Paint trailer with stone gaurd or truck bed liner?

[Old Ironmaker]

Someone on a fishing forum I'm on cleaned up the rust on his trailer and then rather than paint it sprayed truck bed liner on it. I am thinking rocker panel stone guard. It comes on sale often and I'm thinking it is less $$$ than bed liner. I guess if I want a black trailer. Why not, Lund trailers are black aren't they?

Do you folks think it is better than rust inhibitor paint?

 

[Scott Danforth]

the diy kits for bed liners, etc are not that great compared to the cross-linked poly urea based coatings like rhino liner or line-x

as far as what is better, it comes down to surface prep. if you blast the trailer, use a good self-etching primer and then paint, it will last a long time. if you simply wire-brush the rust, the rust will return.

if it was me, I would use rustoleum with hardener

 

[Randolftrails]

I think maybe a product called POR-15 would be less prep and long lasting

 

[briangcc]

I'd be leary of POR-15 as you have to get the right product that IS UV stable. Some are not and require a top coat to protect the product from UV breakdown. And its not all its cracked up to be as I've used it on running boards for my '95 Pathfinder and it started rusting again in under a year. This with a top coat.

I'd stick with more traditional paints as my '05 FourWinns survived 12 years with regular dunkings and was only starting to show its age when I traded it in.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I can't imagine doing maintenance on a frame that has been coated with bedliner. If you start getting rust under the bedliner, you'd have a fun time cutting/scraping that stuff away to repair the damage. No way in a million years I'd buy a trailer that had been coated with that stuff.

 

[muskyfins]

It's all in the prep and you probably already knew that.

For me it depends on the trailer. But regular old Rustoleum should last at least 10 years, it's easy to touch up and inexpensive.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I used to get pallets of POR 15 delivered. the stuff today just doesnt stick to squat like it used to since the company traded hands. besides the uv stability, the paint just no longer adheres to any substrate. I have a nice picture of me peeling POR paint off in sheets (from a grit blasted surface). I would never use POR 15 on anything anymore.

that being said, for trailer, rustoleum cold galvanizing over the bare metal, their universal bonding primer and a top coat of your preferred color.

 

[Chaser 32]

Not to mention POR 15 kind of pricey at $170 / gallon just for an undercoating. I agree with muskyfins, its all in the prep. Remove any corrosion, TSP bath, Self etching primer, several good coats of durable engine paint and s solid coat of KBS Diamond finish. Its expensive $20 / Spray can, but works great at repelling a lot of road damage.

 

[gm280]

There are lots of ways to refurbish a trailer. But the typical way is to sand the trailer to remove any and all rust. Then wipe it down with Acetone or Lacquer Thinner, shoot a quality primer, then lightly sand and shoot the paint. Some have their trailers sandblaster to remove all the rust and any old paint. And then apply a quality primer. Some even use a two part primer that has a hardener additive. Then they sand that primer until they like that surface. And shoot a coat or three of quality paint. Some also use a hardener in the paint to make it impervious to oils, gas and fuels. Some even apply clear coats over the paint for even more protection. So there are tons of ways to make your trailer look great. You have to pick what suits you.

If you want to see how I refurbish such a trailer, click on the link below. I like base coat clear coat applications myself. JMHO!

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I wouldn't use it myself, especially after reading all the good points made here. I used an angle grinder to get to below any rust, power sanded the good sections and simply applied a few coats of Rustoleum. Wrapped new PT wood for the bunks in marine carpet I found on sale, replaced the side steps with PT, and changed most of the old galvanised hardware to stainless and replaced some rubber. That was 8 years ago. It could use a bit of a touch up now.

 

[bigdee]

I would consider that as being a thick cover up. It would hide any rust that develops under the coating. Sand,prime and paint is the way to go....and when/if rust returns do it over again.

 

[oldjeep]

My trailer has bedliner on the fenders from the factory, spraying the frame was an option. As long as you get any rust deactivated then I wouldn't worry at all about it.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I would consider that as being a thick cover up. It would hide any rust that develops under the coating. Sand,prime and paint is the way to go....and when/if rust returns do it over again.

Hi bigdee, I am a Metallurgist by trade. It wasn't a cover up. It isn't always necessary to sand blast or even sand every speck of paint off to get to all the deoxidization of steel. If auto body shops had to do that every time they repaired a vehicle a $3000.00 repair would be 30,000.

 

[bigdee]

Hi bigdee, I am a Metallurgist by trade. It wasn't a cover up. It isn't always necessary to sand blast or even sand every speck of paint off to get to all the deoxidization of steel. If auto body shops had to do that every time they repaired a vehicle a $3000.00 repair would be 30,000.

I was not referring to covering up what is currently on it. I meant that you will be covering up any corrosion that may form under it....and it probably will,just like it does with paint. With paint though you have a chance to SEE it and correct it before it gets too bad. No need to re-invent the wheel,paint is fine.

 

[gm280]

My $0.02 cents worth, a properly painted trailer will last more years then most people think. But that is a properly painted trailer with the proper prep work to get to the point. JMHO