Painting Trailer Frame - Best Method?

[Gordo]

Did a search, but didn't come up with much info on painting your trailer frame.

Mine is showing a little surface rust, so I would like to clean it up and give it a fresh coat of paint.

Looking for any tips or tricks on the best methods, primers, or paints to use for this.

Thanks, Gordo

[dkutz]

Our new to us trailer is about ready for some paint too.  I did our last trailer by wire bushing most, I also have a 3M paint stripper that attaches to the drill motor, that works well if you want to get down to bare metal.  Basically I roughed up the paint, removed the rust, wiped it all clean and painted with Black rustoleum.

[Gordo]

Our new to us trailer is about ready for some paint too.  I did our last trailer by wire bushing most, I also have a 3M paint stripper that attaches to the drill motor, that works well if you want to get down to bare metal.  Basically I roughed up the paint, removed the rust, wiped it all clean and painted with Black rustoleum.

Spray can or brush on?

[wavery]

Our new to us trailer is about ready for some paint too.  I did our last trailer by wire bushing most, I also have a 3M paint stripper that attaches to the drill motor, that works well if you want to get down to bare metal.  [COLOR="Red"]Basically I roughed up the paint, removed the rust, wiped it all clean and painted with Black rustoleum[/COLOR].

Ya, we did that to our previous PU about 4 years ago. We beach camp alot so I'll bet it's about ready for a re-coat too ......

Rustoleum paint can only last so long before rust takes over.

I think the real issue is that they don't paint those frames properly at the factory. They sit around in the yard after welding, waiting for paint. In the interim, they start to corrode immediately. They just give it a coat of paint and send it to the assembly line.

In order to do it properly, the metal should be sand-blasted immediately after welding and a coat of primer applied while the metal is still warm from the sand-blasting. Then the coat of black glossy paint should be applied within hours of applying the primer.

I used to build dune-buggy chassis and that's the way that I did it. The paint lasted for years, even with running the buggy at Pismo Beach. A lot of the other parts (including my trailer) got rusty but not the properly painted surfaces on the dune-buggy.

[wavery]

Spray can or brush on?

That's a very good question........spray cans (like I used on my PU) only apply a thin coat of paint. Even if you were to apply 2-3 coats, it wouldn't build up enough film thickness to provide long lasting protection. Spray can paint has a lot more thinner than paint. The spray is very fine and you can get nice looking results from several coats but it just isn't enough thickness.

Brushing isn't the answer either. If you really want a good long lasting job, with adequate film thickness, try using an airless spray gun.

Airless sprayers put down a lot of paint. I would recommend 1 coat of primer first. That could be spray can primer. Then a light coat of gloss black with the airless, followed by an additional coat that could be sprayed a little thicker. Just be careful about runs.

Remember, several thin coats (allowing proper dry time between coats) will turn out much nicer than one thick coat. It will last longer too.

[dkutz]

Ya, we did that to our previous PU about 4 years ago. We beach camp alot so I'll bet it's about ready for a re-coat too ......



In order to do it properly, the metal should be sand-blasted immediately after welding and a coat of primer applied while the metal is still warm from the sand-blasting. Then the coat of black glossy paint should be applied within hours of applying the primer.
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Yeah Wavery, believe it or not I don't have time for that.  

I used a spray can last time.  Seemed to work ok, but I only had the trailer for less than a year before we sold it.

The PO of our current trailer, did our frame sometime before we bought it, although adequate, there are drips and it is begining to rust.  :p

Might be a summer project if I have the time and $$

[wavery]

Yeah Wavery, believe it or not I don't have time for that.  

I used a spray can last time.  Seemed to work ok, but I only had the trailer for less than a year before we sold it.

The PO of our current trailer, did our frame sometime before we bought it, although adequate, there are drips and it is begining to rust.  :p

Might be a summer project if I have the time and $$

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[dkutz]

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Heard an ad for a NEW PT Cruiser for $10,900 yesterday....:p

[wavery]

Heard an ad for a NEW PT Cruiser for $10,900 yesterday....:p

Ya, I know, I went and looked at one. It was a manual trans, no A/C, no radio and I think the windshield was Saran Wrap with a squeegee for wipers. It had ropes that you tie together for seat belts, the rear view mirror is hand-held and tires are optional. :screwy:


OH ya...........it was white with optional colors offered in spray cans..........some sanding required.

[Spirit Deer]

There is a primer you can get that turns rust to a hard black material.  Then you can just paint over it.  Of coarse, the frame needs to be gone over with a wire brush to remove anything loose or flaked.

I can't remember what the primer was called, but we got it at NAPA.  It worked very well.