Welcome to TheOhioOutdoors
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Login or sign up today!
Login / Join

Rusty Trailer - Need Painting Advice

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
I bought this utility trailer from TSC just after Christmas and the Ohio salt roads have not been kind. I hauled the quad a half dozen times or so to go ice fishing and this is the result. It's a decent little trailer but obviously the manufacturer skimps on the protective coating. I don't think they even primed the metal prior to painting. Anyway, I'd like to repaint it and get this nipped in the bud before it gets much worse. I want to coat the fenders with truck bed liner and add wood planks to the floor. But first, how should I go about the paint process? The plan I have in my head is to prime the really bad spots, and then use a buddy's Wagner power painter to slather the whole trailer with a few coats of black Rust-Oleum. Does anyone have a better suggestion? Any experience with a similar project? Any paint better than Rust-Oleum for putting over rust?

 

Jamie

Senior Member
5,691
177
Ohio
hose it down with a solution of three parts water to one part bleach plus 4 ounces of liquid TSP substitute per gallon of bleach solution. power wash it, sand all the loose rust off that you can with coarse grit, 60 works well. Get some rust converter and use it to "prime" the rusted areas following label instructions. rust converters contain phosphoric acid which reacts with the oxidized metal to form a more stable, paint ready compound called iron phosphate. topcoat with a polyurethane fortified enamel or polyamide epoxy for the most lasting results. you'll have to go to a real paint store for rust converter and epoxy, but you may find useable enamel at big box stores.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
I had a suggestion but I don't think it will compete with Jamie's suggestion.

We use a flapdisk or wire wheel on angle grinder. Blow them off with air gun. Prime with epoxy. Second coat with same thing once that is dry but hit the whole thing. Lately we have been using POR15, then coating with an epoxy. Tractor Supply generally works for their tractor paint. I've had good luck with it. Seems to last pretty well using the method I described. Does tend to fade over time. Loses its shine. I have found a brush works surprisingly well. If you put it on thick enough, you can barely see the brush lines. Maybe a few here and there.
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Sand all that rust off and coat the whole thing, top and bottom with POR-13.
Did some reading... General consensus is POR-15 can't be applied to smooth or painted surfaces. And it's very expensive. And it supposedly fades in the sun. I'm not interested in stripping all the existing paint off the trailer so this rules out the POR-15. It sounds like a great product for some other applications but I just don't think it's what I'm looking for to rehab this trailer.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
Sand all that rust off and coat the whole thing, top and bottom with POR-13.
Did some reading... General consensus is POR-15 can't be applied to smooth or painted surfaces. And it's very expensive. And it supposedly fades in the sun. I'm not interested in stripping all the existing paint off the trailer so this rules out the POR-15. It sounds like a great product for some other applications but I just don't think it's what I'm looking for to rehab this trailer.
Did it on mine, haven't had any rust issues since. I'm not worried about pulling a beauty queen either[emoji23]
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,741
274
North Carolina
Hmmm. Got any before/after pics?

Used por15 as the primer and paint the top coat over it.

If the trailer is something you like and want to keep, find a local shop that sandblasts and have it sandblasted. It’ll cost about the same (for the complete job) as a cheap trailer so weigh the pros and cons and go from there.... You can do the painting as it’s not difficult and the only thing you’ll have to do after the sandblasting and painting is repack the bearings as sand has a tendency to get in them...
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Hmmm. Got any before/after pics?

Used por15 as the primer and paint the top coat over it.

If the trailer is something you like and want to keep, find a local shop that sandblasts and have it sandblasted. It’ll cost about the same (for the complete job) as a cheap trailer so weigh the pros and cons and go from there.... You can do the painting as it’s not difficult and the only thing you’ll have to do after the sandblasting and painting is repack the bearings as sand has a tendency to get in them...

It's all pretty light rust, all on the surface, so I don't think sandblasting is necessary. It's basically a brand new trailer. They just put a shit paint job on it.

