Good paint process for trailer???

[Garage guy chris]

Just finishing up a new trailer for myself, need some input on paint!

obviously its a utility trailer, to haul around junk, its gonna get bashed around and abused, but i want it to look good and look good for a long time!

Wanted to know if anyone out there had a process that they use or know of that works well to get a nice durable/rust free finish, especially in regards to metal prep..... before paint...

[aametalmaster]

Primer and paint from the farm store...Bob

[STRENGTH AND POWER]

I have had decent results with rustoleum red oxide primer and gloss black from Home Cheapo, a gallon of each runs about 65 bucks, thin it with laquer thinner and there you go.

[Badd00SS]

I Used Rustoleum Rusty Metal primer, 2 coats and k7779 Gloss black enamel, 3 coats.

Each coat was about a gallon of paint, and I thinned it alot.

Good news, is the first day I drove it, me not quite used to having 35' behind me, and the trailer not tracking behind the truck like a bumper pull, hit and destroyed a wooden saw horse. But barely scratched the paint, and it didnt even make it to the primer, so i'd say it's fairly durable... :) Honestly though, who puts a saw horse right at the corner edge of a weigh station...lol.. oops.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-12/77230/SMXWU-100_1722.JPG

[madcow]

I really like the john deere primer.

fist i sand all metal then sand with a 180 grit paper. wipe down with paint remover or thinner. or any cleaner that will cut oil and not leave a residue.

then i prime, when that is cured i wet sand to 180 again. and prime another coat if need be or do some touch up.

sand 180 again and put on the first coat of base coat. wet sand with 180 by hand. next coat wet sand 180, third coat i wet sand with a 320 very lightly, and then work my way up to 1200-2000 grit. then clear coat. wet sand clear coat at 1200-2000 grit, put on next coat of clear coat, same thing then buff and polish to a mirror shine.

you should add some hardner to the base coat. it helps dry faster, adds some shine and stregnth to the paint.

i recomend clear coating as it will help seal the paint to protect from oils/chemicals and the sun.

orileys has some decent products in there auto master line. not the cheapest but if you want a 2000 dollar paint job look for a couple hundred dollars its the way to go.

if you can buy cheap paint for 100 bucks for the project, why not spend 200 bucks on the paint and get a better product?

why did you buy a miller welder for $1000 dollars when you could have got the "same" thing for 500 from home depot?

[kcstott]

Frazee Aeroplate (sp?) good stuff can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed. many colors and many sheans. about $20 a gallon.
Or sherwin william Polane epoxy paint good stuff but expensive Boss paid the bill I don't know what it cost.

Kerry

[pro70z28]

Sandblast it, Self etching primer, block sand, high build primer, dust with a color coat, block sand, base coat, block sand base coat, Candy colors (graphics) clear coat, cut & buff.











I'm kidding....... I'm Kidding...........http://skins.hotbar.com/skins/mailskins/em/google_emoticons/emoti_462.gif

[kcstott]

Sandblast it, Self etching primer, block sand, high build primer, dust with a color coat, block sand, base coat, block sand base coat, Candy colors (graphics) clear coat, cut & buff.











I'm kidding....... I'm Kidding...........http://skins.hotbar.com/skins/mailskins/em/google_emoticons/emoti_462.gif


you forgot to mention it's 20 plus coats :eek: of primer that is blocked along with the color coats. Lots and lots of work doing a true candy job.

[pro70z28]

Oh, this is just the down N' dirty version.......It's a trailer......http://skins.hotbar.com/skins/mailskins/em/google_emoticons/emoti_462.gifhttp://skins.hotbar.com/skins/mailskins/em/google_emoticons/emoti_455.gif

[Garage guy chris]

Hello again, havent decided on the paint yet... more interested in surface prep, last thing i did i degreased the metal with mineral spirits and primer and paint, its not standing up at all.

this time around i was thinking something like:

-degrease (not sure what to use)
-scotchbrite/wire brush scuff it up a bit
-degrease again
-some sort of an etching primer
-then 3 coats of some sort of rust paint

I keep seeing "metal prep" type products that seem to basically be phosphoric acid, any input on these???

Any other input on surface prep would be helpful, and thanks for all the help so far!

[droptopgt]

i was wondering about this exact same topic for painting utility trailers. Is there any product like tremclad rust paint where you can just spray bare metal? Or better yet, anything you can spray through a hvlp gun?

Hopefully someone knows of a one shot process.

P.S. Sanding isn't an option.

[monte55]

Sherwinn Williams DTM.....direct to metal

[dabar39]

With over 500 trailers built to date, the best thing I have found is plain ole' Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer and a top Coat of Rustoleum Gloss Enamel. Cost is about $25.00 per gallon for each and about $10.00 for the thinner.

