Never use any new glue on anything major unless you tested it..
boardlady.com/nonskid.htm
I will try your technique! What is the acrylic dust normally used for? I ask to know what type of shop go into for it.
Thanks!
Acrylic dust is used as the grip. It stays in the epoxy or clear coat. The sugar method should only be used with epoxy, as you wash away the sugar to leave the rough keyed epoxy surface.Marine chandlers should have the acrylic grip. International and Jotun are two brands ive used.
Acrylic dust is used as the grip. It stays in the epoxy or clear coat. The sugar method should only be used with epoxy, as you wash away the sugar to leave the rough keyed epoxy surface.Marine chandlers should have the acrylic grip. International and Jotun are two brands ive used.
Thanks! I understand the acrylic usage in this case, I was asking what is it daily used for as I went to a Marine chandler and they hadn't. I found a mix of Sea shell sand like dust that could work
I've used paver jointing sand on a boat deck. Super aggressive grip. But If you fall on it you end up looking like you lost a battle with a cheese grater!
Google 'International Intergrip'.
if its a poly moulded board then not a lot sticks to it and you are far better off using a stand up paddle board beck pad.
What board is it for...?
UV stable epoxy + sugar does work on an epoxy board. My grip has lasted 3 years so far and I like it better on my bare feet than my other production board grip.
I repaired a board of mine in Jan 2018 and rolled a thin coat of UV stable epoxy (so it dosn't go yellow) then spinkled on caster sugar (normal sugar was too corse). I did some practise on a 25year old epoxy board to determine a grip to my liking. You don't need to wash the board afterwards - just go sailing!
Details of the repair are here: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Isonic-repair-materials--2?page=1
Please note that this was my first ever go at repairing a board and I'm not saying this is the best way to grip the board, just that it does work.
I've used sugar several times with great success. Everyone who knows me knows my boards look like crap though.![]()

I have this.
seems similar...
so, sugar or salt is supposed to be dissolved leaving a texture in the paint or resin. Could both methods work or not? I could go sugar or mineral route :-)
Yes that will work with the sugar fine, but it may be a horrible pink colour. If you use polyester it should be surfboard quality, and not laminating resin, that stays sticky. You need filler coat.
But if your board is plastic, not fibreglass, polyester may not stick that well, epoxy would be better. But most epoxies will go brown with sun exposure, you need it to be UV stabilised. I've used 2 pack urethane with success, but not sure how that sticks to plastic.
And yes thickness of resin is crucial to a good outcome. It needs to be a bit over half way up the grains, so the grains don't just fall out. Too much resin and you'll get a shiny coat over the top, you then have to keep adding grains until the shine goes away.
So the final finish is a combo of craters left by dissolved grains, and mountains of grains covered by resin.
I use castor sugar, ordinary sugar is too coarse, salt can be OK but last time I used it was also too coarse.
if its a poly moulded board then not a lot sticks to it and you are far better off using a stand up paddle board beck pad.
What board is it for...?
For the poly moulded (and old Tiga) I bought some adhesive pads. The other resin is for
my faded Mistral Edge and Bic Core 148, both have slick surfaces now.

