Trailer painting

[LD1]

Wow, others seem to really want to spend your money . If I am spending my money, sand blasting is too expensive. Prep it the best you can with a wire wheel/cup and flap disk. Then spray and brush on something. Again depends on if it is my money or yours…. I would probably do a bedliner type covering. Project farm did a good comparison on the different brands to help decide.

Yea, saying sandblast it is easy on an internet forum when you arent spending your own money.

I have inquired with a few blasters. Around here the going rate is $160/hr + sand.

And I have sent a few pics to some of these places and they are guessing 4-5 hours JUST to hit the insides of the main frame and the channel cross members. The one place said at 4-5 hrs laber you are looking at around $700 and probably that much again in sand.

I dont want to spend $1500 on prep. Wire wheeling has worked well for everything I have ever painted.....and has held up well.

My main questions were regarding the coating/paint. As to what you guys have used with good results and what to avoid. And at ~$250/gallon if POR-15 is worth it? OR is there a cheaper alternative.

Also, most places around here seem to only carry quart sized and smaller cans of POR-15. And nothing I can find shows how far or how many sq ft the Por-15 covers per gallon. Dont know if a quart is enough, or if I need 5 gallons?

 

[Midniteoyl]

You guys know that there are small, portable sand blasters for home use? The 10 gal ones are ~$150 + medium and work pretty good. Better than a wire cup at any rate.. No need to send the trailer off to a shop.

 

[LD1]

You guys know that there are small, portable sand blasters for home use? The 10 gal ones are ~$150 + medium and work pretty good. Better than a wire cup at any rate.. No need to send the trailer off to a shop.

I have used the little blasters. They are slow and you spend more time waiting on an air compressor to catch up.

Gonna spend $200 on a blaster, $300 on ppe, $200+ on media......and its still pretty slow. Probably take all day if not more just to hit the cross members.

 

[alexpops]

Wire wheel the loose stuff. OSPHO/ETCH& PREP or any available flavor of phosphoric acid. Pressure wash & dry. Rustoleum rusty metal primer then topcoat of your choosing. If you want to protect even more, hit it with a lanolin type undercoat after paint sets.

 

[LD1]

Wire wheel the loose stuff. OSPHO/ETCH& PREP or any available flavor of phosphoric acid. Pressure wash & dry. Rustoleum rusty metal primer then topcoat of your choosing. If you want to protect even more, hit it with a lanolin type undercoat after paint sets.

I buy fluid film in 5-gal buckets and spray under all of my vehicles every year with a high pressure airless sprayer. I plan to do the same to this trailer no matter what coating I choose

 

[fidowanttobe]

I have had great luck with POR-15 but beware of large cans. You will destroy a can opening it the second time if there is even a trace of it in the groove of the lid. All my "leftover" goes into a pint jar when I'm done with a clean lid and rim. Then in the fridge. I usually buy the 6 pack of 1/4 pints unless it's a larger project. The cleaner and prep I buy in quarts. I can't stress the prep enough. Read the instructions carefully. Also, it has no UV protection so needs to be topcoated.

 

[mrmikey]

ea, saying sandblast it is easy on an internet forum when you arent spending your own money.

Yup, you are 100% correct. ?It's more fun spending others money lol. Go with the needle gun, wire wheel an call it good

 

[crashz]

If you are going to Fluid Film the frame, I would clean it up with the wire wheel, degrease well, and paint with a rustoleum. Then give it a good spray with the FF once the rustoleum cures.

BTW - FF has a black that sprays a little better and smells better too. Very similar in consistency with New Hampshire Oil Undercoating material.

I bought my trailer brand new and the powder coating looked great on the outside. Underneath was abysmal. Been spraying it down in the summer with FF and its kept rust at bay. But it rarely sees the salt.

 

[dlctcg]

Have used Por15 with both good & bad experiences, however it's been awhile & the pricing is pretty high so stopped using it.

We have been using a product made by SEM called Rust Trap, SEM products are available at many auto paint distributors. Have been using it for like 3yrs on projects & it is holding up well so far (in New England). Nice thing about it is it can be used on Bare Steel, Rusted steel, Properly prepped paint in good condition & Aluminum. Applies pretty quickly as you apply 2 med to light coats wet-to-wet (like 5 - 15 mins between coats). It dries rock hard but has not come off the TJ parts we did 3yrs ago (both new & rusted) & the only other coating it get is fluid film.

Down sides (thus far)
(1) It is thin, like water so application is a little tricky but lays out smooth even with a brush (it goes a long way if your not wasteful)
(2) Like many of the other products it needs a top coat as it is not UV stable. That said we have not top coated any of the undercarriages, parts or piece that are not in direct sunlight & it is holding up thus far.

Less expensive then Por 15 & in my opinion not at Prep Picky as it either... Just something to look in to...

Link to the PDF's

SEM Rust Trap PDF

SEM Corrosion Protection Brochure

 

[stumblinhorse]

Yea, saying sandblast it is easy on an internet forum when you arent spending your own money.

