What Makes Alexseal Different? - Miller Boatworks Ltd

When talking about the different options that are available out there with 2 part marine paints, I’ve worked with most of them over the years and can promise you that they are NOT all created equal!

For this writeup and the sake of maintaining an Apples To Apples comparison I am not going to touch on 1 part paints. There are some excellent 1 part paints out there like Totalboat Wet Edge that 100% absolutely have earned my respect and certainly should be considered for your projects, but in more ways than not, they’re just very different materials. each with their own advantages

Maybe a topic to cover in a future article?? Let me know!

In order to set the stage I’m first going to need to Geek out a little bit on the criteria that I believe Makes Or Breaks the quality of a paint for DIY application…

In no particular order, the material has to:

Look amazing
Be super easy to apply by roller / brush
Have excellent durability against chemicals, fuel spills and abrasion
Be simple to repair DIY style using only basic tools
Be able to be buffed to a very high gloss for blending and annual maintenance where needed
Provide consistent results in varying conditions

For the sake of providing a fair explanation between other 2 part paints I’m going to use Awlgrip as a comparison as they’re another leading name in this category. Before going down this rabbit hole I want to make clear that Awlgrip is an excellent paint with a proven track record spanning many years. I’ve used their material many times and have been happy with the results! That said, it did always involve a bit of compromise; let me explain…

The umbrella name of Awlgrip is comprised of two different paint divisions; Awlgrip and Awlcraft 2000.

Awlgrip can be applied by either roll / tip OR spraying but because of how it’s formulated it cannot be buffed. It can be successfully blended for repair but it requires it to be sprayed and is nothing close to what I would consider a DIY task.

Awlcraft 2000 can easily be buffed and blended for repair BUT it is a spray application only. It cannot be successfully applied by roller or brush which really eliminates it from being a good DIY option.

Why? Most folks are not equipped for spraying (large compressor, having a way to deal with the fumes and over-spray, etc) and spraying is something that takes a lot of experience and skill to do really well; nothing like riding a bike.

“A Good Roll Application Will Look Better Than An Average Spray Job…“
Me 🙂

So how does all this compare to Alexseal? Well, Alexseal can be applied by either roll or spray but regardless of how it’s applied it can still be buffed and easily blended for future repairs DIY style.

A few years back Alexseal developed a rolling additive that after I first worked with it, knew that it was going to be a game changer for the DIY market. Their 5018 Rolling Additive allows for professional level results by ROLLING ONLY; no tipping necessary.

When I say ‘Professional Level’ results, I mean hearing experienced spray applicators swear that there was no way that finish was rolled.

Yup, it’s that good which is why I decided to jump in with both feet and become a distributor for them!