How did you paint your custom front bumper?

[Scramble]

Not a stock bumper, a Shrockworks, 4xInnov, Add. Offroad, etc.

I'm not looking for painting lessons, I want to see how other people did theirs & pics of the final product. Did you not like how it came out? What would you do differently, if anything? Did it come out mint?

What type of primer, regular? self-etching? Paint brand, Matte? Gloss? Semi-Gloss? Clear coat (if any) did you use?

I'm going to sand off the surface rust.
Clean with acetone - use Duplicolor self etching primer - probably 2 or 3 coats & lightly sand in between coats to make smooth - Then paint it Black, I haven't decided on Gloss or Semi-Gloss yet - Then a clear coat, not sure yet if I'll use Matte, Satin or Gloss.
Thank You!

 

[csp]

Self-etching automobile primer (spray bomb can) followed by Hammerite (not Rustoleum hammered finish) black. It's the most durable paint I've ever found in a spray bomb can and is very difficult to remove if you want it off. It's very soft for at least a week after spraying however.

If you have a spray gun there are a number of tractor paints you can get in quart cans that are really tough if you mix a hardener in with them.

 

[UnderFire]

Rustoleum self etching, 2 or 3 coats, followed by Rustoleum flat black, normal, not professional. Rustoleum is a bit harder to get a perfectly smooth finish than the valspar I use on other stuff, but it lays on much thicker than any of the other brands.

Don't bother with clear on it, touching up is easier without, and it won't make that big of a difference in durability on steel plate, mostly just helps on plastics.

 

[Scramble]

Self-etching automobile primer (spray bomb can) followed by Hammerite (not Rustoleum hammered finish) black. It's the most durable paint I've ever found in a spray bomb can and is very difficult to remove if you want it off. It's very soft for at least a week after spraying however.

If you have a spray gun there are a number of tractor paints you can get in quart cans that are really tough if you mix a hardener in with them.

Shrockworks recommends Hammerite - saw some on Amazon. Thanks for the tip, I want durable.

I don't have a compressor but I have an electric paint sprayer that works good.

I was thinking about using the Duplicolor Paint Shop Finish System in it. It doesn't need a hardener.

DupliColor Jet Black Paint Shop Finish Spray Paint

 

[Scramble]

Rustoleum self etching, 2 or 3 coats, followed by Rustoleum flat black, normal, not professional. Rustoleum is a bit harder to get a perfectly smooth finish than the valspar I use on other stuff, but it lays on much thicker than any of the other brands.

Don't bother with clear on it, touching up is easier without, and it won't make that big of a difference in durability on steel plate, mostly just helps on plastics.

I used the Valspar Dark Grey on a set of wheels once & liked working with it.

I figured the clear coat would be another layer of protection from water & salt.
I really would like to keep this thing from rusting in NE winters.

 

[UnderFire]

I used the Valspar Dark Grey on a set of wheels once & liked working with it.

I figured the clear coat would be another layer of protection from water & salt.
I really would like to keep this thing from rusting in NE winters.

Your best prevention from rust is going to be cleaning and touching up bare spots when you're talking plate steel.

You could also probably coat it with an oil or something, not sure what kind though.

 

[csp]

Clear coat won't do anything that additional coats of the color coat would make.

Pay close attention to spray times between coats. New paint formulations are very particular about hitting the intervals between coats or they can be ruined.

 

[98OzarksRunner]

I had my rear bumper powder coated. By the time you buy good (automotive quality) primer and paint you're a long way toward paying for powder coating.

 

[skier46er]

Had it powder coated and turned out great. Has a rough texture to it so it feels like linex.

 

[Scramble]

I had my rear bumper powder coated. By the time you buy good (automotive quality) primer and paint you're a long way toward paying for powder coating.

Had it powder coated and turned out great. Has a rough texture to it so it feels like linex.

I like powder coating but it's hard to touch up scratches. Shrockworks would have powder coated it for an extra $100 (well worth it) but I'll probably be getting my rear bumper & sliders from different companies & I want the Black's to match on everything.

