Hey gang,

I just got the deal of the century on a fiberglass tonneau cover....I paid $150 for a $1100 tonneau cover. BUT! Here is the deal, the cover is white and my truck is gloss black, I want it to match! I have been told that it willl be at least $280 for a body shop to paint it! I have a buddy that has a compressor and a paint gun and he said we can get it done way cheaper...........

So my question is about paint, I have been told it will be over $100 for the auto paint and catalyst!

I got to thinking about the other types of paint.... And I thought about Marine paint. Boats are made of fiberglass! I called my local Marine store and the lady told me she has a pint of high gloss black marine paint for $26. And a pint of the prep stuff is $10. The paint itself is the 1 step paint, so it sounds like clearcoat is not needed......She said it would be very shiny and would look great on my truck.

Need your opinions please!!!!

Will this work?? I was reading the "Painting with spray cans" Thread and I wanted further advise!!

Thanks all!

 

Solid black is about the cheapest colors you can buy in auto paint. Get a lower line like omni single stage urethane, it won't be any more for a pint of paint, but you do need to buy a hardener, which are a good portion of price. What is this marine paint they are selling you, what type of paint, enamel, urethane, lacquer, polyurethane?
Everything but enamel and lacquer requires a hardener, lacquer I would not use, and enamel I would not spray without a hardener, it can be done, but without a hardener it can take years to truely cure all the way through, hardener will add gloss and durability. I am also questioning if a pint will be enough for your tonneau cover, I am leaning more toward a quart with auto paint, depending on mix ratio. Most single stage I've used are somewhere around 4 parts paint to 1 part hardener, so a pint mixed would only give a pint and 4 oz. I don't know if the paint suppliers sell omni single stage urethane in a quantity as small as a pint, but maybe some brand will. I still think I would feel safer buying a quart, figuring a few coats of paint.

 

Thanks for the reply Ken,

This is the polyurethane marine paint and I goofed this is for a quart. What is your advise with that in mind?

 

If it is polyurethane, by all means go for it. It is probably one of the toughest paints there is. It should require a hardener though for crosslinking to cure. Be sure to check that, and if you need to reduce it at all or not. Maybe you can find a website if you know the brand, and see if you can find a product information sheet giving you mix ratio, and how to apply ect. One thing with polyurethanes though, hardeners, catalyst, activator, whatever they choose to call it, these contain isocyanates. Not good to absorb into your body, or breath in, so make sure you wear a respirator and get as much ventilation as you can when you spray. Even wear protection when you are mixing it. Also with polyurethane, if you have to wetsand and buff because of flaws in dirt in the paint, you may not want to wait to long to do it. Once they are cured for a week or two, it may be very hard to do because they set up like a rock. I am only familar with automotive paint like imron though, not sure about the stuff you are using.