# Deck paint



## mkinsey7 (Jun 13, 2011)

I have just cleaned the under side of my 54" deck, it now is very clean. What is the best way to paint it? I have a good rust inhibitor, but would like to paint and have it slippery if possible?


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## dangeroustoys56 (Jul 26, 2010)

Usually no matter what paint is used , it wears off - a good combo ive used before is automobile undercoating and while its wet spray black paint into it, seems to hold up pretty good. Id say look for a good epoxy paint , should hold up and clean easily.

Since im down in FL now , the decks get sandblasted pretty good , so it doesnt really matter.


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## mkinsey7 (Jun 13, 2011)

thx, I was looking at an epoxy, would like the inside to be smooth, is water injectors a good or bad idea?


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## X-Raycer (Jul 19, 2012)

mkinsey7 said:


> thx, I was looking at an epoxy, would like the inside to be smooth, is water injectors a good or bad idea?


I've had a Kubota T1670, 40" Deck for 12 years and have only cleaned the "Under Deck" when I sharpened the Blades.
It has No rust at all.

I've noticed that some of the new L/Y/G tractor Decks have Garden Hose connections to "Wash Out" the Deck.

I just bought a new Craftsman 30 hp CTX with a 54" Deck and was considering adding 2 of those Hose Connections.
I only used the Mower once before I ordered the recommended Mulching Kit.
I removed the Deck and cleaned it in preparation of adding the Baffles that were included with the kit.
I was amazed by the amount of grass that had built up after just one use and how tightly compacted it was in certain areas of the Deck.
After seeing that, I decided I did not want to have Water Soaked clumps of grass clinging to the Deck and contributing to a potential rust situation.


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## bolillo_loco (Oct 9, 2010)

*For those that like brevity: *Clean and paint the deck mid season. Do not use the garden hose attachment in an attempt to clear the clippings. It will only cause further build up and hasten the rusting process. After the final cut at the end of the cutting season, clean and paint the deck. Repeat process next season. Use the cheapest paint you can find. Never turn away free cans of paint even if it's Pink. Cheap paint seems to last just as long as the expensive stuff. 

If you have a long season, notice grass builds up more quickly, or are in an area which causes the paint to be removed far more quickly, simply add as many cleanings and paintings as are needed. 

*The long answer for those that love detail:*

I've two decks that I take care of, and like dangeroustoys has pointed out, the paint wears off. In my case, the paint wears off rather quickly. I'm in Central Pennsylvania, so the cutting season generally starts in late March, and there's little cutting to be done cutting during our typical drought at some point during late June through early August, and the end of the season runs any where from late October through early November to give you an idea of how much it's used.

I have yet to find a paint that will last more than a month. Both our decks are also very different. The old style that barely blows clippings out of the discharge chute holds its paint rather well, and there's little grass build up. While the newer style deck blasts clippings out like a snow blower, builds up gooey grass quickly, and wears the paint off in areas where the grass doesn't built up in short order. 

The only solution I've found to this problem is to both clean and paint the decks twice during the cutting season. The first time is midway through the season during our drought, and then the final clean and painting happens when the decks are stored for the winter. 

The new style deck has a garden hose attachment, and I've never had any luck with it. It will not remove the build up, and it only serves to hasten rust by thoroughly wetting the built up clumps of grass that only seem to be removable with a putty knife. 

I haven't found any type of paint that holds to the deck. It seems like the grass, dust, and occasional stone act as a sandblasting media and quickly take certain parts of the deck down to bare metal in short order. Hence, I just use the cheapest paint offered because it seems to last just as long as the expensive stuff. Even rusty metal primer and paint wear as long as the cheap stuff does. 

The smaller deck has been in continuous service since 1989. In fact, from 1989 through 2006, it was the only deck used to cut 1.1 acres. I'm sorry that I don't have any current photos of it, but it's in rather pristine condition with minimal pitting. I feel it's due to the twice a year deck maintenance performed by my father and myself. 

The photos below aren't my actual decks. I put them up so you can reference my style of deck with yours. When looking at the new and old style, it's easy to see why grass build up and paint wear are very different. The old style isn't baffled, doesn't have high lift blades, so it doesn't cause the clippings to be propelled at high velocity. Hence, the clippings don't get stuck to or blast off the paint on the deck. In contrast, the new style deck both has a lot of places for the grass to get stuck to the baffling of the deck, and the baffling and high lift blades cause the grass to fly at high velocity and wear the paint off the deck rather quickly. 

New Craftsman Deck 54" from a 2011 GT6000


















Old Craftsman 44" from 1989 GT18


















I hope this helped. Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
bolillo_loco


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## MBTRAC (May 28, 2012)

duplicate as below


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## MBTRAC (May 28, 2012)

I use it Penetrol as a rust preventative undercoat on all my lawn, farm & truck gear, including slashers (i.e your bush hogs), fertiliser sprayers, chassis, mower decks etc..- some of which are now 20+ years old without any signs of rust as a result - some of our farms are in highly mineralised/corrosive soils where a steel black star picket will rust out in c.3-5yrs, this environment combined with lime/phosphate/nitrogen fertiliser usage & chemical sprays really takes it's toll if our gear is not treated to prevent rust. 

On the mower decks, every 6 months I drop the decks & paint with 2 coats of penetrol & then 2 coats of industrial gloss black paint to prevent rust, the gloss balck paint also seems prevent most of the underdeck grass "hang ups" -As the seasonal mower "recoat" is about due I'll try & post photo's in the next few weeks.

Penetrol is relatively cheap & used in marine applications - it seals to prevent/treat rust like no other product I've found available & also if required provides an ideal bonding undercoat for any topcoat. 

Whilst I've tried also the bed liner products & many other proective coatings includng rubberised/polymer type products, & still use lanolin coatings in specific applications, in my experience most seem to be flawed as once they scar, wear or chip the water/moisture gets in behind the "coating" allowing rust to form quickly/unseen in the humid environment between the remaining"coating" & the metal- Penetrol because of the way it bonds doesn't let this happen. 

As for water washing decks, this only compounds the rust issue & is probably the biggest single contributor unless the deck is completely cleaned & left totally vegetation free(as any vegetation scraps left behind with the additional moisture from water washing will form nitrogen molecules against the deck quickly advancing rust/corrosion) - My mowing deck are only ever washed & allowed to dry thoroughly prior to the applying the protective coating as above, otherwise they are "blown" clean with compressor air or a garden blower


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## webguynj (Sep 30, 2012)

mkinsey7 said:


> I have just cleaned the under side of my 54" deck, it now is very clean. What is the best way to paint it? I have a good rust inhibitor, but would like to paint and have it slippery if possible?


If I was going to look for durability - I would skip the rust inhibitor and paint the underside with POR 15 - Bonds to the metal like nothing else and practically indistructable


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## BigWhiteTurd (Oct 31, 2012)

I would prep surface the best you can and then brush paint a epoxy type of paint. I have even used Rustolem enamel. Key is do not use the deck until the paint has cured. Prolly a month or so.


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## benlowsfarm (Nov 12, 2012)

Clean it up real good and try the elastomeric paint used to paint barn roofs... But it has to be free of all debris inorder to adhere....


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## ben70b (Aug 29, 2012)

Farm bearau members get something like 20% off at Sherwin Williams , I've get whatever paint there if you are a member


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## Gregg (Aug 30, 2004)

Second the POR-15 or use Fluid Film http://www.fluid-film.com/


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