Awlgrip Solvents & Dewaxers
Professional Surface Preparation for Marine Coatings
Awlgrip solvents and dewaxers are specialized chemical solutions designed for surface preparation in marine coating applications. These products play a critical role in ensuring proper adhesion, achieving mirror-like finishes, and preventing coating failures on boats and yachts. Surface cleaners and degreasers remove hand oils, light grease and other light surface contaminants, creating the clean foundation necessary for professional-grade marine finishes.
Why Surface Preparation Matters
A clean, contamination-free surface is the foundation of any successful coating project. Sanding often melts greases and oils into the surface, making it difficult to obtain a clean surface, which is why specialized solvents are essential before and after sanding operations. Marine coatings, particularly high-performance polyurethane systems, are extremely sensitive to surface contaminants. Even invisible residues like hand oils, wax, or light grease can cause adhesion problems, fisheyes, or premature coating failure.
Proper wipe-down solvents serve multiple purposes in the coating process. Wipe down solvents are used to remove oils, light grease and other surface contaminants, with fast evaporating formulations for use on finish primers and topcoats before and after sanding. Different solvent formulations are engineered for specific substrates and conditions, from gentle surface cleaners for topcoats to stronger dewaxing solutions for bare gelcoat and metal surfaces.
Types of Marine Coating Solvents
Marine coating preparation involves several categories of solvents, each formulated for specific tasks. Surface cleaners are mild solvents designed for wiping down primed or topcoated surfaces, effectively removing light contamination without attacking cured coatings. Dewaxers are stronger formulations used on bare substrates to remove wax residue and heavier contamination. Dewaxers are used to remove wax residue and grease from substrates, but should not be used on freshly painted surfaces. General-purpose wipe-down solvents offer versatility across multiple applications and evaporation rates tailored to different temperature conditions.
Application Techniques
Professional painters typically employ the two-cloth cleaning method for optimal results. One cloth soaked in solvent wets the surface, while a dry second cloth wipes the surface dry and lifts the contamination off the surface. This technique prevents simply smearing contaminants around the surface and ensures thorough cleaning. Working in small sections maintains solvent effectiveness before evaporation occurs.
Top Brands
Awlgrip dominates this category as the original manufacturer of these specialized marine coating preparation products. Since 1973 Awlgrip has offered proven, cutting-edge marine coatings technology, and is the leader across the board in product quality, visual aesthetics, technical support, accessibility and sustained product innovation. Their comprehensive system approach ensures compatibility between surface preparation products and topcoat systems, delivering the mirror-like finishes that have made Awlgrip the industry standard in yacht coatings worldwide.