Care & Maintenance
Proper cleaning and care of painted surfaces is essential for a long-lasting and durable finish and contributes significantly to the value and quality retention of your yacht - that's why ALEXSEAL® offers a special portfolio of care and cleaning agents.
Many companies manufacture products for sealing and protecting painted surfaces. Only use products that are specifically designed for surfaces painted with polyurethane. These products should not contain abrasives or caustic chemicals.
For more details please have a look at our Care & Maintenance Guide.
Cleaning
With proper care and maintenance, Alexseal Topcoats will withstand the harsh marine environment. After application, it is important to maintain a yacht’s exterior surface by keeping it clean and protecting it.
The paint surface should be washed once a week using a mild detergent with a neutral PH formulated specifically for paint finishes. Some detergents will strip waxes & protective sealants off the surface. These should be avoided. Check the detergent label.
Check out our Alexseal Cleaning Agent for mild cleaning and everyday use.
Find the TDS of our Alexseal Wash Down here.
Remove stains from a polyurethane finish as soon as possible. Some stains can actually etch the surface of the paint and embed into the coating. If a stain cannot be removed with a mild detergent during the washing process, harsher cleaner or solvents have to be used to loosen the stain.
For example, use our Alexseal Intense Cleaning Concentrate (Verlinkung zum Product Sheet “Intense Cleaner” (ist noch nicht fertig)). You find the TDS of the Alexseal Intense Cleaning Concentrate here (Verlinkung zu TDS (gibt es noch nicht)).
Occasionally light buffing may be needed to restore the finish and to remove any deposits from the paint surface. For this, please have a look at our Q&A Intense Cleaning procedure.
For deeper knowledge about the backgrounds of efficient cleaning please have a look at our Basics of Cleaning.
Maintaining
It is recommended to apply a high-quality wax or polymer sealer designed for surfaces painted with polyurethane at least 2-3 times per year. This will act as a sacrificial coating that will protect the paint and can dramatically improve the coatings life expectancy. For this, you may use our Alexseal Polymer Sealer.
Occasionally light buffing and/or polishing may be needed to restore the finish and to remove any deposits from the paint surface. Buffing must be done by an experienced applicator either by hand or slow speed buffing machine using a suitable compound/polish and a pad recommended by the product’s manufacturer. Afterwards always use a polymer sealer or a protective wax on a regular base to help maintain the gloss in the buffed areas.
Polishing should always be done by experts. Have a look at our polishing poster for more details.