Durabak or Rustoleum?

[Elwiscon]

After months of mechanical work and after some bondo ding repairs and sanding I’m finally close to painting the body, hood, fenders, doors etc are off and almost ready to paint. I’ve been debating between Rustoleoum and Durabak, obviously both have drawbacks, and advantage. I settled for white instead of a darker color, as it looks good, no mixing/tinting, it is clean and it is the factory color. I got a couple swatches of outdoor-rated smooth Durabak, i think it looks great, it can be thinned and sprayed, and they even have a clearcoat. I’ve seen some videos of people painting with rustoleum and it looks awesome, theres a video of a guy using black rustoleum and he even cuts and polishes between coats, with a clearcoat finish, the end result is amazing, deep glass-like and professional. However, i’ve read Rustoleum or other tractor paints loose their shine after a couple years and may even become chalky. My truck will be used as a truck (light hauling, very light off roading), so I hope i can get a long-lasting paint job, white should last longer than a darker color and looks good. Has anyone used smooth durabak? Regardless of product preparation is key so i will make sure i do it right, any input is appreciated, thanks

 

 

[ghetdjc320]

Most 1k air dry paints don’t form a good chemical bond with clear coat. Why not just grab some base coat and clear from your local paint dealer? If you just want white, it can be found pretty much anywhere at very reasonable costs. If you’ve already spent the time and effort to do body work, put on a product thats worth it. Almost anything looks good when it’s first applied, but only the correct paint looks good years after 

[89 MJ]

I’ll also say don’t do either one. I like the PPG Omni paint, but then followed by a good PPG clear. If this is your first paint job, I’ll warn you that white isn’t very easy to paint because it’s hard to see where it has gone on. It’s hard to see the different coats being laid down. 

[Elwiscon]

Thanks, I’ve been debating with using real paint, but this is my first real paint job other than bedliner (beds, undercarriages, jeep tub)

[Elwiscon]

1 hour ago, 89 MJ said:

I’ll also say don’t do either one. I like the PPG Omni paint, but then followed by a good PPG clear. If this is your first paint job, I’ll warn you that white isn’t very easy to paint because it’s hard to see where it has gone on. It’s hard to see the different coats being laid down. 

I’m sure I’ll need good lighting and good eyes, the truck is white, i’ve already sanded the body. 

[89 MJ]

The type of paint that you shoot really shouldn't make much of a difference. You can always cut and polish single stage or base-clear. Base clear will just hold up a lot longer. It is more expensive though too. 

[neohic]

From someone who did a single stage paint job 15 years ago, I wish I’d gone with base/clear. It’s more expensive now but probably worth it. 

[Elwiscon]

2 hours ago, neohic said:

From someone who did a single stage paint job 15 years ago, I wish I’d gone with base/clear. It’s more expensive now but probably worth it. 

I don’t mind paying a little extra as long as the paintjob lasts a long time, so base/clear means there’s a base color (2 coats?) and a couple coats of clear? I think i’ll go with it, also, can I use self-etching primer on everything? I have a few bare spots from  the sanding, i was thinking about using a few cans of self-etching primer, some wet sanding to smooth it out and do a couple coats of color. I was seriously considering durabak as it is more forgiving and though, I feel more confident spraying it 

[ghetdjc320]

2 hours ago, Elwiscon said:

I don’t mind paying a little extra as long as the paintjob lasts a long time, so base/clear means there’s a base color (2 coats?) and a couple coats of clear? I think i’ll go with it, also, can I use self-etching primer on everything? I have a few bare spots from  the sanding, i was thinking about using a few cans of self-etching primer, some wet sanding to smooth it out and do a couple coats of color. I was seriously considering durabak as it is more forgiving and though, I feel more confident spraying it 

Don’t use self-etching primer with base/clear. Grab some epoxy primer and shoot everything with it. Reading the technical data sheet (TDS) of each product your applying and following it will give the best results. If you have bare metal, body filler and factory paint in different areas, the epoxy can seal up all of that and provide a good uniform base that the paint will adhere to. Personally, I shoot 4 coats of base and 6 coats of clear but this depends on the coverage of the paint being used and the quality and thickness of each layer of the clear coat (you don’t want to have any sagging). The goal is to have a good looking end product you can then cut and buff a couple of layers off of to achieve a perfect end product. That being said, I’d shoot down one more coat of base after I achieve a uniform color over the entire truck followed by at least 3 coats of clear. 
 

ps, don’t wet sand anything before your apply paint. That is a recipe for trapping moisture and rusting down the road. The TDS will recommend what grit to sand to before applying the product. It is good practice to shoot epoxy primer down on all bar metal BEFORE doing any fillers. The chemical reaction from the filler causes it to warm up and condensation can form. Many fillers also absorb water very easily. Mineral spirits is your friend for wiping down things before paint. Tach or cheese cloth to remove any tiny debris once the base layer is dry. The primer, base and clear all go on within specific time frames and will typically involve a long marathon day of mixing and spraying. 

