Trailer paint

[villageidiot327]

How’s everyone paint their trailers?

Direct to metal farm paint? High roller powdercoat? 2 part shooting it with automotive paint? Drop it off at maaco? Brush on rustoleum?

I’m getting to this part of the build right quick and haven’t been able to pull the trigger on a solution. Initial thought was raptor liner, but it can’t go direct to metal, and requires shooting primer. I don’t do paint/bodywork at the shop so it’s way outta my wheelhouse.

Cheers.

 

[Boston90]

Also interested in this. Prep recommendations could be helpful too.

 

[Mccool]

Good timing, I'm a week or two out from painting mine.

Most likely, I'll sand blast it and paint the whole trailer with a Zinc primer. Then I'll paint the tub with a urethane enamel top coat, and coat the fenders, frame, running boards and tent rack with monstaliner.

I wish there was an easier solution though.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Personal experience... marine enamel or a really good industrial enamel. I had a CDN M101 that was crudely painted by the PO on the outside only with Tremclad. Inside was OEM OD Green still. Prep is key, and preventing rust of course.

My method.

Sand and or grind back all rust without taking away too much metal. Sand entire surface with a decent grit (maybe 180 or 220) and when done, wash down with a good wax and grease remover to remove all contaminants. I used POR15 Metal Prep over the entire tub and frame because there was a lot of bare spots. I then painted the entire trailer with POR15, 1 light coat. I then sanded it lightly with 220 to give it some tooth and re-wiped it with wax and grease remover.

Top coat I chose was Interlux Marine Enamel in bright red. There are numerous colours and options...I used single component (non-activated) and a small foam roller and brush. The finish was amazing after 2 coats! If you stood back, it looked like I sprayed it. Once fully cured, it was as hard or harder than automotive paint and looked the same 5 years later. Hardly a scratch.

Prep is key, and using components that are compatible and following the directions. Worry about timing and temps... if it says do not re-coat before 2 hours or after 5 days....DON'T. It will wrinkle and you will have to strip the whole thing. Bonding can also be an issue, so ensure you are using stuff that works nicely with each other.

A cheap paint you can buy is Industrial Enamel for machinery. It comes in decent colours, is usually VERY colorfast (wont fade) and is abrasion resistant. I'd be wary of some of the 2 component stuff, it can contain some pretty nasty chemicals (Isocyanate and other stuff like Toluene). Oh and wear a proper respirator with proper cartridges. Can be picked up at Home Depot cheap.

5 years old...

GregB_CDNM101_Sized3 by Gregory Bird, on Flickr

 

[villageidiot327]

Personal experience... marine enamel or a really good industrial enamel. I had a CDN M101 that was crudely painted by the PO on the outside only with Tremclad. Inside was OEM OD Green still. Prep is key, and preventing rust of course.

My method.

Sand and or grind back all rust without taking away too much metal. Sand entire surface with a decent grit (maybe 180 or 220) and when done, wash down with a good wax and grease remover to remove all contaminants. I used POR15 Metal Prep over the entire tub and frame because there was a lot of bare spots. I then painted the entire trailer with POR15, 1 light coat. I then sanded it lightly with 220 to give it some tooth and re-wiped it with wax and grease remover.

Top coat I chose was Interlux Marine Enamel in bright red. There are numerous colours and options...I used single component (non-activated) and a small foam roller and brush. The finish was amazing after 2 coats! If you stood back, it looked like I sprayed it. Once fully cured, it was as hard or harder than automotive paint and looked the same 5 years later. Hardly a scratch.

Prep is key, and using components that are compatible and following the directions. Worry about timing and temps... if it says do not re-coat before 2 hours or after 5 days....DON'T. It will wrinkle and you will have to strip the whole thing. Bonding can also be an issue, so ensure you are using stuff that works nicely with each other.

A cheap paint you can buy is Industrial Enamel for machinery. It comes in decent colours, is usually VERY colorfast (wont fade) and is abrasion resistant. I'd be wary of some of the 2 component stuff, it can contain some pretty nasty chemicals (Isocyanate and other stuff like Toluene). Oh and wear a proper respirator with proper cartridges. Can be picked up at Home Depot cheap.

5 years old...

GregB_CDNM101_Sized3 by Gregory Bird, on Flickr

looks great.

i think I'm going to take the "easy route" this go around and just drop the trailer off at maaco or back at the trailer shop who initially built the trailer before i cut it apart and have it painted.

i have to hit the road May 13th, and with as much other things i have going on (50hr work week, plus prepping product for Overland Expo, etc etc) i think it'll just be easier than trying to paint myself with unknown results.

thanks for the reply. here is the trailer (so far) in question, still more work to do on trailer before it goes to paint.

i did pick up some POR15 metal prep and will keep the rust at bay with that until i get it to the paint shop, hopefully the week of may 1.

 

[ottsville]

Please don't do a Maaco paint job on that beautiful trailer you are building!
And for trailer manufacturer, they will most likely be spraying the cheapest paint that looks decent and not necessarily a paint designed to last. Use a good body shop or a high school/tech school body program in your area.

 

[villageidiot327]

Please don't do a Maaco paint job on that beautiful trailer you are building!
And for trailer manufacturer, they will most likely be spraying the cheapest paint that looks decent and not necessarily a paint designed to last. Use a good body shop or a high school/tech school body program in your area.

its a trailer, not a show pony. the trailer shop paint is SUPER HARD, durable etc.

id love to have someone lay a proper paint on it, but I'm on a time crunch, and a maaco paint job will last for my life with the trailer. (i get rid of things pretty quickly). also, once maaco shoots it, i can likely raptor line it easily over top a proper paint vs the bare metal. I'm basically not trying to drag a bare steel trailer is all I'm after.

 

[Whitecloud]

When I did mine I did a Self Etching primer and then shot it with Raptor Liner on the inside and a white top and black bottom and underside with Rustoleum on the outside. It has held up very well through the many trips that we have taken it on and have had no issues yet.