My Lista Cabinet Repaint

[hobie1dog]

I thought with that nice air compressor sitting right there that you would have used a regular spray gun instead of spray cans...but what a job you did with em.

 

[larryv]

Great Job! Sure would like to find something even close to that.

 

[zekers59]

Add me to the list of admirers.......sweet! Total Pro work.

Love the little Wilton Vise resto too -- beautiful! Is that Dark Machinery gray and on a moveable platform?

Well done is an understatement.......

 

[kams1973]

The bicycle pump next to the Quincy made me chuckle.

 

[back2class]

Now, for the one person who said that I "just messed up that nice box badly," in what way(s) do you believe I did this? I'm not going to get into a ******* contest, but you have no idea how I work in my garage. I'm very methodical in the way I work and extremely careful. I expect this box to do just fine in "my" environment. No hurt feelings here, just curious to find out how I messed up the box.



Mike

I said that more or less. It is no different than spraying a perfect condition Porsche with a rattle can. That is a very fine quality box (and expensive). It had a far more durable finish on it that is designed to stand up to what the box is designed for, while the finish you applied simply put is not. If you baby it then it may be ok. What is the point of having such a high end industrial box if you need to baby it and risk damaging the finish if you do not? I buy and sell alot of boxes. Every single one rattle caned looks horrid, and some were only used in home shops. I would never consider a good thing to have to drop what I am doing imediately and clean it off if I get a greasy fingerprint or some solvent on it. Hurts functionality of the box. It is your box and you did a great job with the cans, looks good right now. Rattle can paint is not suitable for a toolbox. You put decorating ahead of function and in the end you will have to tip-toe around it to keep it from looking like hell. I was trying te be helpful. Many people don't realize how different the properties of rattle cans can be from inductrial finishes. Only you know how you will use that box. But any even half way serious hobby use where you get your hands dirty, that paint and box will look horrid, when your goal was to have the opposite. Nevermind all the chips that are bound to happen so easy now.

And, if you ever did want to sell, it is worth a good deal less. I was not trying to be mean, just giving feedback. Did you want feedback or your ego stroked?

 

[Jack Olsen]

You'll get a lot of different feedback, I guess.

I've got a Vidmar box that I painted with Latex paint and a roller. It's held up fine.

I painted the lift with a slightly-tougher (acrylic) paint in the same color. It's held up fine, too.

I also have a Porsche that does have some rattle-canned pieces on it.

 

[Crizzle]

LOVE the color. Awesome job!

 

[Jack Olsen]

Thanks. I should mention: I'm not trying to make a case for inferior paint methods. But we're talking about a garage, here.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Still waiting on the HF box repaint thread.

 

[Linda@Lista]

Yes, please post a picture. I just painted my small handbox Rustoleum gloss spa blue and it's pretty cool. Still needs another coat and clear, but I think for the lista box, I want it a bit darker.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jon619/5907031208/" title="0705111707 by jon619, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6009/5907031208_23fd692e6b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="0705111707"></a>

Hey jon619, please post a pic of your Lista box so I can share it with our FB followers too.

As someone else said it, spray on!
Linda

 

[DonkDonk]

I said that more or less. It is no different than spraying a perfect condition Porsche with a rattle can. That is a very fine quality box (and expensive). It had a far more durable finish on it that is designed to stand up to what the box is designed for, while the finish you applied simply put is not. If you baby it then it may be ok. What is the point of having such a high end industrial box if you need to baby it and risk damaging the finish if you do not? I buy and sell alot of boxes. Every single one rattle caned looks horrid, and some were only used in home shops. I would never consider a good thing to have to drop what I am doing imediately and clean it off if I get a greasy fingerprint or some solvent on it. Hurts functionality of the box. It is your box and you did a great job with the cans, looks good right now. Rattle can paint is not suitable for a toolbox. You put decorating ahead of function and in the end you will have to tip-toe around it to keep it from looking like hell. I was trying te be helpful. Many people don't realize how different the properties of rattle cans can be from inductrial finishes. Only you know how you will use that box. But any even half way serious hobby use where you get your hands dirty, that paint and box will look horrid, when your goal was to have the opposite. Nevermind all the chips that are bound to happen so easy now.