I have this.
seems similar...
so, sugar or salt is supposed to be dissolved leaving a texture in the paint or resin. Could both methods work or not? I could go sugar or mineral route :-)
Yes that will work with the sugar fine, but it may be a horrible pink colour. If you use polyester it should be surfboard quality, and not laminating resin, that stays sticky. You need filler coat.
But if your board is plastic, not fibreglass, polyester may not stick that well, epoxy would be better. But most epoxies will go brown with sun exposure, you need it to be UV stabilised. I've used 2 pack urethane with success, but not sure how that sticks to plastic.
And yes thickness of resin is crucial to a good outcome. It needs to be a bit over half way up the grains, so the grains don't just fall out. Too much resin and you'll get a shiny coat over the top, you then have to keep adding grains until the shine goes away.
So the final finish is a combo of craters left by dissolved grains, and mountains of grains covered by resin.
I use castor sugar, ordinary sugar is too coarse, salt can be OK but last time I used it was also too coarse.
Sorry, do you have any link to the correct type of resin? Maybe I can buy it online or search in Amazon. If I see the correct type I can get something that works. Mine says UV resistant and marine quality, but I understand what you say. Thanks!
For regripping older 'thermoskinned' boards I use RUSTOLEUM CLEAR SATIN spray paint plus the Intergrip particles. Regripped Bic Metal Rock, Bic Veloce, Mistral IMCO, Bic Presto, AHD FreeDiamond plus many more using this method. Works well. 1 can will do an old 290 size board.Think there's a regripping thread somewhere here on SB.![]()
Sorry, do you have any link to the correct type of resin? Maybe I can buy it online or search in Amazon. If I see the correct type I can get something that works. Mine says UV resistant and marine quality, but I understand what you say. Thanks!
Sorry no links, it's ages since I bought polyester resin. I have bought UV resistant clear surfboard epoxy but can't find the link. Try googling surfboard epoxy.
If your board has a fibreglass skin that resin of yours will be fine I think, you could always do a small test on your board, see how clear it is and how well it sticks. Give the test patch a bit of a sand first. Polyester doesn't like moisture around while it sets, goes off extremely quickly if it's hot.
I've only ever used sugar grip on lots of boards . It works great and lasts forever . One third normal and two thirds caster sugar . It can be a little rough and I very lightly sand over with 600 wet and dry . Very lightly.
This is what I do .
Prepare at least one kg of sugar.
Tape off area .
Using a clear UV stabilised epoxy resin , use a roller to coat the area .
The amount is important .
More than a thin layer with a roller and less that a paint brush thickness . Halfway between the two. Too little and it won't be grippy enough . Too much will work good but be a little heavier . More is probably better than not enough .
It is important to get an even layer , so for 10 minutes keep rolling back and forth , sideways and on angles to get a perfectly even thickness .
Sprinkle the whole Ikg of sugar over the area .
With a compressor or by mouth blow all the excess sugar off .
This should give a good even cover .
I find that completely covering the area is neater than trying to get an even light sprinkling.
I do this outside because half the sugar ends on the floor.
All the extra sugar washes off anyway and won't be any heavier as long as the resin isn't to thick to begin with .
Fun to read these and and real fun to read about sugar nonsense. You can make non slip same as production..
# 1. buy acrylic dust powder (med or fine). Don't buy coarse.. You will bleed.
# 2. sand the board and cover with super thin layer of epoxy or acrylic-based clear coat
# 3. Let it sit for some time depending on the curing time of given epoxy/coat.
# 4. Put dust powder into a salt bottle and sprinkle on the board and make sure it's evenly/nicely distributed. Shall take 15-30 mins
From my experience #3 is important because epoxy/clear coat has surface tension and you don't want fine/med dust granules to be covered in epoxy/coat as you sprinkle them but only glued on one side..
Before doing anything on the board test it on a small sample (small piece of cardboard/wood). You can test many variations of tech at the same time. Same with glues. Never use any new glue on anything major unless you tested it..
boardlady.com/nonskid.htm
Hi again!
I found an International non slip dust reseller here, so as now I can get the proper substances, can you tell me from this site what coat do you think it's OK? Below the additive details, there is a set of related paints. I also saw more coats there.
www.international-yachtpaint.com/en/gb/boat-paint-products/topcoat-finishes/non-slip-additive
The one similar to what @mark62 sent is the two components I attach the picture of here. But there are some Polyuretane also in the website.

I've only ever used sugar grip on lots of boards . It works great and lasts forever . One third normal and two thirds caster sugar . It can be a little rough and I very lightly sand over with 600 wet and dry . Very lightly.
This is what I do .
Prepare at least one kg of sugar.
Tape off area .
Using a clear UV stabilised epoxy resin , use a roller to coat the area .
The amount is important .
More than a thin layer with a roller and less that a paint brush thickness . Halfway between the two. Too little and it won't be grippy enough . Too much will work good but be a little heavier . More is probably better than not enough .
It is important to get an even layer , so for 10 minutes keep rolling back and forth , sideways and on angles to get a perfectly even thickness .
Sprinkle the whole Ikg of sugar over the area .
With a compressor or by mouth blow all the excess sugar off .
This should give a good even cover .
I find that completely covering the area is neater than trying to get an even light sprinkling.
I do this outside because half the sugar ends on the floor.
All the extra sugar washes off anyway and won't be any heavier as long as the resin isn't to thick to begin with .
Haha, this is like making momentum for a worldwide poll between Sugar vs Anti Slip :-)
So, the way sugar works is that it dilutes and then the epoxy keeps tiny holes with the sugar grain shape (a negative shape of the pre-existing grains) and anti slip dust just stays there and grips itself. I also understand that the thickness of the resin layer is important to not sink anything below the surface as it will stay there and don't stick to my foot...
Seems like I will layer a think resin on top a piece of wood and then do a comparative with those methods. Now it seems like a personal taste situation...
I tried the sugar one but with a crappy spray can that was not thick enough and not hardening force enough to stay sharp after sugar vanishes.
Thanks a lot indeed to you all!
Sugar coat is not nonsense. Acrylic dust is what they use on production boards . It is a bit lighter because of the thin layer of resin needed . But it wears out . Its cheaper and easier to do on a production line. A good suger coat lasts forever but is a little heavier . Your choice.
Sugar coat is not nonsense. Acrylic dust is what they use on production boards . It is a bit lighter because of the thin layer of resin needed . But it wears out . Its cheaper and easier to do on a production line. A good suger coat lasts forever but is a little heavier . Your choice.
Thats it! I will try both in a test and then just do one. To confirm: the sugar way sticks once the granules are off the resin? Sorry about my doubts.
Sugar coat is not nonsense. Acrylic dust is what they use on production boards . It is a bit lighter because of the thin layer of resin needed . But it wears out . Its cheaper and easier to do on a production line. A good suger coat lasts forever but is a little heavier . Your choice.
Thats it! I will try both in a test and then just do one. To confirm: the sugar way sticks once the granules are off the resin? Sorry about my doubts.
All the sugar washes off leaving a rough resin surface .
here's a close up of a sugar deck I did 3 years ago.

