selva
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Post by selva on Apr 3, 2019 12:39:02 GMT -8
The current paint is pretty old and faded, but not peeling or anything like that. I've never painted anything before, and I'm doing this on a super budget. My trailer isn't worth very much and I'm not trying to do a pro job, just something that looks nicer than what I've got now. I'm not trying to sell the trailer, it is for my own use. I have a friend with a spray gun who will help me paint if I just prep everything and buy the materials. I've done a lot of research and talked to a lot of people and wanted to check out my plans with all you wonderful experts out there.
I'm also facing a misguided repair on the trailer. When I got the trailer, the front seams of the skin needed repair. The man (I thought knew what he was doing) just nailed them back to the frame and put silver waterproofing tape on the outside, as a temporary thing. He later put galvanized aluminum over than with foam gap filler and caulking to seal it. It looks terrible but it seems to work. One of the main reasons I want to update the paint job.
Since I need to prep this metal to accept paint, and I want to avoid sanding the whole trailer, one friend said that I could spray easy-off oven cleaner on the trailer, leave in for 15 minutes or so, and then wash it off. That this would etch the aluminum giving a better surface for the new paint to stick and remove some of the old paint. Then I could just sand any little detail spots that need it. Doing a little online research, this is a thing some people do, but I saw it mostly in relation to horse trailers and boats and such. Anyone have any experience with this or any bring reason NOT to do it?
Then the question of what paint. After reading nccamper's wonderful tutorial, I thought it best to go with Ace Rust Stop, and they have it at my local shop. However, the employee told me they can't tint the oil-based enamel, but they can tint the water-based version (like this one www.acehardware.com/departments/paint-and-supplies/specialty-paints/rust-prevention/1414226). nccamper's post seems to indicate he could tint the oil-based (so maybe I just need to talk to a different employee). Or does anyone think the water-based could or could not be used? Do I have to prime first if I have etched the aluminum with oven cleaner? The friend with the paint gun is a cabinet maker and he says I could just use the same lacquer he uses on wood cabinets and it can be tinted to any color. He seems to think it would work just fine on my trailer. My logic is skeptical but this guy knows a lot of things. Any thoughts on using that?
I really want paint that can be tinted, the standard tractor and safety colors are not my thing. My current plan is to keep the color scheme it came with, but make purple as the background color of the whole thing and make all the trim red (matching the curtains). Getting rid of the yellow. I haven't yet decided if I will make the door red or purple. I don't really want to stick with the standard colors and have the main color being a sand or almond color with red trim. That is a last resort option.  P1100690 by Selva Libre, on Flickr  P1100692 by Selva Libre, on Flickr |
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aslmx
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Post by aslmx on Apr 3, 2019 13:12:48 GMT -8
Have you tried Lowe’s. They told me that they have a valspar oile based that they can tint.
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Post by vikx on Apr 3, 2019 20:34:02 GMT -8
Sand it all down and clean really well with solvent. Be SURE it's clean and dust free before paint.
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Apr 4, 2019 10:15:23 GMT -8
Like pretty much everything else, the prep part is what takes the time and energy. It’s also the part that provides the least instant gratification. This is where so many folks who are repairing/restoring/rebuilding old trailers get into trouble. I’m sure vikx or mobiltec could give you many dozens of instances when folks have asked them about the easiest or cheapest way to fix something. Rarely a good idea. The thing that most often happens with a “simple” solution is that it backfires a few years, or a few thousand miles down the road. Not a problem if one only wants to flip a trailer, but for something to keep and use, even if it’s done on a very tight budget, it’s always best to spend time on the things that won’t necessarily show in the end.
I think your color scheme, if unusual, is delightful. And if you love it, to heck with everyone else! Good luck with your project.
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selva
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Post by selva on Apr 4, 2019 13:37:02 GMT -8
I don't have a Lowe's near me, but thank you for the suggestion. Just Ace or Home Depot.
I'm seeking anyone who has experience using the Easy-off oven cleaner method. I realize that it is definitely not the 'best' way to do it. I don't have the skills, resources or time to do it the 'best' way. Plus, I take this trailer all over the place, down back roads in national forests, so she gets her share of 'Arizona pinstripes' anyway. I don't want to overinvest in a perfect paint job that will just be scratched in a month anyway.
If I were to sand it, do I have to do it by hand to get all the lines in the aluminum? It is not a flat surface. Would an orbital sander machine work as well?
Making sure it is perfectly clean and dust free before painting is nearly impossible. It lives next to a sandy dirt road, so every time a car drives past, a bit of sand is kicked up into the air. I can't close the street to the neighbors, nor do I have anywhere else to work on it. Also, the windy season is about to start so I have to act fast if I'm going to do this. Complications like this, and finding paint that I can tint, is what stopped me from painting last year. I drove it all over the place last summer like it is now, and I actually got a lot of appreciation for the paint job, even with its faded and mismatched aspects. Anyway, I think the best I can do is work in sections, getting one clean in the morning and painting it before the end of the day.
Thanks for the color appreciation, Hamlet. I'm one of those weird super-integrity people where it would actually matter MORE to me if I was going to sell it, as I would be honest with the buyers about the work done (unlike the guy who sold her to me, but that is another story). But as this trailer is not 'vintage' but is still old (1987) its not worth much even super fixed up.
And just so everyone knows, this is not 'lipstick on a pig'. I'm not flipping the trailer, I live in it. I've fixed all the important but not beautifying things, and towed it all over the place so she is road-worthy and in many ways wonderful. At only 19ft she has the best bathroom layout I have ever seen in a trailer with a shower over an actual BATHTUB. Now I just want to make her a bit more pretty for my summer traveling season, without spending a lot of money and trying to get it done in a few days. I'm not looking for a ten-year paint job. Something that looks nice for a couple years is all I can hope for right now. I know that might be outside the scope of what people usually do on this forum, but it was nccamper's very detailed post that brought me here. So thanks for reading  |
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aslmx
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Post by aslmx on Apr 4, 2019 15:17:37 GMT -8
You said in your first post that it’s not peeling. I’m no expert but I wonder if you could just sand it by hand the best you can and paint over it. Just a thought but I would get more advice on that idea. An orbital might get the wider spots but the smaller ones will be a pain. Another idea would be to have it media blasted but that could get expensive.
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ruderunner
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Post by ruderunner on Jul 19, 2020 10:05:23 GMT -8
Im late to this but...
Oven cleaner is a caustic solution. It does very bad things to aluminum.
I use it to clean small easily dunked aluminum parts. For something that you can't submerge or have complete access to, id be wary of residue causing problems.
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