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REFINISHING CONTACT EQUIPMENT
There comes a time in the life of all contact equipment when weather and wear take their toll. The safety of the dogs using your equipment should be of primary concern as one slip on the surface of a dog walk, teeter, or A-frame could mean months and months of retraining for your dog.
If you are repainting the wood which is attached to a frame, remember to tape the metal frame before painting. And now, let's begin:
#1. Whether you're repainting your equipment or beginning from raw wood, you need to seal the wood to prevent moisture from damaging it. I use Elmer's Exterior Wood Glue. Go along the sides and check for breaks or holes in the wood and fill them in so the entire side surface is sealed. If you see knot holes or cracks in the wood, seal them also with the glue. Check the entire surface, even the under side, for any breaks and make sure they're sealed. Now we're ready for step #2.
#2. If you're starting from raw wood, you will need to put on a coat of oil based primer. Remember to put it on the entire surface of your wood, even the sides. A second coat on the underside won't hurt. Let it dry for at least 24 hours between applications and before beginning the color coat. After the primer has been allowed to dry, paint the surface with a good latex exterior paint. I paint the contact (yellow) areas on a separate day from the rest of the surface so there isn't any bleeding between the two colors. As soon as you've finished one area (such as the top part of the A-frame) spread a layer of sand across the surface while the paint is still wet. I use cilica (very fine) sand and I spread it with a small, hand-held fertilizer spreader. This spreads the sand evenly across the surface. I do one area at a time (one color) making sure I've applied the sand to a wet surface. The next day, I paint the contact color in the same manor as before, applying the sand right after I've applied the paint. (If you are starting with raw wood, you might want to apply a second coat, doing it in the same manor as the first coat.)
#3. Now you're ready for the top coat. Dilute your paint with water so that it is much thinner. You want to seal the sand, not cover it, with the next layer of paint. When you have painted one area, spread a VERY LIGHT LAYER of sand on it. This is just the finishing touch (like a pinch of salt in the stew) to give it that extra traction for the dogs. When the paint has dried, pull the tape off the frame and stand back and admire. You have created a surface that will last for a long time and your dogs will have a safe surface to work on.
#4. Now, last but not least, raise your right arm in the air, bend your elbow, and give yourself a pat on the back for doing such a good job!!!
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