Not enough side light to really show it up, but you can see dark dots with light spots in the middle, I think this is where the sugar has dissolved and left resin craters. There's also dark spots with no light middle I think this is where the resin has completely enclosed the granules and it hasn't dissolved, leaving micro mountains.
Imax's description is very good, slightly different to my technique. I just use castor sugar. But the roll out of the resin to get an even optimum thickness is important, and getting enough sugar on there so that there are no shiny spots visible. A shiny spot means the grains are enclosed, and the micro mountains formed are very smooth and won't have much grip.
here's a close up of a sugar deck I did last year.

Not enough side light to really show it up, but you can see dark dots with light spots in the middle, I think this is where the sugar has dissolved and left resin craters. There's also dark spots with no light middle I think this is where the resin has completely enclosed the granules and it hasn't dissolved, leaving micro mountains.
Imax's description is very good, slightly different to my technique. I just use castor sugar. But the roll out of the resin to get an even optimum thickness is important, and getting enough sugar on there so that there are no shiny spots visible. A shiny spot means the grains are enclosed, and the micro mountains formed are very smooth and won't have much grip.
Thanks! It looks really nice to stand over it!
Now I have the full picture, will give it a try next week.
I really appreciate all this information.
Cheers
JP
I increased the level of grip on a board by putting a few strips of anti skid tape down on the deck behind the front pads. It worked well with no messy paints involved.
I air gunspray a hot mix of polyester filler resin on deck taped up. Throw the sugar ( not too course or fine like castor) on by hand, goes off in 5minute. Wash off next day. I redo production boards all the time, rarely mine .
Yeah for non slip stickers, I think I'm going that route next. Prob cheaper than clear coat too. Did you prepare the area before sticking?
I have an epoxy rolled board, amazing grip but did flake off where the base wasn't rough sanded. As far as sharpness goes, I sanded the grip down until it's not so aggressive, works amazingly well.
Finally, what I've done in the past is one made sure my board was clean. (A gunky board can be slippery while the grip still fine.) Two sprayed matte clear coat and blew acrylic dust placed inside a spoon. It sprinkles the board perfectly evenly. The excess I sweep off the floor and reuse! Works great.
Sugar definitely the best way. Took me some practice and experimentation to get it right. If you only want to do it once, this is the way to go.
Sugar definitely the best way. Took me some practice and experimentation to get it right. If you only want to do it once, this is the way to go.
I used to go two thirds caster to one third normal sugar .
Now I tend to go half caster and half normal sugar .
The final grip also depends on the resin thickness .
I do rougher with my sugar because it's east to sand down . Can't go the other way .
Go gnarly and test it . If your bleeding after the first sail , hit it with 600 wet and dry with the hose . Just a little bit .
Do this until the sharks stop circling you and you have the best everlasting grip.![]()
ps , to delve even deeper ,
I once over sanded a sugar grip that felt slippery to touch . Went for a sail before re gripping . I found the deck still gripped perfectly even though it felt slippery . I never re gripped because it worked so well . My theory is , even though the surface is flat , it has zillions of indentations that work like suction cups .
I could rub my body all over it all day long and yet still give me good grip .
pps , don't imagine this just before bed .