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My Lista Cabinet Repaint

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mixxmstrmike

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
330
Location
San Jose, CA
I got this cabinet for a steal. Functionally, it's perfect. Aesthetically, a bit on the bland side, sooooo... in keeping with the "blue" theme in my garage, I painted it. This thing wasn't moving anywhere so I had to paint it in its current location. Lots of tape and masking, but I got a decent paint job out of it. I rattle-canned the paint using Duplicolor's Indigo Metallic (GM color) using about 9 cans and followed up with Duplicolor's Clearcoat for wheels (5 cans). Enjoy the pictures:

Here's a "Before" shot:
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The Harbor Freight drawers may get the same treatment :D
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Since the end caps (originally black) were already off, I painted them silver to match the aluminum pull handles:
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The "After" picture. The table top is epoxy resin similar to ones used in chemistry labs.
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Enjoy your 4th of July,
Mike
 
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RivennHewn

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Jun 4, 2011
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PNW
Painting is 90% prep work.

With a little patience, you can get great results from rattle cans.

This cabinet is proof!

Nice job.
 
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back2class

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Jan 7, 2009
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2,723
Great rattle skills and looks nice. However it will look like **** if you ever use it with dirty hands and dont wipe it imediately or spill any solvents on it. Great work and sorry if it hurts your feelings, but you just messed up that nice box badly. But the skills diserve credit, looks great.
 
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maxwedge

Active member
Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Messages
36
Location
Bloomington IL
We have literally hundreds if not thousands of Lista cabinets at the Cat facility where I work, most have been repainted at some point, mostly industrial blue rustoleum enamel with a brush or roller or cat yellow spray paint. They get used extremely heavily every day and they hold up just fine to solvents for the most part...I think a lot of the duplicolor stuff is lacquer, so may be a bit less durable, but at least it's hella cheap and easy to repaint anyway. Looks great to me.
 
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DonkDonk

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Jul 5, 2010
Messages
553
Location
Norman, OK
back2class said:
Brush and roller is more durable by about 200% than spray cans.
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I don't really understand this logic? I have spray painted many many things and I have also painted many things with a gun using Rustoleum, various low budget enamels, industrial enamels, as well as high end automotive paints. I am pretty sure that Rustoleum in a rattle can is the EXACT same paint as the stuff in the gallon cans, just thinned a little. I have vises that I have rattle canned as well as sprayed Rustoleum out of a can and they are both doing great. Sure, you can't spray brake clean directly on them for a long time and wipe... but that has nothing to do with the method in which you applied the paint be it rusto rattle can, rusto sprayed with a gun, or rusto brushed on.
 
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back2class

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Jan 7, 2009
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I agree, seemes odd since it is the same product, but in my experience brushed on is much more durable to solvents nd I have done a great deal of it. It may be the the additional solvent makes for a curing time many months longer, but my guess is the final chemestry (crosslinking and stuff like that) renders different performance. I know thinning too much in some 2 part products can effect final cure and durability. Seems perfectly logical that it can happen in a single part enamel. Either way, rattle can is great for most things, but high end toolboxes are not one. trust me, unless he babies it, it will look like **** in a year of decent use.
 
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DonkDonk

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Jul 5, 2010
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Norman, OK
back2class said:
I agree, seemes odd since it is the same product, but in my experience brushed on is much more durable to solvents nd I have done a great deal of it. It may be the the additional solvent makes for a curing time many months longer, but my guess is the final chemestry (crosslinking and stuff like that) renders different performance. I know thinning too much in some 2 part products can effect final cure and durability. Seems perfectly logical that it can happen in a single part enamel. Either way, rattle can is great for most things, but high end toolboxes are not one. trust me, unless he babies it, it will look like **** in a year of decent use.
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None of this is information is based on fact. I am all for opinion and giving advice based on ones experience stated as such, but to state something as end all fact like this does not really make sense to me. In my experience prep is what really matters. Maybe the fact that you put more paint on stuff when you brush it on makes a big difference, maybe it was a full moon?

Reducer in a 2 part paint is totally different than reducer in an enamel paint.

