I'm looking for advice on which paints to use on my front ARB bumper and Custom Rear swingout bumper. Also possibly on my fender flares and sliders. I would like to use something that will last a while (not just a year) without fading. Additionally aiming to use the same black paint on all the surfaces so the rig is pretty matched up.

As you can see from the picture the ARB bumper is faded and has some road pitting on it. I would like to renew the look of it with some fresh paint...



I also picked up this rear tire swingout from a local T4R member. I have wire brushed most of the surface rust away ( still a little left but just going to paint over it)...




I imagine the prep work for the ARB will be pretty straight forward. Just wire brush a few of the rust spots and steel wool the rest so the new paint will stick over the old powder coat.
For the rear bumper swingout planing on using a primer and then paint.


So I would like your advice on which primer and black spray paint to use. In the end would like to use the same black paint on the ARB front bumper, rear OEM bumper, custom tire swingout, fender flares, rocker panels and Stubbs sliders.

Here is a current picture of my rig. The sliders are currently painted with restrulum hammered black (no primer). I don't like how they shine and they chip very easily from road rocks. The flares are painted with some kind of plastic spray paint (forgot which brand) but they are now faded only after one year. My rear bumper is currently plasti dipped black along with my rocker panels.





Ok, now here is the kicker, out of all these paints I have used so far I have been most happy with the plasti dip. So far after one year it has not faded. It has almost a perfect shine to it. Not too glossy while not too dull. Only issue is that it is not permanent. I would like to find something that is similar to the shine of the pasti dip but just a real spray paint.

Mason










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A good option for you might be SEM's "Trim Black" I have used it on my rear spoiler, bumper plastic and rear license plate bezel and been really pleased with the results. As with any paint, I did some good prep work sanding and priming and it has all held up well over the past year. The cans spray especially nicely. Its closer to a matte finish, identical to our stock rear spoiler.

SEMs is a good product. In CA you can only get the trim black in an aerosol, but we used to get it in quart cans and it was awesome! Be sure to use a self etch primer on the bare metal, unless you are using a Direct to Metal paint. Most of the good paints have become prohibitively expensive, which is why I prefer powder coating. But that's another thread....

You could go for monstaliner which is a bedliner type product. Comes in a variety of colors and is easy to apply. I think you would just need a quart imo. I painted my whole truck in it and I haven't experienced any fade or chipping from road debris.

Quart is around 75 plus shipping. Really easy to use and you would just want to lay down some self etching primer after busting the gloss and cleaning whatever rust there might be.

Thanks for all the advice so far.

The SEM Trim paint interests me. Kryptoroxx, I'm sure that bedliner will hold up great but I'm just not into that type of surface on my bumpers. Would like a smoother finish but does not have to be totally smooth. 'Hammered' for instance would work.

So I found the black trim paint on amazon..

Amazon.com: SEM 39143 Trim Black Aerosol - 20 oz.: Automotive

Stuff runs ~$18 but gets great reviews so I'm sure it is worth the price. Could I get away with using a cheaper primer or should I also go with the SEM primer. I would only be using the primer on the bear metal. If I order this stuff thinking about two cans to start.

So what is the reasoning for the preference of the quart over the aerosol? The 'good deal' on the aerosols sold out on amazon. A quart one sells for $~40 shipped. Just wondering.

Most spray paint is going to chip easily, I'd reccomend spraying it with a real paint like Hot Rod Flatz if you're looking for a more durable finish. But if spray paint is the way you want to go, I've had good luck with Rustoleum Trim & Bumper Paint, I was mad when local stores decided to stop carrying it.

Aerosol is hard to get a good even finish, and a good film build. It's fine for narrow or small parts, but a bumper requires much more product, so the wider fan of a spray gun makes it a better fit.

So I bought two of the SEM trim paint in flat black. Now I need a good primer for the metal. Any suggestions as I don't want paint to flake or scrap off too easily? The SEM self etching primer is $23 per can which is too rich for my blood.