And, if you ever did want to sell, it is worth a good deal less. I was not trying to be mean, just giving feedback. Did you want feedback or your ego stroked?

This almost makes me want to go sand my Snap-On KRL boxes and spray paint them.... Almost.

 

[back2class]

This almost makes me want to go sand my Snap-On KRL boxes and spray paint them.... Almost.

Don't do it LOL. I have a set of KR snap-ons I use that some fool thought he would make pretty with cans. Looks disgusting! When I tried to wipe it clean with some solvent, the paint just turned to sludge. I am not a tool polisher so I don't loose sleep over it and paid almost nothing for them, but no sense in turning a box into a mess like mine so the colors match and look pretty in your garage. I would take function over form when it comes to tools. I use them, not decorate them. I just wanted to educate any guys reading this that covering a quality commercial finish with rattle cans is a big mistake. I believe many reading this thread think once that paint dries and looks good, nothing has changed except the color. They may get the same idea. When the fact is, he has covered it in a finish that is not suitable for almost any use such a box was intended for, and will fail fast and hard under any real use.

 

[mixxmstrmike]

I thought with that nice air compressor sitting right there that you would have used a regular spray gun instead of spray cans...but what a job you did with em.

A couple of reasons why I didn't use an HVLP setup... The space between the HF box & the Lista is about 16". Spacing was a big issue. I was not in a position to move any of the boxes to the left of the Lista. Another reason was cost... I currently don't have an HVLP system AND I would have to spend a bit more money on getting the proper drying system to dry my airline.

Love the little Wilton Vise resto too -- beautiful! Is that Dark Machinery gray and on a moveable platform?

I can't take credit for the Wilton resto... I got lucky and got it off of Craigslist. I believe it is a Rustoleum Dark Machine Gray (not 100% certain) and it IS on a moveable platform. It's bolted down on a 2"x10" or 14" (I can't remember off the top of my head). When in use, it gets clamped down on my work surface with three C-clamps. It works perfectly for "my" applications. Great eye!

The bicycle pump next to the Quincy made me chuckle.

I'm glad you have my sense of humor. That section near my compressor is where I have all my air-associated goods and it's perfect for pumping up my boys' bike tires...

I also have a Porsche that does have some rattle-canned pieces on it.

Game. Set. Match. Thanks, Jack!

Still waiting on the HF box repaint thread.

NUTTSGT:

Me too!
In all seriousness, there are TWO boxes waiting to be painted. They're right next to each other... just can't see them in the pictures. What I'm thinking is just painting the drawer faces, kinda like what Jack Olsen did with his HF box. However, it will involve lots 'o fill primer. Check below to what I did to an HF towel holder and you'll see quite a bit of difference when I leave out the primer. The "semi-smooth crinkle" finish come through the paint whereas the one with the fill primer is 100x better, IMO.

Yes, please post a picture. I just painted my small handbox Rustoleum gloss spa blue and it's pretty cool. Still needs another coat and clear, but I think for the lista box, I want it a bit darker.

jon619: I was mistaken in my first response. The correct paint that's close to the Quincy color is a Duplicolor color called Intense Blue Pearl BCC0422. It's a Chrysler color. Here's a picture of it on the Quincy (no flash, natural lighting):

NUTTSGT:

Here are a few comparison pictures of two HF towel holders I repainted:

Both of them side by side in natural light:

This one is straight rattle can paint on top of the HF "crinkle" finish + clear coat. From the white reflection, you can tell how the crinkle finish still comes through the paint.

In this shot, you can see how clear the reflection comes out. The process was fill primer, sand, paint then clear coat. They are two different colors, for clarification.

-Enjoy,
Mike

 

[csp]

You can knock down the HF crinkle finish with a DA sander and still not take it to bare metal. The "powder coat" is pretty thick. I used 220 grit on mine and it took less than an hour, though I did not sand the drawers.

For the spray bomb haters, I have an old portable toolbox that I spray bombed in high school that looks great to this day. That was 25+ years ago. Granted it has chips and scratches, but there aren't any more than the Craftsman box I have that's just as old.

