switching toolbox from red to black

[steveo2155]

I think I am going to paint red craftsman toolbox black with rustoleum paint. I want it to look good so what is the correct way to go about this and what supplies do I all need? Do I need to sand it all the way down to the metal? Then primer, then paint? Would one of those foam paint brushes work the best?

 

[dlcwent]

You should never judge a mechanic by the size or the color of his box.
I have no opion on this one but foam brushes have never worked for me.

 

[chipper]

It all depends on the condition of the red paint if its new condition I would just scotchbrite it....if there are scratches and such everywhere then those need to be sanded out and primed...there is really no need to prime good condition paint just cause your going red to black..I would spray it black and then use some sort of clear....remember your paint job will only be as good as your prep job..good luck

 

[chipper]

Oh and degrease the hell out of it before you start

 

[FunkyfullWidth]

Ya know, alot of old schoolers hate spray paint and swear by the brush. I think it comes out looking crappy when you use a brush. You can definately see brush marks. Like in a house, if you look hard enough you see the cut lines.

In your case its hard to say how far to sand. Depends on how bad it is. If the base red is decent I say scuff it and spray it. If not, sand it as much as you can. Fan out some areas if you have to so you don't see lines, primer any bare metal with a few coats and sand it out flat.

 

[Tejaas]

Ya know, alot of old schoolers hate spray paint and swear by the brush. I think it comes out looking crappy when you use a brush. You can definately see brush marks. Like in a house, if you look hard enough you see the cut lines.

Ya gotta use a high quality natural bristle... And cut the paint with a thinning agent. A brush can do an immaculate paint job with proper prep and whatnot!

Foam -rollers- work great, even with oil-based enamel... Again, thin the paint and it'll eliminate air bubbles.
Me personally, I'd only use the foam -brushes- for wood stain.

Other than that, sand it down. Grit graduation pays off if your wanting an immaculate finish. If you go to 100% bare metal, even better. If you go to bare metal in some areas (to eliminate rust spots, etc) MAKE SURE you feather in all in.

Then, degrease. Twice.
Acetone works great if you move quick. MEK buys you a bit of time.

Then, hit it with a tack cloth if you feel the need, as it eliminates any dust particles that touched down.

Now prime it with a COMPATIBLE primer.

Then lay down your color. Patience is a virtue between coats... And a heatlamp or direct sunlight is a definite plus.

Finally, post pictures!

I am envious that you can get away with black... Down my way we have a lot of caliche dust, and it shows like chalk- therefore I go with the stereotypical red cab/black drawer toolbox paint jobs, or industrial grey for lockers/cabinets.

~Tejaas~

WTB: Snap-On Orange Hard Handle SDD6 & SSDP63 in Very Good Condition!

 

[steveo2155]

What about using roll on bedliner? Anybody ever hear of someone doing that or would that look stupid

 

[trpearcy]

Or even spray on bedliner? I've used that on some small boxes that I use along side the road, and it's held up really well and been very water and oil resistant.

 

[chipper]

What about using roll on bedliner? Anybody ever hear of someone doing that or would that look stupid

I've heard of doing tops with bed liner or the inside of drawers but not a whole box but you could be a trend setter....go for it!!!!!

 

[larryq]

I've sprayed the interior of a hand box with Rustoleum bedliner, and it's worked well, though I'd probably try a more expensive (better) brand if I were to do it again. Just for tough-as-nails results, not that the rustoleum is bad.

As for spraying the outside, sure, why not? I'd do that over brushing rustoleum for sure. I would try a small test section on the bottom first, out of the way, just to see if you need to sand down the paint all the way-- the bedliner might curl it up.

 

[hoffman912]

I would disassemble, clean (degrease), sand it to take down the gloss and smooth it out. then i would clean it with a tack rag to get all the sanding dust off, then mask anything off you dont want painted with green automotive painters tape, then wipe down with some wax/oil cleaner paint prep stuff (lost of different kinds out there), and let it dry overnight and wipe with a lint free cloth to make sure clean and no alcohol left (will get rid of grease oil and dirt from the paint prep process as well as oils from your hands and sweat). i would do a light coat of primer, but thats just me, you are probably OK with out. then i would shoot it with some high gloss rustolium, (do a couple of coats). then if you want to really get ****, wet sand with some 3000 grit and then come back with a polish and a polisher.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I should paint most of my boxes this summer, will I, that is a different subject....

 

[454ragtop]

If doing the whole box, inside and out, best to spray it. If just doing the outside, a 4" foam roller, Rustoleum, and the most important part Penetrol additive, gives awesome results. A couple pics of another cabinet I'm just finishing up. It's a Rousseau industrial cabinet. It's in the backgroung in the first pic, supporting a drawer to the Equipto I just painted. It was originally 2 tone, didn't really care for either color. So wiped it down with Goo Gone, hit it with the DA and some 180 grit, and then rolled on some Royal Blue. Took 2 coats to cover, real happy with how it turned out.
HTH, Jim

 

[Hantke]

I would sand it, hit it with a filler primer, then sand it one last time so it feels smooth to the touch, after all that, thin it down and go to town with a HVLP gun! my favorite was a 5gal. bucket of CAT black, that stuff lasts literally forever, can be touched up with an appropriate rattle can, usually cheap, and works amazingly with Omni thinner, but that's just my personal preference. You could also go fancy and base-clear it if you have the time!
Remember, regardless of your style, tack cloth is your friend!

 

[trpearcy]

I've sprayed the interior of a hand box with Rustoleum bedliner, and it's worked well, though I'd probably try a more expensive (better) brand if I were to do it again. Just for tough-as-nails results, not that the rustoleum is bad.

As for spraying the outside, sure, why not? I'd do that over brushing rustoleum for sure. I would try a small test section on the bottom first, out of the way, just to see if you need to sand down the paint all the way-- the bedliner might curl it up.

I've used the Rustoleum bedliner, and it was ok, but not great.... For the toughest bedliner I'd use 3M. Advance Auto Parts has it and it goes on sale for 9.99 per bottle.

 

[chipper]

Just spray it...here's a 4 drawer hf cart I did with rustoleum painters touch topped with chromaclear I can't imagine I brush job looking as good

 

[chipper]

Also it was about 3 hours start to finish

 

[steveo2155]

Thanks for all of the good suggestions. I recently bought this toolbox used. It is not in bad shape by any means but it show its age a little bit. Some minor scuff marks, paint is a little faded and couple little dents in the drawers. There are a couple of stickers on the side of it that I bought goof off for to remove - will this product work to clean the whole toolbox or is there a better product for that? It is not overly dirty or anything, just needs a good clean up before I do anything to it. It is the typical red craftsman toolbox with black drawers and after giving it some thought I think I am going to just get some of the Rustoleum black spray paint cans and spray it. I will clean it up really good and then sand it down. A da sander came in the toolbox I bought but at the moment I have no air compressor to use it. Would one of those sanding blocks work or would that take too much time to do it by hand? Also what grit? Since the box is in pretty good shape, would any of you guys just skip the sanding and go right to the primer then paint it followed up by clear coat? Just want to make this toolbox my own and make it look good.

 

[BK13]

Just spray it...here's a 4 drawer hf cart I did with rustoleum painters touch topped with chromaclear I can't imagine I brush job looking as good

Dang, that turned out nice...

 

[steveo2155]

I bought a couple medium/coarse sanding blocks and started sanding all the paint off down to bare metal. Then the plan is to buy some spray cans of rustoleums paint and primer in one and paint the base a dark gray color with black drawers, followed up by a clear coat. Hope it turns out good.

 

[chipper]

Dang, that turned out nice...

Thanks