Roll on paint jobs

[Bugzilla]

Hey everyone. I was cruising around on another forum and came across a thread about people who have rolled paint on to their vehicle instead of spraying it. The people who took their time ended up with a pretty good result. As of right now, I am currently in the middle of painting my Bug (rattle can and it looks decent so far). There is no way I am going to have a professional do it due to the cost of a good paint job. So, have any of you rolled on your paint? If so, do you have some good quality pictures you can post up? Maybe some pointers on how to do it? Brand of paint and thinner used? I am not looking to have a show car but just something that looks better then the rattle can. Thanks.

[jlcustomz]

I recently posted in the waterbourne vs solvent thread about using a couple of different professional waterbourne paints at work meant for professional home & commercial use. wasn't going to repost anything yet till I finished sanding & buffing on a couple of samples, but I did a quick rough color sand & hand buff on a sample today & it looked promising.

One is ppg breakthrough & the other, which I sprayed today is Sherwin Williams pro all surface acrylic. As I mentioned , this is NOT like latex house paint. Just for laughs & possibly to your benefit, I found a little cheap wagner turbine sprayer someone left at work & tried it out. With the all surface paint unthinned &the paint flow set about halfway, it covered white with a custom bronze in one coat . As this was first time with a cheap sprayer I'd usually never use, had a few runs on 1 commercial window stop part I was spraying. Set in in sun just a few minutes & was able to immediately sand & respray. Finish was ok for what I needed here, but with 2 or 3 light to medium spray coats, it could be sanded & buffed.

Both products would be much cheaper if you could use a professional accountholders name & just pay for it yourself. ( Ace Door Service, Jacksonville Florida).

You could roll these on , but I'd look into a cheap turbine sprayer like I mentioned or an old fashioned pneumatic sprayer meant for latex, which pressurizes the canister & can spray heavier paint.
Also whether spraying or rolling, you can use a paint conditioner meant for waterbourne paint, such as flowtrol. This slows initial dry time & makes it flow out better. Also reduces drag with a brush & stiction with a roller.

For a quick temporary paint job on some ground effects years ago I tried dupli-color engine ceramic paint in rattle cans & sanded & buffed it to a quality black mirror finish.. Looked great for a little while, but failed after a little occasional sun exposure. Rust oleum enamel also failed after a few years. The industrial waterbourne acrylics I mentioned could be in useable shape well beyond 20 years on a building, so I think it's a good choice for what you want.
Sound worth a look??

If you need a little more advice on it, you can bug me about it, no pun intended.

[minendrews68]

I personally think you should look into painting your VW yourself. If you messed it up, I don't think it could look as bad as a rolled on paint job. I remember the first car I painted. scared to death and it looked really good, despite the fact it was straight enamel! I'm saying try it. Go to Harbor Freight, buy a cheap gun and go for it..

[Bugzilla]

Awesome info. Thank you a bunch. I am going to look in to the paint that you mentioned. I have read that a lot of people have used rustoleum with a good outcome as well. Probably cause its cheap though. I already have 2 spray guys. Just a generic top feeder that hooks up to the air compressor and another that is meant for house paint and is electric. My problem is that I dont want to use them cause of all the over spray. My garage is already a solid layer of white and many other parts that I have painted have a nice white dusting on them too. And I am too lazy to build a paint booth. So thats why I wanted to try rolling it on. Less prep work but more sanding. Everything I have left to paint is removable from the Bug which helps. I would love to see how your samples turn out so please post them. I am going to finish painting the Bug the same way I have been doing but I am considering it to be a good base coat for better paint, not long term. Thanks for the offer as well. The Bug and I will be bugging you.

[Bugzilla]

I personally think you should look into painting your VW yourself. If you messed it up, I don't think it could look as bad as a rolled on paint job. I remember the first car I painted. scared to death and it looked really good, despite the fact it was straight enamel! I'm saying try it. Go to Harbor Freight, buy a cheap gun and go for it..

Sorry didnt see this before I posted. I do have a spray gun and I have use it before for other projects. My above post says why I dont want to use it. And paint is more expensive. Here is what it looks like now. Just flat white. Not the best picture I know... need more daylight!

Dont mind that black circle on the right. Something is stuck in my camera lens.

[beater65]

I believe it was HOT ROD magazine did a full very detailed article on rolling on paint to a car.

They made it look very nice. They really spent a significant amount of time on prep work and details that made it nice. But time is free... Goal hear obviously was minimizing cost.

I couldn't find actual article with a quick search. But it was from July 2007- $98 dollar roller paint job

[beater65]

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/hrdp-...get-paint-job/

[andrewb70]

I think self-applied wrap would look way better.

Andrew

[expensivehobby22]

There are a number of threads on steelsoldiers.com discussing using Behr exterior paint for the exterior of their military trucks. Probably not quite the finish you are looking for, since they are typically trying to match the flat non-smooth texture of original military paint, but interesting nonetheless.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthr...w-me-your-MV-s

[Bugzilla]

I believe it was HOT ROD magazine did a full very detailed article on rolling on paint to a car.

They made it look very nice. They really spent a significant amount of time on prep work and details that made it nice. But time is free... Goal hear obviously was minimizing cost.

