Rustoleum Paint Jobs, Pics, DIY Tips, Haters
 

If you have painted your car with Rustoleum post up pics, tips, tricks. If your wanting to paint your car with Rustoleum and want to ask questions, post it up.

So I have a black Miata, I hate black. I really want a BRG NA Miata. I read about Rustoleum paint jobs for 8hrs. I went to Home Depot and purchased a test quart of Rustoleum Professional Hunter Green, some hardener, mineral spirits, etc. I picked the professional because google said it dried faster, also google says the hardener decreases drying time and increases shine. I mixed maybe 8 parts paint, 1 part mineral spirits, and 1 part hardener. Most people complain about running with the 50/50 ratio. I plan to lay it on thick in several coats and only wet sand once. I'm testing it on a new bumper first.

For the haters. I wanted to be able to hit a deer, drive to home depot and touch it up. Its not really a $50 paint job, probably like $100 when done. I don't have a place to spray a car, I do have a place to roll it.

I started with a pick n pull bumper.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392247414

It has the original blue paint, chipped red, and chipped clear.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392247414

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392247414

Now feather in all the rough stuff, I concentrated on the upper half and just scuffed the bottom. I did this by hand because I'm a man, had beer, and should have got a cheap da.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392247414

Now clean the shit out of it with mineral spirits and a tack rag, rag showing color, keep cleaning.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392247414

Now cut in all of the tough spots with your small foam brush.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392247414

Now roll that shit on

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392247414

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392247414

Looking good for just one heavy coat

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392247414

When I was doing my engine bay project, I started out using a quality primer in a can to use it as a guide to make sure places were smoothed correctly. It came out amazingly good. I eventually removed the paint and put down a 2K urethane primer. For a car built for the race track, I say why not a rattle can.

You should try wet sanding what you have done with 400 or 600 grit paper. Paint it again, and then wet sand with 1500 grit, followed by 3000 grit, followed by a polishing. It takes time, but you will not believe your eyes.

Looks good from the pics but the pics suck.

Will be fun to see how it turns out.

I'll sub into this. Quite interesting. The paint on my deck lid is awful, and I have dreams of re-painting it.. but I don't know if I could ever do rustoleum. I'd love to see how yours turns out.

That color looks good.

I can't imagine trying to feather that down by hand, I'm a puss when it comes to sanding. Suppose it's unavoidable in the detail areas, can't really get a DA in there?

Are you doing anything special additive-wise on the (super floppy flexible) front bumper? I feel like flex agent is a myth for modern paints, but this is pretty old tech?

I've enjoyed the ease of maintaining single stage paint on my early cars. A local body shop supply place will mix up color match in aerosol. Wonder if I could use the roll on method for the color matched single stage if I opted to get it in a can? My rear bumper is ugly.

Hmm.

Started with this, classic white peeling on the head light lids, hood, and windshield header.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392254339

Ended with this. If I had known the next owner would buy a white hardtop I wouldn't of painted the header black, but it hid a LOT of masking mistakes along the windshield trim. I love flat black paint for this reason. Blends perfectly with rubber.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392254339

This was all done with Rustoleum rattle cans, their enamel gloss white and flat black. I also used their "filler primer" on the hood to try and blend the areas that were previously flaked off. It didn't work very well. It was better than nothing, but still easily noticeable, although not in the pictures. Should have sanded more, but I was trying to flip the car, not make it showroom perfect.

My other project. Again, all flat black enamel to hide mistakes.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392254339

I was originally going to do a Rustoleum job but I ended up doing base coat/clear coat. However, my engine bay, chassis, and interior I did with the Rustoleum. I started painting a few of the panels, and it looked great. But it was a lot of work color sanding and buffing, plus I wanted the extra protection of the clear coat. But yours is looking good so far. I like that green.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392260829
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392260829
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392260829
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392260829

I've done this also.
Started with this .. All the clear was peeling .. The car was painted 3 times before I got it .
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392261537

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392261537



Ended with this

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392261537
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392261537

Wow that looks really good. What grit did you wet sand with?


Looks way better than it did. Did you wet sand, cut and buff?