 

[DonkDonk]

Don't do it LOL. I have a set of KR snap-ons I use that some fool thought he would make pretty with cans. Looks disgusting! When I tried to wipe it clean with some solvent, the paint just turned to sludge. I am not a tool polisher so I don't loose sleep over it and paid almost nothing for them, but no sense in turning a box into a mess like mine so the colors match and look pretty in your garage. I would take function over form when it comes to tools. I use them, not decorate them. I just wanted to educate any guys reading this that covering a quality commercial finish with rattle cans is a big mistake. I believe many reading this thread think once that paint dries and looks good, nothing has changed except the color. They may get the same idea. When the fact is, he has covered it in a finish that is not suitable for almost any use such a box was intended for, and will fail fast and hard under any real use.

Man I am just left shaking my head after reading these posts. You have to be fairly egotistical to make statements like this.

JUST BECAUSE IT DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU AND YOUR SITUATION DOES NOT MEAN IT WILL NOT WORK FOR SOMEONE ELSE IN THEIR SITUATION!!

There are lots of grades of rattle can just as there are lots of grades of automotive paints. If you go to Wally World and buy the .98 cent paint then you will get what you pay for no matter the prep you do. If you do proper prep and you buy quality spray paint then you can get a finish that will last you as long as you want it to. I have never painted anything with quality rattle can that will do this when it is cured:

When I tried to wipe it clean with some solvent, the paint just turned to sludge.

Not even brake cleaner or lacquer thinner will do that... now if you did soak a rag in thinner and rub ANY one part paint whether it be from a gun, rattle can, brush, or roller and rub on it, it will come off for sure... but when I paint something with one part paint well then I know better than to use something so aggressive on it... and since you "know" how bad rattle can is, why in the world would you try to wipe it down with solvent? Obviously it was painted with el-chepo paint to "sludge" like that, but at any rate you would have been much better off using some weak degreaser.

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but statements like this really get to me:

I just wanted to educate any guys reading this that covering a quality commercial finish with rattle cans is a big mistake.

I have painted tons of stuff with every kind of paint there is. Here is my rattle can "department":

And some of my automotive paint:

Do I know everything there is to know about paint and painting? Well no, not by a long shot... but what I do know is that you can achieve excellent lasting results with rattle cans. You say the man is stupid because he didn't go spend $200 on paint supplies, $$ on spray equipment, time for learning curve etc because he wants to spruce up his industrial box a little?? So what if it is not as durable as the finish that was on it?? Would I have painted it glossy out of a rattle can? Probably not, if it was me I would probably paint it a satin finish out of a rattle can or the same paint out of a gun... but that's me and this is his and I think it looks great. What you are saying is like saying you MUST buy a Snap-On (or equivalent) wrench for $40 instead of the $1 Harbor Freight wrench or you are stupid. Is the HF wrench going to be as tough? No. Is the HF wrench going to last as long under the same use? No. Does that mean you are stupid for buying the HF wrench for occasional home use? Well hell no.

Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, but that is entirely different than making statements like you are the expert authority on the subject and anything else is stupidity and you feel self obligated to teach mankind the absolute rule is absurd. But that is just my opinion.

 

[Catamount]

Agreed on all counts. It seems like back2class needs to learn some class.

 

[jon619]

jon619: I was mistaken in my first response. The correct paint that's close to the Quincy color is a Duplicolor color called Intense Blue Pearl BCC0422. It's a Chrysler color. Here's a picture of it on the Quincy (no flash, natural lighting):

Thanks for letting me know. That last picture looks great. I'll post up when I'm done with the Lista box whenever that is.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I guess that'll take a bit of sanding on that box.

 

[cnyeco1]

I missed what the color is of the second towel holder. The one with the nice finish. I love that color.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mixxmstrmike]

I missed what the color is of the second towel holder. The one with the nice finish. I love that color.

Thanks in advance.

That color, with the nicer finish, is Rustoleum's Cobalt Blue Metallic. The one without the nicer finish is Duplicolor's Intense Blue Pearl and is the one that's closer in shade to my Quincy compressor.

-Mike

 

[jimzz2006]

So we are over a year since the rattle can paintjob. How is it holding up? I am looking to do the same thing with some metal cabinets I have in my workshop

 

[920kip]

Thanks to Google for helping me find this ******* match. I can't see the pics of the Lista, but I hope it is holding up well
I thought a bump would be a good idea.
I am going to be painting some metal cabs in a few months. As soon as I can paint outside.
Cheers, Kip