Trailer Repaint On the Cheap?

[mbrule]

Slight thread hijack

For moderately small projects (example 48" box blade that only needs 1/4 of it rust/paint removed) which do y'all think would be a better tool - sandblasting or needle scaler?

sandblast......

Or:

DA sander, die grinder, wire wheel in drill, angle grinder with sanding disc, sandpaper by hand.

Needle scaler is best for hard to reach areas (corners and such)

 

[tcartwri]

It is a lot of work to sandblast a trailer. btdt.

Paint stripper to remove the remainder of the old failed paint. A pressure washer will take the rest off.
Hit the rusty areas with a knotted wheel on the grinder.
Paint with rustoleum or similar.

And... any of the wiring that was painted with a solvent based paint will be garbage. The jacketing will just flake off when you handle it. I would replace all of it.

 

[Tomtint]

I have a 16 foot Andersen equipment trailer and just had it blasted and painted about a month ago. The blasting was about 200.00 and primer/paint was another 500.00 After it was blasted I realized the inner fenders were rusted through as well as the shrouds around the tail lights. So I had new metal welded in. All said and done I spent 1050.00 to restore it and it looks brand new. It has less than 5k on it for mileage and I just put new wheels and tires on it from dry rot. So I figured it was money well spent. When I was there I ended up getting a 20 foot Downeaster low profile tilt trailer.... So now I have a real nice 16 foot Andersen for sale!

 

[QRTRHRS]

I am guessing that the original paint was powder coated? Whenever I have tried to repaint powder coating in the past, there were areas that still had paint on that I had simply sanded smooth where they met the stripped off metal.

Those areas would fail after about six months or so. Is that the way it is with powder coating or did I do something wrong?

If I wanted to sandblast a whole trailer myself, I would rent a tow behind compressor and blasting unit. The rental company should have the blasting medium for sale too.

 

[strum456]

Ok so process would be:

-scale/pressure wash
-light sand (I'm thinking 60grit on an orbital sander)
-epoxy primer from a can
-some kind of top coat

This means i'm applying the primer directly to the surface that is combo rusty steel and old sanded paint)?

First, you should know that there are no magic products that will adhere perfectly to less that perfectly prepared substrates. Just because a product is marketed for use over rust, doesnt mean it works particularly well. The truth is you have to do a good job with surface prep.

Cleaning solvent? Get an automotive grade wax and grease remover. Laquer thinner evaporates too quickly, can contain unknown substances, and was never designed to be used as a cleaner for prepping steel.

Epoxy in spray cans? Dont bother. They will be very expensive and way too slow. Your compressor is not ideal for spraying paint, but it would be WAY better than rattle cans. Brushing would be my second choice.

Epoxy pricing? I use Southern Polyurethanes Epoxy primer. It is about 160 for 2 gallons. It is more expensive than some other options, but how much is your time worth? I have used all kinds of junk before I started using epoxy. If I am going to take the time to prep something, it is worth the extra money to me to know that I will not have to do it over.

 

[orezok]

I would consider automotive undercoat for the bottom side. It doesn't need a lot of prep to stick and provides excellent rust proofing.

Available in rattle cans.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have a 16 foot Andersen equipment trailer and just had it blasted and painted about a month ago. The blasting was about 200.00 and primer/paint was another 500.00 After it was blasted I realized the inner fenders were rusted through as well as the shrouds around the tail lights. So I had new metal welded in. All said and done I spent 1050.00 to restore it and it looks brand new. It has less than 5k on it for mileage and I just put new wheels and tires on it from dry rot. So I figured it was money well spent. When I was there I ended up getting a 20 foot Downeaster low profile tilt trailer.... So now I have a real nice 16 foot Andersen for sale!

Trailers can be money pits. I bet you ended up after new tires and the paint job in about the same money to buy a new one.

Chris

 

[timswi]

You can sand blast it with what you have, but there will be a beer break every 5 minutes or so...If you're not in a hurry, who cares...

A 3M "Clean-n-Strip" pad works very well on surface rust...Used them on many classic car restorations, they aren't cheap but they do tear up rust and leave a clean surface...Slow going on large surfaces though..

As was said, hit it all with a DA using 150 or less paper..Epoxy (best) or Rustolium primer and rattle cans....You have plenty of compressor to use an HVLP spray gun to use a generic single stage auto paint, if you want to buy the chemicals needed....Otherwise, clear out the Home Despot shelves and convince them you aren't a graffiti artist.

 

[Tomtint]

Trailers can be money pits. I bet you ended up after new tires and the paint job in about the same money to buy a new one.

Chris

Maybe not as much but not that far off. If I remember correctly I
Aid 3500.00 ish for the trailer new back in 06. It's a 10k GVW. The only things I have done was to repack the bearings once a year. The new wheels and tires were 320.00 plus the cost to repaint......today it would still be another 3k for a new one.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Maybe not as much but not that far off. If I remember correctly I
Aid 3500.00 ish for the trailer new back in 06. It's a 10k GVW. The only things I have done was to repack the bearings once a year. The new wheels and tires were 320.00 plus the cost to repaint......today it would still be another 3k for a new one.

Yea, what I was getting at is many times I see folks buy a Craigs List trailer the put new paint, wiring, lights, wood, bearings, brakes, tires, ect and by the time its done they could have a new one. Its just the way it works.

Chris