 

[A.Wilson013]

I use rustoleum professional for everything. Excellent products. My bumpers have 2 coats of primer, and 3 coats of flat black.

I scuffed them with a green scotch brite pad, wiped down with acetone, and started painting.

 

[GVL]

I'm going to sand off the surface rust.
Clean with acetone - use Duplicolor self etching primer - probably 2 or 3 coats & lightly sand in between coats to make smooth - Then paint it Black, I haven't decided on Gloss or Semi-Gloss yet - Then a clear coat, not sure yet if I'll use Matte, Satin or Gloss.
Thank You!

This is about the exact same method I used and thought it came out great (went with semi-gloss). I don't think I would change anything if I did it again.

 

[skier46er]

I like powder coating but it's hard to touch up scratches. Shrockworks would have powder coated it for an extra $100 (well worth it) but I'll probably be getting my rear bumper & sliders from different companies & I want the Black's to match on everything.

I had mine powder coated for $50 from a lighting company.

 

[Scramble]

I had mine powder coated for $50 from a lighting company.

That's an awesome price.

 

[Scramble]

This is about the exact same method I used and thought it came out great (went with semi-gloss). I don't think I would change anything if I did it again.

Thanks for the reply.
Do you have a pic of it finished? Is that the Duplicolor self etching green primer?
What semi-gloss black did you use? Did you use a clear coat?
Thanks

Edit: I went through your photo's & your truck & bumper look great!

 

[NWFLBowhunter]

I had mine line-x. It looks great and has held up great to the trees I have pushed over. I'm sure if hitting/scrapping rocks was a concern, I probably would have had to do something else. But it does have lifetime warranty against chipping and scrapes.

 

[GVL]

Thanks for the reply.
Do you have a pic of it finished? Is that the Duplicolor self etching green primer?
What semi-gloss black did you use? Did you use a clear coat?
Thanks

Edit: I went through your photo's & your truck & bumper look great!

Thanks! I used Rustoleum Self Etching Primer (3 coats) and Rustoleum Pro semi-gloss black (5-6 very light coats) and a semi-gloss clear (3 coats). I drive it off-road every weekend and still looks like I just bolted it on - no debris chips or any fading as of yet but we'll see how it hold up long term. The nice thing with spray is you can always throw a refresher coat on down the road without having to remove it to do it. Good luck and post some pics when you're all done.

 

[Scramble]

Thanks! I used Rustoleum Self Etching Primer (3 coats) and Rustoleum Pro semi-gloss black (5-6 very light coats) and a semi-gloss clear (3 coats). I drive it off-road every weekend and still looks like I just bolted it on - no debris chips or any fading as of yet but we'll see how it hold up long term. The nice thing with spray is you can always throw a refresher coat on down the road without having to remove it to do it. Good luck and post some pics when you're all done.

Sounds good! Do you do any highway driving with it? I drive my truck to work on bad weather days. That's when the rocks get me.

 

[JayRolla]

Sounds good! Do you do any highway driving with it? I drive my truck to work on bad weather days. That's when the rocks get me.

I have painted hundreds of car parts. Anything I have painted in front has chipped. I drive a lot on the highway and up mountain passes.

My wheels look perfect, but bumper chipped after a year. Its no the rocks. Its more the cold weather and when I power wash her. It just tears the paint off. I have done all the prep, primers, paints, clears and still chips after about a year. To me the best option is Paint/Primer in one. It works just as good and you dont waste time on primer layers. Just give her a good 6+ layers of primer/paint in one.

Paint and you will be touching up.

Powder coat last you years without touch up.

I would vote powdercoat.

 

[GVL]

Sounds good! Do you do any highway driving with it? I drive my truck to work on bad weather days. That's when the rocks get me.

Since this is not my DD it doesn't see much highway but a whole lot of dirt trails. I was going to powder coat but the thought of scraping a rock or something would ruin the whole job. With spray you can just hit the scratched area and it will blend right in after no time.

I would go paint if you do much off-roading or the wife drives it a lot . If this is mostly for looks then powder coating is the way to go IMO.