Additional solvent should have the opposite effect, it should make it dry FASTER, not slower. In my opinion if you paint a toolbox with a brush or roller it looks like a shade tree rig job and with spray paint you can achieve a near pro job. Is it going to be as durable as a base coat clear coat or 2 part single stage? Well no, but that does not mean it is not a suitable coating for a DIY makeover either.

OP, I love what you have done with the box, sorry to stray off topic.
 
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back2class

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DonkDonk said:
Additional solvent should have the opposite effect, it should make it dry FASTER, not slower.
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See, you are guessing as well. Only a chemist would know what the effect of more thinner would have on the molecular level. What is a fact is additional solvent would make the product dry slower assuming same film thickness. The solvent has to gass off before the o2 begins to catalize the single part enamel. But expereince is why we share ideas here. My experience has been quite stark on both how rattle cans fail in such applications and spray v brush on versions of the same enamel have yealded quite different levels of durability. I do not think anyone was under the assumption my % figure was some scientific fact.
My guess is the film thickness is greater on average with brush on, so solvents and oils have a harder time getting under it and lifting it or etching all the way through.
 
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jon619

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May 6, 2010
Messages
120
Location
Mountain Home, ID
I think it looks pretty good. I have a Lista toolbox I plan to repaint. The previous owner painted it a crappy flat black. I want to paint it something closer to your compressor's color. Trying to decide how to paint it. Probably end up with rattle cans and clear coat cans unless I find something better.
 
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jeepfan93

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Joined
Mar 21, 2011
Messages
78
Location
Toms River NJ
I'm no scientist, but my experience is if you're working with a straight product, then canned roller Rustoleum is more durable than the spray can, using the professional series. I just started painting my boxes yesterday with Sherwin Williams oil based enamel and I will say it does dry MUCH quicker. I had it mixed to match their spray can. So I can't say for durabilty yet, but the finish I think is better, not as much orange peel, and get more mileage from it. I'm going to try Rustoleum spray can clear over it once all the boxes are done.
 
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mixxmstrmike

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Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
330
Location
San Jose, CA
Hey everyone,

Thanks for all the opinions (both good and bad) and questions. To clarify a few points, I painted the cabinet simply for my long term satisfaction. I'm never selling it in my lifetime and if it bothers my kids, hell, they can donate for all I care. I may even have them place it in the Classifieds section.

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.

Did you need to prime? That finish looks fantasic!!
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The box was in excellent shape with no chipped paint. However, since I already had primer, I did a quick, light sanding and applied the primer followed by another light sanding before applying the final color coat.

I want to paint it something closer to your compressor's color.
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I may have a solution for you. One of the colors I tested before going with this final color is a CLOSE match to my Quincy compressor. It's a Rustoleum color called Cobalt Blue Metallic #7251, I believe. Yes, the Quincy blue is non-metallic, but when I painted a Harbor Freight magnetic towel holder, and placed it on the compressor, the similarity is very close. It's almost uncanny. I'll have to take a picture and post it.

I may take a few pictures of what's inside the cabinet, but that will be a different thread. Basically, it holds my spares and duplicates.

Thanks again, everyone,
Mike
 
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NUTTSGT

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Joined
Sep 14, 2009
Messages
50,856
Location
Northern Central Ohio
Mike, the cabinet looks 100 times better in my opinion. It'll look even better once you paint that HF box beside it.


Spray on :rocker:
 
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jon619

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Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
120
Location
Mountain Home, ID
mixxmstrmike said:
I may have a solution for you. One of the colors I tested before going with this final color is a CLOSE match to my Quincy compressor. It's a Rustoleum color called Cobalt Blue Metallic #7251, I believe. Yes, the Quincy blue is non-metallic, but when I painted a Harbor Freight magnetic towel holder, and placed it on the compressor, the similarity is very close. It's almost uncanny. I'll have to take a picture and post it.
Click to expand...

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>
 
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darkk

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Joined
Dec 24, 2009
Messages
3,361
Location
Willimantic, Ct.
Nice cabinet, and it isn't ruined in my opinion........got to be nay sayers in every group huh?
 
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