I found that heating the can helps. NOT on a burner, but drop the can in a bucket of water that is strait from the hot water faucet in the kitchen. It raises the pressure, thins the paint, and makes it easier to spray. Also swapping to Krylon style nozzles helps too. They fan better to me. I flat blacked my daily years ago. It looked good at the time. The paint is showing noticable wear now. However, I never maintained it in any way, or cared. I did mask like crazy and color sand at a stage or two. I will recommend if going flat black to light sand it before you was it in a spray booth. The plastic brush left noticble lines in my paint a week later. After a few trips through the booth it went away. Annoying for a bit, but redid a spot of two and a light wet sand mad it not do it again. Plus left a nicer flat black without thick looking spots. 5yrs later I can really tell where I painted vs. where my buddy painted helping me.

About 2 yrs ago. The body work has some issues, but he flat hides a lot. The turn signals were put back in shortly after these were taken.
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392267750


and in some light
Attachment 239343

Use brushing liquid if using a foam brush or roller. Flows out brush marks nicely. I used it on the track plastics for my bike.

Interlux Brushing Liquid 333 Solvent

Thanks, I starter with 400 to knock the orange peel down, then worked up to a 1800. Then I buffed, polished, and waxed it. It looked great. One thing I will say is, I took the Rustoleum and thinned it down to spray out of a gun. I didn't roll it or brush it.

And the last thing I noticed, it (maybe I was doing it wrong, especially since I had never buffed fresh paint) seemed to be very easy to get the paint hot while buffing and have it start to discolor and blister. When I buffed on the clear coat, I never had an issue... but then again I did use like 6 layers of clear lol

Difference between quality paint and a crap job... prep and sanding.

My buddy painted this in his garage (sanded for weeks) then too it to Maaco for the clear coat ($200), followed by lots of wet sanding and buffing.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392298011

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392298011

Yes I did . It's all about the body prep before you paint . Plus the first 3 coats are straight from the can and then wet sanded . Final 2 to 3 coats 50\50. Plus I recommend to apply adhesion promoter on the plastic bumpers . Took me 23 days for the entire car. The reason I choose this paint job is 1. Durable ass hell. It can take a rock head on. 2. Why pay 2,3,4 grand for a paint job when the car is worth 4 grand. I don't have to worry about track damage . 3 I can fix if I want

I don't get it.

Half you guys have compressors which means you can buy a decent use spray gun on the cheap.

PPGs econo brand is dirt cheap yet still a proper urethane base/clear. I bought a gallon of classic red and a gallon of urethane clear for 300 bucks. Any color other then red should be quite a bit less.

How much are these Rusto jobs costing?

I painted my '90 in my garage with a $100 Home Depot compressor, $30 Horror Freight HVLP gun, and Nason single stage urethane in Mariner Blue. The paint itself cost $200, maybe. Paying for the paint was the least of my concerns.

And I still had to sand the shit out of it.

Why were you sanding the shit out of it? Dust, bugs, 'orange peel'?

My father and I sprayed my engine bay, fenders, bumpers, and hardtop in the driveway on a 70 degree summer morning. No wind, driveway spray down with water. I got some solvent pop on the HT because the sun broke through the clouds and caused the clear to kick too quick; however, the everything else came out flat and glossy. Aside from a few small flies which need sanding, the paint lays flatter than a lot of OEM jobs. I don't have any good shots but this is the bay simply sprayed and unmasked - no sanding/buffing.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392391792
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1392391792

In short, the moderate cost of a gun and filter seems worth it when the alternative is sanding for fucking days.

-Zach

Too much sanding for me. I'll stick to plastidip.

Orange peel because I'd never painted a car before and just kind of figured it out as I went along.

If you already own a compressor, I don't really see a cost advantage over a low-end DuPont brand like Nason.

Came out pretty well in the end.

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...1&d=1392397020

Always seemed like a ton of work for a shitty paint job in the end, but a few of you guys are proving me wrong on that thought in this thread.

My miata is staying ratty until I get a proper garage or at least a carport at home. The sun here eats cars alive. I just protect the interior for now with a reflective screen in the front/back windows.

In for BRG results.