I couldn't find actual article with a quick search. But it was from July 2007- $98 dollar roller paint job

I did read that article. That is what gave me some inspiration to roll it on. They just dont show any good close up pictures of the final product so it hard to really tell how the finish came out.

I think self-applied wrap would look way better.

Andrew

Yes I do too. But I thought that the paint had to be smooth and shiny for it to stick good? Not a matte finish like I have. Even at that, can you imagine trying to wrap a Bug? Everything is round! Would not be fun.

[Bugzilla]

There are a number of threads on steelsoldiers.com discussing using Behr exterior paint for the exterior of their military trucks. Probably not quite the finish you are looking for, since they are typically trying to match the flat non-smooth texture of original military paint, but interesting nonetheless.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthr...w-me-your-MV-s

Nah thats a bit too rough of a finish for the Bug. Would work out good on my Jeep though!

[LowFast]

What about if you just prime the whole thing to protect the metal and self spray the "plasti dip" type material. Supposed to be more forgiving than paint for a DYI and cheaper as well, and if later you tire of it, just peel it off and do something else.

[JustJohn]

I did read that article. That is what gave me some inspiration to roll it on. They just dont show any good close up pictures of the final product so it hard to really tell how the finish came out.



Yes I do too. But I thought that the paint had to be smooth and shiny for it to stick good? Not a matte finish like I have. Even at that, can you imagine trying to wrap a Bug? Everything is round! Would not be fun.

I wrapped my Ducati in vinyl. No lack of compound curves there and it has (had) a matte paint finish.

[Bugzilla]

What about if you just prime the whole thing to protect the metal and self spray the "plasti dip" type material. Supposed to be more forgiving than paint for a DYI and cheaper as well, and if later you tire of it, just peel it off and do something else.

Not a huge fan of that stuff. And that would mean I have to tape and bag the entire car again which is what I am trying to avoid. If I have to do that, I might as well use real paint in a gun.

I wrapped my Ducati in vinyl. No lack of compound curves there and it has (had) a matte paint finish.

That looks nice! For the front fender, did you only use 1 piece? That does not look like it was fun. Any close up pictures?

[Bugzilla]

So at this point here is what I have come up with.

Roll paint on -
Pros - Dirt cheap and easy to do. Decent looking when done.
Con - Lots and lots of sanding and multiple layers of paint.

Vinyl wrap -
Pros - Looks like a real paint job
Cons - Not too cheap and will be a nightmare to put on. Cant do it by myself.

Plasti-dip -
Pros - Easy to paint and removable if needed.
Cons - Have to tape off the entire car. Not the cheapest option but still affordable.

Spray it the right way -
Pros - The best looking finish and most durable
Cons - Tons of prep work. Have to tape off the entire car. Would be best to build a garage paint station. Supplies can be expensive.

Rattle can -
Pros - Wont cost anything since I have the cans. I only have a few panels left to do.
Cons - Worst finish of all other choices. Not the most durable. Will fade the fastest.

[andrewb70]

I think there is another options. I know this will sound terrible, but what about places like Maaco? I have heard that if you do the prep work and take off what you don't want painted, the end results can be pretty decent and relatively inexpensive...

Andrew

[Bugzilla]

I think there is another options. I know this will sound terrible, but what about places like Maaco? I have heard that if you do the prep work and take off what you don't want painted, the end results can be pretty decent and relatively inexpensive...

Andrew

I have heard the same thing. I had a buddy get his truck painted by a cheap shop like Maaco and the outcome was pretty good. There was just over spray EVERYWHERE! That is what I am afraid of. Everything else on the car is painted and I would prefer not to have to redo it again.

[Yukon Cornelius]

Maaco near me closed at least 5 years ago. Is Maaco and Earl Scheib still in business?

[jlcustomz]

Installed another house entrance door today I did with the PPG breakthrough paint, lipstick red & white. Customer was initially unhappy that the red wasn't as dark as she expected seeing the door at a distance, but fell in love with it seeing it up close. Both colors of red I did in this paint are really vibrant colors.
Didn't have time today to better sand & buff my samples, but I did check adhesion on them. The ppg was superior to the other paint I mentioned on adhesion. Stuck great to a sample of stainless sheet barely scuffed with 400 grit, NO primer. I paid less than 50 a gallon for it with a commercial cash account& saw it on the internet for a little over 60, which is still far cheaper than a gal of rust oleum which I've had lose adhesion & fail. I still think it could be the best choice for you. Even if you rolled it adding some paint conditioner, you could sand & buff it easier than many other paints. If you messed up & oversanded a spot, so what , just re-roll & start over. As with any paint I'd sample & practice on something else first. With a quick dry waterbourne paint, humidity & temps make a huge difference on dry time. You'd actually be better off doing when damp such as raining outside , provided your area is free from bugs & dust isn't blowing in.
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...=1496457324534

Check out some of the professional painters comments on the paint forum sites. Tough enough to use on concrete floor, etc. One painter mentioned using a small amount of mineral spirits can smooth it out & not affect it adversely. Waterbourne paints will take over someday.

[TheJDMan]

Check out Alsa Corp. They make a number of unique finishes and wraps.

http://alsacorp.com/