Hi guys and girls

I need some info please....

I've got a mind to turn one of the walls at my house into a climbing wall. I have all the material sorted, frames ,wood, grips etc, but I want to achieve a "grainy" texture on the ply, almost as if I put glue on and blasted it with sand.

Does anybody have some advice on what I can use to achieve this or possibly know of anybody I can talk to for advice?! Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers
John

Hi John,

Most hardware stores and paint stores sell textured paints but can be expensive and I'm not sure how long these will last. There are articles on the net about different methods to do what you want which would probably be cheaper.

Is there any particular reason you would want a 'grainy' finish on your ply? In my opinion this would just cause wear on your shoes and be painful for your fingers if you do miss the grip... The standard ply is good enough for smearing and will be a lot nicer to your shoes and fingers.

You should simply be able to add sand (not any sand) to your paint.
Check out How to Add Sand to Paint for Texture

Although I agree with thomsonza, best leave the panels/wall smooth.

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Climb ZA - Administrator

Very easy. Paint the board and then sprinkle building sand on the paint while it's still wet. This gives the desired effect. I've done it before. You can even paint a second coat over the sand if you don't like the colour of the sand. (Second coat obviously when the first coat is dry) And this works with enamel paint cause the paint it thick and sticky. I don't think water based paint will work as well.

I believe Beal sells it?

Thanks for all that info guys!!

Cheers
John

I will post photos when it's done!