All I do is wipe trailer down with thinners, cut the primer with about 20% thinner and shoot one good coat. No sanding of primer is needed. Mix paint the same way with about a 20% reduction with thinner and spray a couple of coats. The wetter you can spray it the more gloss it retains and smoother it lays out, spray it dry and it will look dull and rough.

I use both siphon feed and HVLP spray guns with equally good results either way. The paint holds up for years and is easy for a customer to get touch up when needed. I've got a few customers with well taken care of trailers that are 5 years old that still look almost new.

I have had some people tell me that Rustoleum is cheap junky paint and a poor choice but I swear by it for commercial or industrial use. Dave

[fabricator]

With over 500 trailers built to date, the best thing I have found is plain ole' Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer and a top Coat of Rustoleum Gloss Enamel. Cost is about $25.00 per gallon for each and about $10.00 for the thinner.

All I do is wipe trailer down with thinners, cut the primer with about 20% thinner and shoot one good coat. No sanding of primer is needed. Mix paint the same way with about a 20% reduction with thinner and spray a couple of coats. The wetter you can spray it the more gloss it retains and smoother it lays out, spray it dry and it will look dull and rough.

I use both siphon feed and HVLP spray guns with equally good results either way. The paint holds up for years and is easy for a customer to get touch up when needed. I've got a few customers with well taken care of trailers that are 5 years old that still look almost new.

I have had some people tell me that Rustoleum is cheap junky paint and a poor choice but I swear by it for commercial or industrial use. Dave

I second that . Its pretty much what i use 90% of the time.

[kcstott]

Don't degrease with mineral spirits. That's a petroleum base solvent and leaves a oily residue behind.
Either degrease with a water based degreaser i.e. simple green or use Acetone, xylene, MEK, Lacquer thiner or something like that. these will not leave a residue behind and your paint will stick much better.
No as for surface prep. Usually just cleaning up the splatter around the welds degrease with above chemicals prim and paint.
The hot rolled finish is actually pretty rough and provides a good surface for paint to adhere to.

We painted over fifty machine bases a year this way and never had one come back for paint pealing. and we did do a rebuild on a machine that was ten or so years old. the paint was worn but it was not pealing we just sanded the worn areas and repainted to whole thing.

[madcow]

when i powder coat or paint an odd part that cant be blasted i get some preclean from eastwood.com

[dabar39]

when i powder coat or paint an odd part that cant be blasted i get some preclean from eastwood.com

You must really like spending money, Eastwood is very high on most of their prices. Their powder is ridiculously over priced and most other products are too.

[Badd00SS]

You must really like spending money, Eastwood is very high on most of their prices. Their powder is ridiculously over priced and most other products are too.

Agreed. BTW, thanks for swaying me to rustoleum, came out great in my opinion. Pretty durable too... and the best part, it was CHEAP!!!!

[STRENGTH AND POWER]

Agreed. BTW, thanks for swaying me to rustoleum, came out great in my opinion. Pretty durable too... and the best part, it was CHEAP!!!!

Hey, Where's my thanks?:eek: I threw rustoleum out at the begining LOL

[Badd00SS]

Hey, Where's my thanks?:eek: I threw rustoleum out at the begining LOL



LOL, I meant a while back when I painted my trailer, I too suggested rustoleum here, im one of the first posts.. :)

[madcow]

You must really like spending money, Eastwood is very high on most of their prices. Their powder is ridiculously over priced and most other products are too.

yes and no, I have had very good experience with there products, I will usually look around and see if i cant find a cheaper product and try that. sometimes its just as good for less money and sometimes its not as good.

its like any other business, since the customer is paying for it, and if they are spending 300 dollars is it worth it to save them $10 difference on the paint to have it not as nice or not last long? it might work out fine but I test the other companys on my own stuff first.

Like many others you have about 5 vendors you work with to get the stuff you need. I am not saying buy everything from them, but i do like there powders and preclean.

I have a powder painting buddy that also uses columbia powder and seems to happy with it so far. it can be half the price of eastwood.

I am not saying eastwood is the best by any means. I only use them for powder stuff, I use oriley for there auto master paint and additives, john deere for a lot of the paint as well. most things i liquid paint are tractors or farm equipment. I just repaint them like my cousin repaints a restored muscle car for show!! when that tractor or chopper goes across the field I want it to sparkle!!! not many people going to a 2000+ grit wet sand finish with buff to polish on a tractor! 99% of the repaints done on the farm and dealerships are done with rattle cans.