I have inquired with a few blasters. Around here the going rate is $160/hr + sand.

And I have sent a few pics to some of these places and they are guessing 4-5 hours JUST to hit the insides of the main frame and the channel cross members. The one place said at 4-5 hrs laber you are looking at around $700 and probably that much again in sand.

I dont want to spend $1500 on prep. Wire wheeling has worked well for everything I have ever painted.....and has held up well.

My main questions were regarding the coating/paint. As to what you guys have used with good results and what to avoid. And at ~$250/gallon if POR-15 is worth it? OR is there a cheaper alternative.

Also, most places around here seem to only carry quart sized and smaller cans of POR-15. And nothing I can find shows how far or how many sq ft the Por-15 covers per gallon. Dont know if a quart is enough, or if I need 5 gallons?

I have used por-15, bedliner and rustoleum. It depends on you I would say. POR is messy and hard to clean up, it works well, but it seems they have a lot of other products that they sell/recommend to ensure it is a “good” coating. I wasn’t crazy about it being so glossy. But have it on 2 of my vehicles and it has worked so far.

Bedliner is tough and comes with a lot of ways to apply. Once it is on it stays and protects. Not as expensive as por. It is easy to recoat or touch up. I have used the duplicolor version on the rockers of my truck after welding in new metal and it is holding up well. I have touched it up a few times looks good still.

Rustoleom is the cheapest and easiest. Will probably do the job. I brushed and rollered it onto my rotary cutter and it is holding up well.

 

[nyone]

I did a open deck car trailer about 5yrs ago. I used a knotted wire cup brush or a needle scaler on every bit of it. Then rusty metal primer and black rustoleum sprayed through a HVLP gun. Looked great but used until I sold it at year 5.

For the underside use woolwax or fluid film once the paint is cured..about 30 days.

 

[Streetcar]

Surface prep is the most important thing when using poor-15. It is almost impossible to get trailer clean enough with wire brush to use por-15. It will start flaking off in the corners and then quickly progress over the rest of the trailer.

 

[LD1]

Surface prep is the most important thing when using poor-15. It is almost impossible to get trailer clean enough with wire brush to use por-15. It will start flaking off in the corners and then quickly progress over the rest of the trailer.

I keep hearing this. No only on the internet but in person as well.

I thought the thing was called "Paint Over Rust"???

 

[WilliamBos]

View attachment 786738View attachment 786739

Following.

 

[dcarman]

So I finally purchased a trailer after 2+ years of on/off shopping. Its a 2015 24' 14k AMO bumper pull.

Trailer was overall pretty good shape. But I swear about every used trailer I saw of just about every brand.....its like they do minimal paint/prep work on the under side of the trailer. All the metal that can be "seen" going down the road...this trailer almost looks like the day it was made 8 years ago. But the cross members are pretty rusted. Nothing structural or rotten....just surface rusted and peeling paint.

So I pulled all the deck boards off and gonna paint. But that leaves the question.......how to proceed.

I have refinished a ton of old equipment and implements. And always had good luck with just a wire cup on an angle grinder.....knocking off all loose rust but not down to shiny steel. Then rustoleum primer....and either valspar or rustoleums "farm and implement" paint with their hardner. The stuff sold at TSC or rural king. I spray it with an air gun and its pretty cheap.....but even implements I painted 10 years ago still look real good and no rusting. But they also arent going down the road at 70mph getting water and road salt spray.

I have looked and stuff like por15 or similar are like $250/gallon and seems there are just as many people that say its junk as people who swear by it.

I know painting is all in the prep work....

I dont plan to grind the whole trailer. The outsides look good....I'll just do some touch up. Mainly concerned with everything on the underside. The 20-some 3" cross members, and the insides of the main channel frame that need attention.

Also open to better top-coat paints vs the rustoleum or valspar farm & implement stuff. Lots of "industrial" type coatings....or DTM type paints. Really want to find something readily available and not have to mail order.

Have also considered once I get the heavy stuff knocked off.....brushing on muratic acid then powerwashing. Muratic acid dissolves rust and leaves bare metal. And it wont effect the paint where the paint is still stuck good. (Makes rusted metal look like it has been sandblasted if you have never used muratic acid before). But that must be done outside or it will eat concrete.

So any of those of you that have stripped and re-done a trailer frame or similar.....what have you found that works the best? And what doesnt and not to waste time doing.

Given that I dont want to strip wiring, lighting, etc and the outside frame is fine....sandblasting is not really something I want to do.