I think I'm going to check on some prices at the paint store and maybe take Jaime's approach. If the por-15 is cheaper I may go that route with an enamel or epoxy topcoat.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bigslam51 and "J"

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
Phil advised me to spray a top coat of paint over the por 15 because the por 15 has a matte black look when it dries. I didn't end up painting over it because I really don't care if it shines or not lol, as long as it doesn't rust I'm fine with it. I ain't pulling a better homes and gardens trailer down the road[emoji23]
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Wire wheel and rattle can that sucker. Say it with me now. "Utility.... Trailer..." Lol. You've got what $600 bucks in it? Why go monkeying around with a ton of labor, it's not designed to last a lifetime. Just clean it up and coat it real good to prevent bad rusting. Use it like a rented mule and get your moneys worth not worrying about banging up your 15 hour paint job utility trailer.
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
Wire wheel and rattle can that sucker. Say it with me now. "Utility.... Trailer..." Lol. You've got what $600 bucks in it? Why go monkeying around with a ton of labor, it's not designed to last a lifetime. Just clean it up and coat it real good to prevent bad rusting. Use it like a rented mule and get your moneys worth not worrying about banging up your 15 hour paint job utility trailer.
Agreed. If you want a nice trailer that’s going to look good and last, go get you an aluminum one and be done. These are what they are and are all most people need.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
Lol like $600 is just a drop in the bucket [emoji23]. I guarantee you that if you wire wheel and rattle can that trailer it'll be rusted again next year. Might as well do it right and know that it'll last some years without having to mess with it again, just my 60,000 cents [emoji23]
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Lol like $600 is just a drop in the bucket [emoji23]. I guarantee you that if you wire wheel and rattle can that trailer it'll be rusted again next year. Might as well do it right and know that it'll last some years without having to mess with it again, just my 60,000 cents [emoji23]

Not saying $600 is a drop in the bucket. What I'm saying is you can't make a whore a housewife, at the end of the day it's a $600 dollar trailer not a $1,500 dollar one. Sure it'll rust again in spots. Just like that whore will run out again. They make a lot of stop rust / rust preventer rattle can applications now that work pretty well. And if it develops some spots a year from now just take care of those then. The last thing anyone needs is to spend a couple days prepping and painting a $600 trailer only to cringe every time you drop a stick of firewood on it a little too hard.
 

Jamie

Senior Member
5,691
177
Ohio
say it with me, "preparation is paramount". at a minimum, you are foolish to not clean that metal thoroughly like I described above. nothing, and I mean NOTHING will reduce the life of a paint job more than putting paint (yes, even badass catalyzed epoxy or industrial enamel) on top of dirt, mildew, algae, grease, etc. I'd bet that all of that and more can be found on your trailer right now. at a minimum, clean it, address the loose rust and paint it by hand from a lidded can. if you want to spray it, use real paint and an adequate sprayer for the material. I would not bother spraying as you will do a better job by hand.

aerosol cans of paint have their place, but are diluted with solvents and propellants considerably. you need to apply 6 coats from a rattle can to achieve the mil thickness you get with one coat applied with a brush or roller. I bet you I can paint that whole trailer with a 4" roller and a brush twice in 3-4 hours once the prep work is done. you don't have to break the bank or spend a week to make that trailer look good and stay that way for a while. maybe converting the rust is going overboard, but it is meaningful step that will keep the rust you treat from returning. use a garden sprayer for this if you bother. makes coating that expanded metal pretty fast and easy.

if minimum effort is desirable, get a couple of cans of Rustoleum and shoot the rusty parts a couple of times. it will look better from across the street and will slow the rust down a little bit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bigslam51

5Cent

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
12,291
212
North Central Ohio
Sand it, blast it, grind it or chemical it strip down and paint with your choice. If it were my project i would use flap wheel on larger areas and hand sand the rest. Rinse, coat, dry, recoat if whatever you use allows it.
 

xbowguy

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
29,632
234
Licking Co. Ohio
Sand it, blast it, grind it or chemical it strip down and paint with your choice. If it were my project i would use flap wheel on larger areas and hand sand the rest. Rinse, coat, dry, recoat if whatever you use allows it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM!