My $100 Rust-Oleum Paint Job

  














My Rust-Oleum paint job -- Flat Black and Safety Red.
Because if you're going to paint your car with Rust-Oleum and a paint roller in your dirt driveway in the middle of South Carolina's pollen season, you might as well go two-toned.
This process involves several thin coats of Rust-Oleum diluted (50/50) with mineral spirits and applied with a high density foam roller. I primed after sanding with Rust-Oleum metal and plastic primer diluted the same way (this car is, I swear, 50% plastic). Light and wet sanding with steel wool, a scouring pad, and very fine sandpaper between coats took care of much of the debris and the poor little bugs that could not resist a taste of wet paint. Rust-Oleum requires some drying time, so I generally applied one coat a day over several days -- five coats of red, six of black. Touted as the $50 Rust-Oleum Paint Job on some sites, it probably cost more like $100.
I had damaged this car's paint job with a polish kit that reacted with the clear coat. It took two or three years for most of the shine to flake off, exposing the paint to oxidation. This vehicle looked pitiful, and I had little to lose by experimenting. 
After a little touching up with a foam brush, I'm pleased with the result.
Next Rust-Oleum project will involve the hood of my beautiful 1994 Ford Ranger. I promise a step by step of that one.





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