Appliance Epoxy paint advice...

[indaswamp]

I am painting the sides and top of the double door stainless commercial freezer I picked up to refurbish as a salumi maturing chamber. The sides are sheet aluminum, the front and inside is 304 stainless steel, There was something corrosive that spilled on one side of the unit. I cleaned it with soap and water, then sprayed multiple coats of aluma bright which is a mixture of acids. This removed whatever was on it. The wall had some etching lines, which is why I decided to spray with appliance epoxy. The etched surface sprayed with aluma bright will give excellent adhesion to the epoxy enamel.

So-question...how many coats of paint do you recommend? I sprayed one good coat of paint on the top and both sides. Went through 5 or 6 cans of paint. I went light with the paint to prevent runs, but I can see I will definitely need at least one more coat. If you have done this before, pointer appreciated. Thanks.

Oh-and pics.

The etched side...

Up close:

first coat of black Rust-oleum appliance epoxy enamel paint...(had to put up a wind block...breezy today.)

 

[indaswamp]

Also- what grit sand paper would you recommend to lightly rough the surface for another coat of paint?

 

[mike243]

I painted a truck size generator 1 time and didnt sand between coats came out fine, hard to say but what does the can say

 

[indaswamp]

Says to lightly sand between coats if not applied while the paint is still tacky (within 1 hour). Otherwise wait 1 week before second coat and lightly sand...does not say what grit sand paper to use.

 

[indaswamp]

It is metal so I'm thinking 400 grit....

 

[chopsaw]

I would use steel wool and just knock the sheen off . You'd have to make sure it was completely dry .

 

[indaswamp]

Thanks a million Chopsaw!

 

[indaswamp]

figured out one thing....I did not use enough paint. I had it in my head the coverage was 15sq.ft. but rereading the can it's 7sq.ft.; so I need to spray it with another coat. But, I'll have to wait a week.....

I must have read a different can in the store and went with that coverage...

Oh, well, will repaint next weekend. At least I did not have any paint runs!!!LOL!!

 

[chopsaw]

You could also get some 3m buffing pads . Look around the sand paper at lowes . That might be a better option .

 

[chopsaw]

Spray paint is always a crap shoot .

 

[chopsaw]

The first coats never look the way you want . Do like you are and go slow . It will come together .

 

[OldSmoke]

Aluminum is tough to paint and have it last. I would have roughed it up with a course Scotchbrite pad, cleaned the surface, applied an epoxy primer, then the top coat. The primer will aid in a more uniform top coat and promotes the best adhesion.

 

[pineywoods]

I think I'd go with either 400 or maybe even 600 grit

 

[forktender]

600 or 800 grit on a flat sanding block for the flats and no block, just the palm of your hand on rounded surfaces. You don't want to remove a bunch of paint, the idea is to just level out the high spots.

The way you're doing it with light coats is by far the best way to go about it, it will look ten times better using light coats in the end.

Sand with 6-800 between each coat and 2000 to 4000grit after the final coat, then buff it out with an orbital buffer and some 100% pure Carnuba wax. Google how to paint a car and follow the steps.

 

[Steve H]

3 good answers. Steel wool, green pad, or 600-800 grit paper.
On large areas. We used to roll the paint instead of spray. 2 to 3 light coats. With between 15-30 minutes between coats depending on temp/humidity. We would only rough up the surface once. Then apply coats. If you are using an epoxy. And a bubble doesn't settle. Then use steel wool or sandpaper to smooth out. If you're not getting the results you want with the rattle cans. Get a small can of epoxy paint. And roll it on. And, if possible. We would move the appliance so we could paint it on a horizontal surface to reduce the risk of runs. Of course, that isn't always possible. And I sure as heck wouldn't want to put that beast on its side!

 

[indaswamp]

Aluminum is tough to paint and have it last. I would have roughed it up with a course Scotchbrite pad, cleaned the surface, applied an epoxy primer, then the top coat. The primer will aid in a more uniform top coat and promotes the best adhesion.

Thanks old smoke. the aluma bright is an acid etch surface prep for paint that I got from my buddy's boat building shop. I agree primer would help hold the paint on, but the etching will help out a lot. We do a lot of aluminum projects and the etching holds paint very well. If the paint does not work, I may just re-skin it with ultra thin aluminum flashing. But cosmetics are secondary to functionality for this project. The paint is 100X better than the corrosion marks though...

 

[indaswamp]

I could of had it painted at the boat shop, but I did not want to wait until he has the paint shed prepped for either black or silver paint to paint stuff for his business. Would not have cost me much to go that route....

 

[indaswamp]

3 good answers. Steel wool, green pad, or 600-800 grit paper.
On large areas. We used to roll the paint instead of spray. 2 to 3 light coats. With between 15-30 minutes between coats depending on temp/humidity. We would only rough up the surface once. Then apply coats. If you are using an epoxy. And a bubble doesn't settle. Then use steel wool or sandpaper to smooth out. If you're not getting the results you want with the rattle cans. Get a small can of epoxy paint. And roll it on. And, if possible. We would move the appliance so we could paint it on a horizontal surface to reduce the risk of runs. Of course, that isn't always possible. And I sure as heck wouldn't want to put that beast on its side!

The top looks really good this morning. That was the first surface I painted and I used enough paint. I am confident the sides will come out just as good once I spray more paint. I agree that a horizontal surface would be best, but I'm not leaning that thing on it's side!!!LOL!!! She's a beast!

 

[indaswamp]

Thanks to the brain trust on SMF for the replies...

 

[indaswamp]

Aluminum is tough to paint and have it last. I would have roughed it up with a course Scotchbrite pad, cleaned the surface, applied an epoxy primer, then the top coat. The primer will aid in a more uniform top coat and promotes the best adhesion.

Also- the can said not to prime the surface...