painting your truck with a foam roller .

[silverhairdeere]

read some really good info on painting vehicle with a foam roller , don't own a sprayer or know how to use one , has anybody here used a roller , how did it turn out .

shd

[bubbatrucklover]

I have used foam rollers using latex paint on wood and metal sufaces such as doors and if done right leaves a good smooth surface.

I have no idea what it would do with auto paint or even oil based.

What kind of paint did the articles say they used? Did they talk about top coat application also?

[gmctrucks]

You-Tube might have something on it.

[lukasmcdukas]

no doubt it can be done, but the finish quality is definitely going to leave something to be desired. i would imagine it'll be dang near impossible to get anything close to a smooth finish.
any kind of porous material allows the cohesive properties of the paint to create peaks and valleys in the surface of the paint. you're going to have a noticeable texture, especially on metal (a smooth surface). rollers work great on wood because the wood surface is also porous (thats why when you roll a coat of paint on a trim board and let it dry, it looks like its barely been dusted-the wood absorbs a lot of the paint). metal won't do that, and i'd be willing to stake money on it that you'll end up with a noticeable orange-peel effect. not to mention roller marks and runs... i do not recommend rolling metal unless it's laid out flat and you don't much care how the end product looks. even rattle cans are a better option than rolling.

[lukasmcdukas]

side note: i think you'd have difficulty even getting the roller to actually ROLL along the metal surface- i dont think automotive paint will give you the friction required to turn the roller. i think you'd end up just smearing it and having to strip or sand it off and start over again with a spray applicator.

[leolkfrm]

i've painted refrigerators with oil based paint and a felt pad, worked great, nice smooth shiney finish. consider using maybe a tractor type enamal and a little reducer

[lukasmcdukas]

Originally Posted by leolkfrm

i've painted refrigerators with oil based paint and a felt pad, worked great, nice smooth shiney finish. consider using maybe a tractor type enamal and a little reducer

haha i was just thinking of the color options: jd green, farmall red, ford blue, caterpillar yellow, or kubota orange.

another thing i wonder about using a roller is this: how the @#$% are you gonna get everything covered? painting cab corners and sheet metal edges is going to be a nightmare if not totally impossible.

oh and definitely go kubota orange.

[bubbatrucklover]

Originally Posted by lukasmcdukas

haha i was just thinking of the color options: jd green, farmall red, ford blue, caterpillar yellow, or kubota orange.

another thing i wonder about using a roller is this: how the @#$% are you gonna get everything covered? painting cab corners and sheet metal edges is going to be a nightmare if not totally impossible.

oh and definitely go kubota orange.

That was my thought on the trim especially. I saw his doors and bed in his other thread after I saw this one.

oh and JD GREEN BUDDY!!!!

[batty1214]

I actually just painted the back of one of the work trucks with a foam roller...... If you are willing to do a good primer job, then sand, then roll it on, come back, sand, roll another coat on, sand that with fine sand paper, and get a good polishing compound and variable speed buffer, It can turn out quite well...... All depends on how much time you are willing to put into it..... kinda like using a rattle can...... I have seen vehicles painted with nothing but rattle can paint, and rattle can clear coat, that they have taken the time to sand inbetween coats, and after with 1000-2000 grit sand paper, then a good polishing compound, and wax, that have looked quite nice, and hard to tell that it was walmart 0.97$ spray paint.....