[Pete M]

10 hours ago, Elwiscon said:

Thanks, I’ve been debating with using real paint, but this is my first real paint job other than bedliner (beds, undercarriages, jeep tub)

 

 

don't practice on your truck.  buy junkyard fenders and practice on them first.    master the art, then apply to your baby.  

[Elwiscon]

1 hour ago, Pete M said:

 

 

don't practice on your truck.  buy junkyard fenders and practice on them first.    master the art, then apply to your baby.  

Great advice! After all the work, blood sweat and tears I’ve put into it i don’t want to screw up the finish, i may do that, or I may just hire a shop to do it properly. 

[Elwiscon]

3 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Don’t use self-etching primer with base/clear. Grab some epoxy primer and shoot everything with it. Reading the technical data sheet (TDS) of each product your applying and following it will give the best results. If you have bare metal, body filler and factory paint in different areas, the epoxy can seal up all of that and provide a good uniform base that the paint will adhere to. Personally, I shoot 4 coats of base and 6 coats of clear but this depends on the coverage of the paint being used and the quality and thickness of each layer of the clear coat (you don’t want to have any sagging). The goal is to have a good looking end product you can then cut and buff a couple of layers off of to achieve a perfect end product. That being said, I’d shoot down one more coat of base after I achieve a uniform color over the entire truck followed by at least 3 coats of clear. 
 

ps, don’t wet sand anything before your apply paint. That is a recipe for trapping moisture and rusting down the road. The TDS will recommend what grit to sand to before applying the product. It is good practice to shoot epoxy primer down on all bar metal BEFORE doing any fillers. The chemical reaction from the filler causes it to warm up and condensation can form. Many fillers also absorb water very easily. Mineral spirits is your friend for wiping down things before paint. Tach or cheese cloth to remove any tiny debris once the base layer is dry. The primer, base and clear all go on within specific time frames and will typically involve a long marathon day of mixing and spraying. 

Thank you, i don’t really feel confident to do all that! I’ve sprayed raptorliner on my Jeep tub, undercarriage and the comanches undercarriage, and thats about it, I may just pay for a paintjob, all the parts are off of the vehicle so I don’t have to worry about paying extra to have a shop remove/paint/reassemble all the components. I will Durabak the bumpers, flares and grill. Durabak seems like a good easy choice but I’m worried about screwing up the finish.

[ghetdjc320]

34 minutes ago, Elwiscon said:

Thank you, i don’t really feel confident to do all that! I’ve sprayed raptorliner on my Jeep tub, undercarriage and the comanches undercarriage, and thats about it, I may just pay for a paintjob, all the parts are off of the vehicle so I don’t have to worry about paying extra to have a shop remove/paint/reassemble all the components. I will Durabak the bumpers, flares and grill. Durabak seems like a good easy choice but I’m worried about screwing up the finish.

Why not spray raptor on those parts? Raptor holds up very well on bumpers and other parts exposed to UV. 
 

Whatever you do, epoxy primer is an extremely good and durable base to build on. Even if you have others paint the color portion. Maybe grab a gallon of epoxy primer and hardener and shoot what you feel comfortable with??? Raptor liner and most any other finish sticks to it very well so long as you follow the appropriate drying and recoat time tables 

[Pete M]

and be sure to practice painting at different angles.  a loose fender can be rotated for optimum application... the truck cannot. 

[Elwiscon]

23 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Why not spray raptor on those parts? Raptor holds up very well on bumpers and other parts exposed to UV. 
 

Whatever you do, epoxy primer is an extremely good and durable base to build on. Even if you have others paint the color portion. Maybe grab a gallon of epoxy primer and hardener and shoot what you feel comfortable with??? Raptor liner and most any other finish sticks to it very well so long as you follow the appropriate drying and recoat time tables 

 

23 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Why not spray raptor on those parts? Raptor holds up very well on bumpers and other parts exposed to UV. 
 

Whatever you do, epoxy primer is an extremely good and durable base to build on. Even if you have others paint the color portion. Maybe grab a gallon of epoxy primer and hardener and shoot what you feel comfortable with??? Raptor liner and most any other finish sticks to it very well so long as you follow the appropriate drying and recoat time tables 

I’ll definitely do the flares, bumpers, etc in smooth durabak, or like you said Raptorliner, I’ve sprayed Raptor it on my LJ’s hardtop, tub, ARB bumper, rock guards etc. Great stuff, I was considering Durabak for its smooth finish, I’ll also Raptorline the lower quarters to minimize dings and rust 

[Elwiscon]

17 hours ago, Pete M said:

and be sure to practice painting at different angles.  a loose fender can be rotated for optimum application... the truck cannot. 

For sure! I’ve sprayed raptorliner on my LJ’s bumpers, hardtop etc, removing parts makes it way easier and the results are way better