Good paint for expo trailer???

[The Jade Bean]

I need some help. Our expedition trailer were building is getting to the point of paint and it is too big to powder coat and I don't have a good place to use a paint gun. So my question is will a good quality spray can paint and primer hold up over time? If so what brands do I use? Keep in mind this trailer is going to see A- LOT of action! Thanks everybody.

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[titanpat57]

I would find a auto body supply company and explain your situation to them...they may have great advice for a brushable finish...as with everything else, the amount of prep you put in to it will reflect the quality of the finish.

Another option would be a paint store that carries quality paints (i.e. Ben Moore, Pittsburgh, Rustoleum ... definitely some industrial coating line,etc.) and ask them to suggest a good primer, and topcoat for metal. Any extra spent on a quality paint will be well worth it. Look at it this way...you still have to prep, and apply the primer and paint...what's you time worth?

I would steer clear of the big box stores.

 

[burnttoastburgos]

i can guarantee its not too big to powder coat. If it is, its a travel trailer, not an expo trailer. Coat it and be done

 

[The Jade Bean]

It's a 4'x6' box, 3' tall and 12' long with the front deck and tongue. I'd rather have it powder coated for sure. Thanks guys!

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[ntsqd]

Second going to a paint store and not to a big box store. I know that Sherwin-Williams has guys who are specifically trained in Marine and Industrial coatings (they don't like to call it "paint"), so I'll guess that the other brands do as well. My experience has been that there isn't one at every store, but there should be one at least semi-local to you.

If that fails then I'll suggest the complete POR-15 system; their prep followed by their base coat followed by their top coat. Follow their directions exactly, even if they are contrary to 'normal' painting practice. Their base coating, the rust stopper/preventer that many have used, brushes on better than it sprays, and it is self-leveling so it looks really good once it has cured. It absolutely needs the top coating though, otherwise UV light will kill it prematurely. Just don't get any on your hootus, or any other skin.

 

[The Jade Bean]

^^^ Great feedback along with others... Thx! I'm going to check around a couple of powder coat shops first as it was the one I normally use that said it wouldn't fit in their oven.

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[greentruck]

I used Magic brand tractor paint from Jenkins-Majestic. Got it at the farmbox store. Comes in both spray bombs and cans to use with your spray gear (they have hardener, etc in that line, too) or -- shudder -- a brush. Comes in common ag equipment colors, plus my favorite, olive drab.

Worked for me:


IIRC, J-M supplies OEM and fed spec paints, so not exactly a household name, but reliable stuff.

 

[The Jade Bean]

That looks good greentruck. Was it a repaint for you or did you take it down to bare metal? Thx!

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[greentruck]

That looks good greentruck. Was it a repaint for you or did you take it down to bare metal? Thx!

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

A guy that normally does sandblasting for guys restoring tractors took the old stuff off down to bare metal.

I finished prepping it, then primed and painted it with my el-cheapo HF HVLP gun. It came out well, but I'm no Rembrandt when it comes to painting. My skill set fit perfectly with this sort of project

 

[The Jade Bean]

I'm waiting to hear back from a friend if I can rent his friends paint booth and I think I might spray it myself starting with POR. Our trailer is going to be on the heavy side since we made the frame super beefy and with a full bed slide, so we are skinning it with aluminum to save weight which eliminates the powder coating option.

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[ntsqd]

Companies that I've worked for had aluminum powder-coated. Did you bond the panels on rather than mechanically fasten them on? That would cause a problem.

 

[The Jade Bean]

Companies that I've worked for had aluminum powder-coated. Did you bond the panels on rather than mechanically fasten them on? That would cause a problem.

I'm planning on bonding and riviting them on cause I need this to be water tight.

Is there another way to waterproof and still powder coat it?

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[mgeiger]

I brushed Rustoleum Rust Stop enamel on the siding of my old popup camper just for grins. I'm very happy with the way it layed down, and how it has held up. Inexpensive. Can be tinted to practically any color. Easy to touch up too.

 

[ntsqd]

I should have said "might be a problem". Before giving up on this talk to some powder coaters. It may not be an issue. Otherwise wait until after coating to bond & rivet.