I tell ya I've built a lot of trailers and rebuilt a few. The road is a destructive force from hell! If you use the trailer the road will strip the coating off. There was a time when I thought powder coating was the ultimate solution but even that proved to be a less than solution. The powder coating and epoxy type paints are almost - bullet proof - BUT!
Rocks and road debris will make small holes in the epoxy or powder coat finish where salts can get into the metal underneath and cause corrosion under the finish. This causes the finish to bubble up and makes the surface coating fall off eventually. Meanwhile the hidden corrosion is doing serious damage to the metal underneath.
I found I just coat it with a cheap overcoat to make it look good. In a few years that coating is stripped off by the road and I wash it with the pressure washer and reshoot it with the same color if need be. Usually the exposed metal has some surface oxidation, this is not a problem. If you shoot it with an epoxy or have it powder coated (which only works best when new) you can create bigger corrosion problems under that "tough" coating.
I've taken to shooting all the metal under the deck with a good ruberized underbody coating for cars like Barrier Bond. Then the customer facing surfaces get a good glossy rust resistant paint works the best.

 

[LD1]

I havent updated in awhile.

Trailer is almost done. Just buttoning up some wiring and lighting.

I ended up going with rustoleum farm and implement paint at TSC with hardner. Based on cost and having good luck with it in the past painting implements and bushhogs and such.

 

[LD1]

 

[TreeToad]

So I finally purchased a trailer after 2+ years of on/off shopping. Its a 2015 24' 14k AMO bumper pull.

Trailer was overall pretty good shape. But I swear about every used trailer I saw of just about every brand.....its like they do minimal paint/prep work on the under side of the trailer. All the metal that can be "seen" going down the road...this trailer almost looks like the day it was made 8 years ago. But the cross members are pretty rusted. Nothing structural or rotten....just surface rusted and peeling paint.

So I pulled all the deck boards off and gonna paint. But that leaves the question.......how to proceed.

I have refinished a ton of old equipment and implements. And always had good luck with just a wire cup on an angle grinder.....knocking off all loose rust but not down to shiny steel. Then rustoleum primer....and either valspar or rustoleums "farm and implement" paint with their hardner. The stuff sold at TSC or rural king. I spray it with an air gun and its pretty cheap.....but even implements I painted 10 years ago still look real good and no rusting. But they also arent going down the road at 70mph getting water and road salt spray.

I have looked and stuff like por15 or similar are like $250/gallon and seems there are just as many people that say its junk as people who swear by it.

I know painting is all in the prep work....

I dont plan to grind the whole trailer. The outsides look good....I'll just do some touch up. Mainly concerned with everything on the underside. The 20-some 3" cross members, and the insides of the main channel frame that need attention.

Also open to better top-coat paints vs the rustoleum or valspar farm & implement stuff. Lots of "industrial" type coatings....or DTM type paints. Really want to find something readily available and not have to mail order.

Have also considered once I get the heavy stuff knocked off.....brushing on muratic acid then powerwashing. Muratic acid dissolves rust and leaves bare metal. And it wont effect the paint where the paint is still stuck good. (Makes rusted metal look like it has been sandblasted if you have never used muratic acid before). But that must be done outside or it will eat concrete.

So any of those of you that have stripped and re-done a trailer frame or similar.....what have you found that works the best? And what doesnt and not to waste time doing.

Given that I dont want to strip wiring, lighting, etc and the outside frame is fine....sandblasting is not really something I want to do.

I redid an old boat trailer down to bare metal and primed it the applied truck bed liner. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[Gord Baker]

Having been an Inspector in the Petrochemical Field for many years I have seen many types of Industrial Coatings. If you plan on keeping it for a long time and if it were ever to be exposed to salt then get it Sandblasted. Commercial Blast SP6.
Prime with Inorganic Zinc 3mils thick. Top coat with a Hi-Build Epoxy. Carboline Products were always excellent. Specialized equipment is needed. Do not power wire brush smooth as this destroys any anchor pattern on the steel for the coating.
Be sure and protect Wheel Bearings, Brakes etc when sand blasting. It looks in pretty good condition at present so you may get away with Brush off Blasting (SP 7 = NACE #4 specification) and a quality topcoat. If wiring is loose, put it inside plastic tubing. Do it once, do it right.

 

[bgr]

Great review of all the methods to deal with rust. For the bottom of mower decks this is what I do. I haven't had good luck with heavy coats, which chip and rust underneath.

1. Wire brush and blow off rust.
2. Brush paint with OSPHO(water thin phosphoric acid).
3. Brush off dust and loose particles, and light wire brush any area of rust still showing.
4. Brush on another layer of OSPHO.
5. Wash surface with soap and water and dry.
6. Spray with spray on galvanize in a spray can.
7. Spray with Home Depot surface shield spray on surface protectant in a can. (It is like a light cosmoline and works if you want grass to fall off next year.)

Next year, wash or brush off grass crust. Respray areas where galvanize has worn off and recoat with surface shield. You end up using two $8. spray cans the first year. Not much after that. OSPHO is cheap at $48. gallon at ACE. It is very thin and goes a long way with a paint brush.

You can also just do two coats of OSPHO and 1 recoat when necessary. I would be tempted to do this on large surfaces like the bottom members of a trailer.

If you are painting or priming, especially after wire brushing, use prepaint cleaner from an auto body shop first to get off oils and silicone which make the paint fish eye.