Painting my virgin canvas - what kind of paint?

[Cajun]

Hi guys.
I'm finally ready to paint my restored cedar strip.
I picked up some oildbased rust paint spray cans from home depot.

I figured spraying on would be 4 coats of that would make a nice finish.

Do you guys see an issue with this?
I can't find anywhere that carries epifanes paint...

Should I put a primer coat? They sell primer cans of the same product.

Any advice would be welcome!
Denis

 

[MGC]

I might put that paint on an aluminum canoe but I have never liked aluminum canoes....

Anything you need can be ordered from Jamestown including Pettit, Interlux, Epifane and Kirby.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...=Topside Paint&category=34&refine=1&page=GRID

Many of the larger restoration shops also will sell you paint and of course you can explore Amazon to see what that dredges up (Jamestown).

 

[Jan Bloom]

Buy some 4" rollers and a small tray. Get a good 4" bristle brush for tipping off. You can also use farm implement oil base paint or even exterior oil base porch paint. You do want to use a good primer. Prime, wet sand, prime again, wet sand again then again. That is at least 3 prime coats wet sanded with 320 grit wet or dry. Let it dry thoroughly after the last sanding. Now you are ready for your top coats. I usually do three, wet sanded between the first 2. The final coat is when you get to "tip off". Not as hard as it sounds. This is where that 3" or 4" brush gets used. Roll paint on a small area maybe 15" by 15". Then just lightly using the very tip of the brush just tip off the air bubbles left by the roller. After you can a little confidence you can tip off larger areas but do not get carried away. It really is just using the tip of the bristle. Don't drag the brush like you are painting a heavy coat. Just very lightly with the tip. So take the spray cans back. I have used Valspar oil base porch paint.

 

[Cajun]

Thanks! I'll take the cans back.

 

[Cajun]

Thanks! I'll take the cans back.

 

[Cajun]

When you say wet sand. Do you mean take the wet (black) sandpaper and dry sand? Or do you mean to actually use water with the black sandpaper while sanding the hull...

 

[Dan Lindberg]

Yes, use water to wash out the particules, it doesn't take much.

Dan

 

[Jan Bloom]

As Dan said use water. I usually have a bucket full with a few drops of dish soap in it. I use some sort of soft sanding block. A piece of wood with 1/8" dense foam work well. I have seen some commercial sanding blocks made of plastic with a handle and the foam that would work well. Use a big swirling motion. Do not be worried about going thru to the filler. You want a very mottled primer/filler look the first time, less so the 2nd time to almost none the 3rd time. Have you dry sanded your filler? If not you need to. Be sure to wear a dust mask,filler dust isn't good. Wipe it down thoroughly with a damp rag to clean off all dust. I usually roll my primer coats on. No need to tip off the primer, but you could as practice for that last finish coat. I usually whisk my brush across a rag dampened with paint thinner or mineral spirits just to keep the bristle tips clean. That way I have fewer problems with bristle drag. When you get to that last coat rolling then tipping off small areas helps keep bristle drag to a minimum. You want to tip off while the surface tension of the paint will still flow out. If you are getting a lot of bristle drag you are either pushing down or trying to roll out to big an area.

 

[Cajun]

Thanks a million for the advice guys. I can now take on this final and crucial task of my restoration with confidence!

Denis

 

[Howie]

Nobody mentioned thinning the paint. Can someone recommend a good rule-of-thumb as to how much thinner to add? I mean, you want the brush strokes to flatten out & blend well, but you want to minimize dripping. Also: thin with paint thinner or mineral spirits (for oil based paints).

 

[Andre Cloutier]

Wont paint anymore without this, always have some in the shop.

 

[Cajun]

Well I can tell you I will not be thinning my paint.
Ill be doing as suggested in this thread and simply tipping off the bubbles on the final coat.

 

[Dan Miller]

Nobody mentioned thinning the paint. Can someone recommend a good rule-of-thumb as to how much thinner to add? I mean, you want the brush strokes to flatten out & blend well, but you want to minimize dripping. Also: thin with paint thinner or mineral spirits (for oil based paints).

Enough that you get good flow. It can depend on environmental conditions (humidity, temperature), and sometimes you need to add a little more part way through.

Always follow the paint manufacturers recommendation for appropriate thinner. For Kirby's I use Kirby's Paint Conditioner. For Epifanes I use Epifanes Brush Thinner. For some paints you can use Penetrol.

Cajun, don't be so adamant about not thinning your paint. Almost all good paints need to be thinned or conditioned to some degree.

For best results, follow the instructions on the can.

 

[Jerry Fruetel]

Nobody mentioned thinning the paint. Can someone recommend a good rule-of-thumb as to how much thinner to add? I mean, you want the brush strokes to flatten out & blend well, but you want to minimize dripping. Also: thin with paint thinner or mineral spirits (for oil based paints).

I agree with Dan and others that you should consider thinning the paint. With Epifanes Yacht Enamel, I've found that adding both thinner (mineral spirits) and Penetrol produces a marked improvement. I suggest adding 3-5% of each to your initial top coat. Based on the results, adjust the amounts up or down, if necessary, on the remaining top coats.

 

[Jan Bloom]

Yes to thinning a bit even when rolling. Per quart maybe 3oz at most. 4 oz would be 12.5% of a quart or 1/8. So 2-3 oz is going to make a difference. NOT a heck of a lot but will allow for more even coating brushing or rolling.