93 Toy pickup, dual rear wheels. I wanted to paint the wheels and at 22 years old they show a bit of wear. I did not want to spend the money on powder coat.

It was suggested I use hammerd paint from Rustoleum as it would hide the defects and look good. Seemed like a plan.

I cleaned the wheels first with a pressure washer, then with soap and water. Sanded off the worst and then wiped down with paint thinner. Prep is the key I know that.

Brushed on the Rustoleum silver Hammertone paint. Looked good. But this paint is crap. Scratches extremely easy. Where the water sits in the rims on the duals is rusting and it is only 3 months old.

Any input on this? Jim

 

Jim,
Rather then Brushing on Rustoleum, you might want to consider switching to Rattle-can paint options.

The nice thing about rattle-can paint jobs is the ease of application, and touch ups are easy.
With multiple thin coats, you should achieve a nice looking finish.

The bad thing about rattle-can, is that touch ups will be necessary.

If you want the finish to hold up, your going to need to shoot the wheels with automotive paint (hardener)...using a gun, not a brush.

hth

 

Paint prep is definitely a key to a good paint job. But so is application....


Did you use any kind of undercoat?


Did you brush on more than one coat?


Did you use any kind of clear coat over the colored paint?


Brushing paint on anything does not guarantee an even spread. It can leave lots of uncoated surface behind that are hard to see by eye. Standing water can seep through these minute openings to attack the original surface.


If you care to try this again, I suggest using spray paint. Prepare your surface like you did before but use acetone as the cleaning agent as it dries off without residue. Then wipe with a clean microfiber cloth.


Use two coats of primer, two or three coats of color, and then at least three coats of automotive clear coat. All within proper re-coat times ( read and follow re-coat instructions on product ) and then let it sit for at least two days in the sun, if you can, before putting back on vehicle.


Our wheels take more of a beating than we realize. The clear coat will act as a buffer against most of the elements. Nothing will help against rocks and such. But your paint job should last a bit longer with it than without it.

 

I used rattle can paint on a set of rims and they are still looking great. Paint prep is the key to getting good results. I think I used Rustoleum paint.

 

What has me ticked is several years ago I used a rattle can product from WalMat called Rust Control spray enamel, no primer needed. I had no complaints with the paint. The last time I saw the wheels they still looked OK.

 

If you were down to bare metal you should have used a bare metal primer first. It goes on looking green.


I used Rustoleum Silver Hammertone to restore a 1983 galvanized boat trailer about five years ago. It has a much nicer color than spray galvanizing. It's been five years and the paint still looks good and no rust.


I've also used Silver Metallic Rustoleum to spray the center caps of my '00 4Runner and '00 Tacoma. I cleaned them well first, gave them a couple of coats and no clear. The set on my 4Runner look great after two years or so. No complaints on their products.

 

I like rustoleum. I used their truck bed liner in a can on some rims and that stuff is going strong. I wonder if I could paint over it.... (Shakes Can)