Preferred DIY paint for sliders/skids?

[ExplorerTom]

but it was nowhere near as durable as the brushed-on Rustoleum I now use for the skids.

When I drag my rig over a rock, I doubt the best brushed on paint job would stand up. Most of the time that rock puts a gouge in the metal.

 

[anickode]

I did some searching and ended up with rustoleum hammered on my skids. You can spray or brush it on. The black is actually a dark gunmetal color. I may end up using it on my sliders when they arrive.

That's what I used on my front bumper. With proper application (many light coats... I think I did 6 or 7) over a good primer, it holds up very well, and the textured finish touches up nicely. The dark gun metal "black" looks slightly out of place on my black truck but I like it. It's different enough that it doesn't look like I tried to match the body color and failed.

 

[NCtrail4R]

On my Xterra I used Rustoleum Professional spray on bedliner on the sliders and skids. Held up pretty well and blends in well when touching up. On the 4RUnner I used Duplicolor bedliner and am really disappointed with it. It is more of a rubberized finish, but scrapes off more easily. The Duplicolor finish has worn off in a way that I didn't experience with the Rustoleum Pro. Just not a durable finish and when it does wear through it peals off in larger pieces. Luckily the primer has held up really well and has stayed put.

I need to recoat them so think I'll just pull the sliders off, peal off all the loose stuff and spray over them with the Rustoleum Pro.

Keep in mind that bedliner has a rougher texture so they are harder to clean. The sliders will look like they are holding a surface film of dirt most of the time unless you scrub them with a brush. That doesn't' bother me much, though, and the durability is worth the tradeoff. Rustoleum makes a regular bedliner and a 'Professional' bedliner, and I can only vouch for the Professional version, which costs a couple more dollars a can.

 

[Sabre]

When I drag my rig over a rock, I doubt the best brushed on paint job would stand up. Most of the time that rock puts a gouge in the metal.

No, no coating of any sort will hold up to that, so you have to count on occasionally touching up the paint. But it isn't that which causes 99% of the damage to my skids, it's the thousands of miles of gravel roads. The painted finish holds up much better than the most carefully applied rattle can finish.

 

[evilfij]

Rustoleum appliance epoxy holds up way better than normal rattle can. I paint everything with it. However, it smells much worse than regular rattle can. And it has been hard to find rustoleum epoxy primer in stores so I have had to resort to online and it is expensive (now called rustoleum 2k epoxy primer).

 

[Happy Joe]

Here is another vote for rattle can appliance epoxy...
Easy to touch up and can be found at any Lowes/Home Depot etc... after a few coats give a fair imitation of powder coat (even chips like it).
Enjoy!

 

[steelhd]

Enamels out of a rattle can are unhardened and are far too soft to be durable but are easy to touch up. Powder coat is durable but isn't easily touched up. Products like POR 15 are more time consuming to apply than rattle can products but are very durable. Downside is that they generally aren't UV stable and will fade badly if not top coated plus can be a pain to touch up depending on the product. Plus a POR 15 top coat is usually a soft unhardened aerosol enamel or worse yet lacquer. Back to point #1. My preference is a self etching and priming UV stable rattle can epoxy like VHT Chassis and Rollbar Paint that is available at most autoparts stores. But pretty much any really available UV stable rattle can epoxy should do whether it's for appliances, chassis, or engines. I like black satin for armor and don't know if that is available in appliance epoxy.

 

[goatherder]

I'm calling BS on epoxy paint in a rattle can. Epoxy is two-part paint. Just like the epoxy glue is two-part. It's catalyzed, and that's why it has the adhesion and durability that it does. I've used LOTS of epoxy marine paint.

Rustoleum rattle-can or bucket paint is a single-part enamel, and not all that durable. Can take forever to dry. However, if you mix in some enamel hardener (Valspar or Magik from Tractor Supply) that makes a big improvement. It improves the gloss, reduces cure time...and the paint will harden up like you want it to. Mix that stuff in about 16:1.

 

[steelhd]

I'm calling BS on your BS call. One part of two part epoxy paint is epoxy resin in solvent and the second part is an amine in solvent. The resin and amine combine to form a cured coating. One part epoxy paint is a higher molecular weight epoxy resin in solvent that dries. It isn't as hard and durable as two part but it's harder and more durable than aerosol enamel.

 

[MOguy]

I like Valaspar from Lowes. They arent the cheapest but less espensive than others. I dont think it is any better than the other decent paints but it seems the can sprays better at odd angles and covers good, and a decent price. Regardless of what paint you choose it will scratch. I own rental homes and have painted allot of walls. Even their cheapest paint roll on paints seem to do a good job covering.

What ever you choose the most important thing to do is keep up with it. Always have ever a can and some sand paper handy.

 

[rayra]

Another vote for Rustoleum Satin Black Enamel. With good surface prep it sticks great and touch-ups blend well.


eta - the argument on which is hardest is fruitless. You grind those sliders on anything and NO paint is remaining unmarred. Cheap and easy is the way to go.

 

[pappawheely]

Steel-It is what a lot of top offroad racing teams use. It's durable and you can weld on it with no prep. Perfect for parts that are going to take some abuse. http://www.steel-it.com/steel-it-products-4#

 

[lilkia]

Magik Implement paint. Holds up on farm equipment. Its what I used on my bumpers, hitch and ladder rack.