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Bare steel bumpers, best paint out of these or ?

1K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  Renegade82 
#1 ·
Picked up my new bumpers fabbed up by Jatepper (thanks a bunch, they are great!) and was going to get them powder coated but have spent a ton of money lately and might resort to one of my favorite small parts rattle can paints....

Of the 2, which one would you use or is there a better spray out there?

Ace appliance epoxy with or without primer on bare steel? Love this stuff, tuff as nails!
Or
Rustoleum professional high performance enamel with or without primer on bare steel? Never used it yet, heard it is good..
 

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#5 ·
And then report back on here what you find after a few months/years.

I used Rustoleum Gloss black on mine, no primer or prep on the rear and primered the front... The rear needs to come back off and be sanded down and repainted. Follow the directions on the can - if they say use a primer, do it!
 
#8 ·
Many epoxy type paints say that they can be used right on bare metal, would an etching primer be necessary under the ACE appliance epoxy? Any idea on how it would hold up to UV rays? It does say it is for interior and exterior applications....
 
#7 ·
If you have a compressor go get a $15 harbor freight hvlp gun and stop by your local car paint store for some epoxy primer and single stage paint. Much better quality than rustolium and not that much more than a few rattle cans. If you use black you will have plenty extra for painting other random parts. I did mine that way and they still look new 3 years later and expect it to last much longer.
 
#9 ·
In general its always better to use primer first. Etching primer or epoxy primer adheres to the bare metal better than paint alone. I choose epoxy primer because i was told it creates a seal around the metal and is even used after etching primer by many as a sealer coat before applying paint. Now honestly if you plan to bang the hell out of it or use it to push things around nothing is going to prevent it from getting chips and or scratches but a couple bucks more for some primer is still a good investment in a piece of mind that it was done right.
 
#10 ·
james04si said:
If you have a compressor go get a $15 harbor freight hvlp gun and stop by your local car paint store for some epoxy primer and single stage paint. Much better quality than rustolium and not that much more than a few rattle cans. If you use black you will have plenty extra for painting other random parts. I did mine that way and they still look new 3 years later and expect it to last much longer.
This dudes replies are spot on!
 
#11 ·
I'm with pman. I would use a quality etching primer first for a better grab on the new metal. But first wipe it down with lacquer thinner to remove any traces of dirt and oil, even oil from your hands. But at a minumum, like L-grits said, scuff it up then wipe it down. But that's more work. Either way you need to give the paint something to bite on to. Some etching primer has zinc which will help deter corrosion too.
I'm no expert... but I stayed at a Holiday Inn once.
 
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