Forum Discussion
westend
Oct 31, 2013Explorer
mfdengineer wrote:Primer and body coats were applied with a Graco airless sprayer, using a fine tip. The accent colors were applied with rattle cans.
Thanks for the tip. I did not even think about using a chalk line. When you painted yours, how did you apply the paint? Spray paint, roller/brush, or air compressor?
Also, do I need to apply primer first? It is all aluminum exterior but it is already painted.
The essence of having a good bond between old finishes and application of paint is prep. If you are painting older, painted aluminum, you want to remove the dirt and oxidation in the surface. I use a prepaint liquid conditioner like Jasco and plastic scuff pads. You don't necessarily have to prime but I find that a good primer allows for good bond strength and the final coats lay down flatter with no fisheye or other inclusions. On the Starcraft, I used Sherwin-Williams DTM Industrial primer and primed the entire body. I was painting multiple different surfaces, some of them bare aluminum.
The painting was captured here.
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