Painting without a garage

[redfury]

How am I supposed to paint my topper in my back yard without a thousand flying insects getting stuck in the paint?

This is going to be a problem as this is a test run for when I get around to painting my boat ( hopefully next year )....

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Painting without a garage

Make a large box out of 2x2s and cover it with clear plastic. The ground too. Think large plastic bag. You'll need a fresh air supply... I used a *box fan with an ac filter on it to keep out debris. Cut a few flaps in the plastic to let out the fumes. Still, don't stay too long in there, spray a coat and get out and having somebody else around is always a good idea. You'll need to paint it in the morning or early evening or the sun will make it unbearable.

*Don't use a fan to suck out the vapors. If they become dense enough and the fan's motor makes a spark...

spots

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: Painting without a garage

i have done similar setups to what was described in the last post but i used 4 box fans with a/c air filters two pushing and two pulling although he makes an interesting point about the vapors possibly igniting, as long as you have plenty of air flow i dont think i would worrie about it, however if your airflow is questionable probably just use pushers and no pullers. also make sure you wear the proper ppe.

 

[redfury]

Re: Painting without a garage

I had a feeling that was going to be the response. I just checked on it this morning and while the coat is dry to the touch, it's still not "DRY". I've got about 2 dozen insects of various forms stuck in the paint Suppose I should have known better.

That being said, the Rustoleum Marine paint flattens down wonderfully just rolling on with the fine white foam rollers I bought from Menards. The only problem I have is that I left some lines....I need to stop trying to get so much paint on so fast. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the results. I'll have to snap a few pictures after work.

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: Painting without a garage

wet sand it and buff it out, should get rid of any surface impuritys as well as any runs or drips

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Painting without a garage

Bugs add character.

 

[redfury]

Re: Painting without a garage

wet sand it and buff it out, should get rid of any surface impuritys as well as any runs or drips

That's essentially my plan, but it's frustrating looking at the thing until it dries hard enough to sand properly.

I was happy enough with the rustoleum though, that I went out and bought 2 more pints. At half price, if I had the extra money I'd clear them out. As it stands, I bought a little red to play with.

 

[1970 Chieftain V]

Re: Painting without a garage

How am I supposed to paint my topper in my back yard without a thousand flying insects getting stuck in the paint?

You could move out here where the wind blows away all of the 2 flying insects we have.

Of course then you have to put up with the 100 plus degree weather.

Jason

 

[Joe_the_boatman]

Re: Painting without a garage

I painted my hull outside, and close to the ground also. Had a ton of bugs on it. I wasn't looking for a showroom finish, though. Just waited until the paint was dry and brushed off the bugs. I doubt anyone would ever know they were ever there - hardly noticeable now.

Just don't be tempted to try to get them off when the paint's wet! You'll make a mess.

 

[redfury]

Re: Painting without a garage

Wet sanding did the trick, though my first coat put imperfections in the paint job itself that I'll have to sand out. For now, I'm going to get the third coat of paint on it and then let it dry over the rest of the weekend.

I didn't have as much of a problem with bugs this time out, but I did get "environmental debris" from the mild breeze we had yesterday. It rained today, so hopefully it'll keep things down from blowing into the finish.

 

[FreeBayliner4Us]

Re: Painting without a garage

It sounds like you're on the right track. If you want a glossy finish after the next coat wet sand and apply a coat of clear then wet sand and enjoy!

As for the big paint job, the 2x2 paint booth works great and I would recomend doing it in the morning as it will allow a slight oven effect to help cure the paint. I did this when I painted my Jeep. I used my 3 fans in the pusher manner as well. I have done it both ways and found this to filter the air coming in and provide a cleaner result.

Not to mention it will be hot so having air blowing in will feel good.

Good Luck!

 

[redfury]

Re: Painting without a garage

Seems like the portable garage idea is going to be the way to go. I may just invest in one, even if the city doesn't like it, I'll just keep it up for temporary use.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Painting without a garage

I've had really good luck doing it in the morning right after the3 dew stops. the temps are reasonable so you have more time with the paint and the bugs aren't nearly as bad as they are later... I just did the sides, front, stern and much of the bottome of my hull last week and although I have a couple of runs to sand and buff out, I don't see but one bug in the whole thing...

 

[jonesg]

Re: Painting without a garage

Right at dawn, before the sun warms up the bugs and they get active.
I used epoxy 2 part spraypaint, tac free in minutes.

 

[Coors]

Re: Painting without a garage

Sell the boat; use the money to build a shop; buy the boat back.

 

[redfury]

Re: Painting without a garage

Sell the boat; use the money to build a shop; buy the boat back.

Anyone wanna buy a $300 boat for more than it's worth?

It's been a good learning experience for me though. I learned that orbital sanders are good at taking paint off fast, even with 220 grit on the corners and radius' I need to get a vibe sander. Wet sanding with 400 grit does the job between coats, I just use the garden hose and the "mist" setting on my wand sprayer.

I'm getting a pretty decent finish just rolling the finish on with the fine white 4 inch closed cell rollers as long as I keep the coats thin. Thin to win!

I figure I'll get another 2 coats on it and call it good. Let it dry out really well so that I can wet sand it with 1000 grit and then shine it up with rubbing compound and wax it a week after the paint has dried.

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: Painting without a garage

when your done your want to wet sand with 1500-2000 grit and then buff out with a rubbing compound and then a polishing compound, its a lot of work but thats how you can get professional quality results in your back yard. make sure that the polishing compound you use does not have any wax in it, you don't want any kind of wax on the paint till it has cured about a month.