As an example of the difference between POR-15 and Rustoleum I first painted the front bumper that I built for my Xcab Mini with POR. I didn't do the prep the way they say to do it. I knocked all of the scale off the steel and then let it flash rust before painting with a brush. No Metal-Ready acid etch, no top coat. The coating lasted about 12 years before rust reared it's ugly head. So I stripped it back to bare steel, removed the rust with a wire brush on my 4" Makita, and used Rustoleum. Used Rusty metal primer and then a color coat on top. That lasted about 3.5 years before the rust reappeared. All this while living on the lower Left Coast with a constant on-shore salt air breeze blowing down my driveway.
My conclusion is that Rustoleum, while pretty good paint, doesn't hold a candle to POR-15. What I've taken to doing is to do the POR prep with their "Metal Ready" acid etch and then while the POR coating itself is still tacky to top coat it with Rustoleum rattle can. It takes the combo a couple of days to fully cure, and you want to minimize handling and contact with it while that's happening, but the result looks and feels like powder coating. Ive only got a couple of pieces like this and long term testing has only just begun.

FWIW the more humid the atmosphere that POR cures in, the better. I know of some that got sprinkled on 20 years ago while curing and it still the best wearing paint on that truck.

 

[The Jade Bean]

ntsqd- Thanks for all the great info! I'm going to call the powder coater and see what they say. I still have a some finishing work to do so I have time but I like to figure things out ahead of time whenever possible.

Thanks everybody!

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[cruiser_007]

These guys can do car frames, so your trailer shouldn't be an issue. I have never used them, but I will be in the near future.

Welcome to Custom Powder Coating - We Have the Colors to Fit Your Imagination

 

[The Jade Bean]

These guys can do car frames, so your trailer shouldn't be an issue. I have never used them, but I will be in the near future.

Welcome to Custom Powder Coating - We Have the Colors to Fit Your Imagination

Cool thx!

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[Brentbba]

I'll 2nd, 3rd, whatever really researching powdercoating.

On my M101CDN, I prepped the out of the trailer (washing and sanding) and cleaned the out of a brand new steel lid with prep to clean off all the oils, etc.

I used Rustoleum primer - 4 light coats and Duplicolor Enamel (acrylic could not be used on top of Rustoleum enamel primer) - again 4 light coats.

I'm already getting chipping, etc. and believe it or not a little rust through where the lit is welded to the frame for the lid.

I know prep is the devil in the details and I thought I'd done a good job of it too as I'm rather OCD/ANAL about my gear!

Hindsight for what I spent on prep/primer/paint and all my prep time, I'd have been better off powdercoating or going to a One Day Paint type shop.

 

[The Jade Bean]

I'll 2nd, 3rd, whatever really researching powdercoating.

On my M101CDN, I prepped the out of the trailer (washing and sanding) and cleaned the out of a brand new steel lid with prep to clean off all the oils, etc.

I used Rustoleum primer - 4 light coats and Duplicolor Enamel (acrylic could not be used on top of Rustoleum enamel primer) - again 4 light coats.

I'm already getting chipping, etc. and believe it or not a little rust through where the lit is welded to the frame for the lid.

I know prep is the devil in the details and I thought I'd done a good job of it too as I'm rather OCD/ANAL about my gear!

Hindsight for what I spent on prep/primer/paint and all my prep time, I'd have been better off powdercoating or going to a One Day Paint type shop.

Bummer to hear that... I'm also OCD and I didn't work this hard to skimp now. I did talk with the powder coat shop and they said it could be done, but I'm looking at upwards of a grand! Oh well I'm still saving thousands doing the trailer myself and I know it really well too...

-Daniel

Sent from deep in the mountains of Honduras using only sticks and rocks.

 

[ntsqd]

Something to consider when thinking about powder coat, it chips too. Can touch it up with a rattle can, but unless you color matched the powder to the paint it will likely show. Once chipped, moisture can get under the PC and rust it loose. IMHO nothing looks worse than PC with rust under it. I like PC, but there are places where I would not use it. Bumpers for sure. I'm undecided about trailer frames.

If you're truly anal about the finish then regardless of paint or PC I would suggest applying "Helicopter Tape" over it in the most chip-prone areas.
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=3155
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=3437-001