The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Giving Rustoleum a Wax Job

After 7 years my Rustoleum paint is getting ruff looking. I need to spruce it up.

Do you think I could compound it and give it a wax job?

What kind of wax should I use?

You sure could!! I'd use something gentle from you good friends at three M, less aggressive than rubbing compound. I use Mothers carnuba wax. I think they even make a cleaner wax, that has a mild abrasive in it. That might be enough for you, depeding on how oxidized the surface is, and whether or not you are using a real machine, or a home type machine.

But you might want to buy Meguire's wax, then your truck will be as shiny as his dentures.

Dennis, thanks for this post! I am wanting to paint my truck with Rustoleum for various reasons but I have been worried about how long it will last. Nice to hear you got at least 7 years out of it, that rules!!

I like the way they say they have to apply 6 to 10 coats to get complete coverage, sanding the entire car in between to get rid of the orange peel, bugs, dust, drips and to level it out.
Anyone that has wet sanded an entire car by now has to be shaking their head and asking, "just what are they trying to prove, that it can be done if you want to put enough effort into it?" I can't see where there is any savings in painting a vehicle this way and all the sanding in the world is not going to give you the finish that you would get from a spray paint job.

I would much rather take an hour and shoot a couple of coats of $250 a gallon automotive enamel on and have done with it. And if you can't shoot it your self, then do all the prep work and pay a shop to shoot it for you. In my book, you would be money ahead.

Of course it all depends on what the end result is that you expect.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

To All. Thank you. Mr. Lang - I think of you as my hero in this. Thank you.

I have nothing bad to say about using Rustoleum. I originally painted the truck to get by and have a truck all one color. Well, two. I painted the bottom green and the top white.

I wanted it to look nice while in the driveway (under construction) and cure my curiosity of what this color scheme would look like. That was over 7 years ago.

I did not prep the truck. I painted over what was there. With a bunch of small rollers from Lowe's.

This paint does not bubble or come off when gasoline is spilled on it and takes the sun well.

Originally, this was a get by paint job. I had planned to take it off someday for a decent paint job. But it is nice and I get complements from others on the truck and how well it looks. I believe it is a 10 foot paint job. Closer than 10 feet it does not look real good. I believe that is because I did not thin the paint - just right out of the can. I am thinking of ruffing up the paint and putting a couple of thinned out (50/50) coats on it to smooth out the paint and spruce her up.

Thanks again for all your input.

I do always think that a couple of coats of $250 a gallon automotive enamel would be nice but I like my Rutoleum finish.

Maybe, I will leave well enough alone.

If you do recoat, use penetrol, from flood company to thin, instead of turpentine. It will lay down nicer, and it won't kill the gloss like thinner does if you use too much.

The varnished box on my truck distracts everyone from my paint job.

Denny, you think sanding a truck is bad. Its a vacation, I often am looking down a 40 foot wooden hull, faced with a similar task! Plus I'm cheap. So very cheap. Work trucks need touch ups.

If I had the money, I'd do it the right way, but I don't. So, I have to improvise. Part of the great thing about using a truck like this for work, is that it doesn't have to be perfect, it has character, and patina, not flaws!!!!

If you do it, scuff it with #400 grit- go crazy with the roller.

I'm with Denny on using a roller, besides a cheap gun would do better.
I've shot rustoleum on restored gas pumps to give them an original look and it works well. I've got one which I did back in 97 still sitting outside, but the shine is gone. I used to wax it every year to maintain the shine but lately have not.
All things considered, you get what you payed for. If weathering is of no concern use straight enamel.
I think the rusto held up okay but I'd rather invest some more money for better paint so it will last longer with less work.
I'd leave the Reds alone cause they really fade out. I did a trailer with red in 95 and it looks almost pink and I don't have time to wax a trailer.
As far as rollers go, I've used a real good paint brush and got results that far exceed what a roller can do.

Dan

The original poster is asking about waxing the paint he's got on there already. There are plenty of other threads to debate about the use of Rustoleum.

You can certainly try it, and once you knock the oxide off with a polishing compound and wax it, it may look better or it may not. Its going to depend on how smooth the paint was to begin with and how picky you are. If the pores in the paint are deep and full of crud, you won't be able to get it shiny without removing so much paint that you make it too thin, and if the pores are full of crud and you wax over the top of it, it will look a bit cloudy. But there's no harm in trying, if the wax looks funny you can strip it back off with WD-40 or a wax remover.