How to Apply Awl Grip® Paints

Awl Grip® is a popular paint brand for a variety of applications, but it is often used  for  painting boats.  In this guide,  we cover the different options on how to Apply Awl Grip® and details to consider with some Awl Grip® products.

Brush and Roll Awl Grip® Paint

The simplest option to apply Awl Grip® is by using a brush and a roller.  However, brushing and rolling Awl Grip® will not be as easy as spraying when it comes to  achieving a perfectly smooth finish.  Some Awl Grip® products are not recommended to be applied with a brush  and roll method, so ensure you check the specific product’s  datasheets for details. For rolling, a foam roller will typically be the easiest to achieve the smoothest possible finish from brushing and rolling.  For brushing where needed, you will want to use a quality brush that is made of natural bristles for solvent-based Awl Grip products; for water-based, a synthetic blend brush will work well. If you will be brushing and rolling, some Awl Grip® products like Awl Grip® Topcoat have a specific thinner that helps provide even coating when being used.  For  brushing and rolling, mild thinning can be used usually a maximum of 5 percent.

Spraying Awl Grip® Paint

For the smoothest finishes, spraying will provide the best results compared to brushing and rolling but you will have to do a bit more clean-up.  You can spray many of the  Awl Grip® Paint  products with a gravity feed spray gun, but this will require more thinning than using a pressure feed spray gun.  You can check out this guide for pressure vs gravity feed spray guns.   

Spraying with a Gravity Feed Spray Gun

For gravity feed, we recommend a 1.8 mm or greater tip.  To get a good breakup, you will want the material to easily flow from the gun when the trigger is pulled.  The tip size that is ideal is at least  1.4 mm but usually flow is easier through a 1.8 mm tip.  While the material can spray HVLP or Conventional, a conventional spray gun will be easier to atomize the material and yield a smoother finish.  Thinning for gravity feed spraying can be up to 25 percent. 

Spraying with a Pressure Feed Spray Gun

For pressure feed, a 1.4 or 1.8 mm tip will work well.  Typically, you will want to use a conventional spray gun to ensure the best atomization.  Thinning can help achieve a smooth finish usually 5 to 10 percent is sufficient.  Pressure feed spraying will provide an easier breakup compared to Gravity. 

Additional Considerations (Surface Prep, number of coats)

In addition to proper application equipment, proper surface preparation is critical for performance.  The right application will depend  on whether you’re applying the coat to a base coat Awl Grip® product like the Awl Grip® Epoxy or  you’re applying a  topcoat.  For base coats, you will want to make sure the surface is properly cleaned of any rust or whether the wood is properly sanded.  For steel, this would require sandblasting, for wood sanding, and for aluminum grinding or blasting can work.  The base coat should be built up first with a tack coat followed by 1 to 2 additional coats of product. The individual tech sheet for each Awl Grip® product will have more info on the specific application details. For  topcoats, 3 coats or sufficient coats to provide hiding of the underlying base is recommended for spraying using a tack coat first then gradually building up the product.

Before applying Awl Grip® to the entire boat, start with a test area that is somewhat hidden to better dial in the spray gun settings and paint thickness so that you can ensure the results you will get are what you’re expecting. 

After you have applied Awl Grip® Paint, you will want to provide sufficient time for the paint to dry. The individual tech data sheet on each product will provide exact times but most Awl Grip® Paints need 24 hours for a full cure. 

Thinning Awl Grip® Paint

Thinning of Awl Grip® Paint should be done to the minimal amount needed in order to get smooth paint results.  If you have to heavily thin the product, you may  need to consider changing equipment.  Generally, a conventional spray gun will be easier to get a smooth finish compared to HVLP. 

Popular outfits to spray Awl Grip® Paint