Painting question.. did anyone use a brush?

[monkeysmuggler]

I see that most of you guys spraypainted your cabs.. well, I can't paint in the parking lot here (against my lease, heh), so I'm stuck painting in my apartment with the door open and newspaper all over the place.

I don't trust myself enough to not spray paint the walls or die from fumes to spraypaint inside the house, so I was wondering if anybody had tried just brushing on primer/paint on their cab?

Am I just making ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- a real PITA here and should I go ahead and spray in the apartment and hope I don't fug anything up, or is brushing a good alternative?

[JustMichael]

Why not use a foam roller?

[hyiu]

I did use a brush to paint my cab (MDF)..... I sanded it a bit... and then use a brush and painted it flat black.....

flat black did hide the imperfection very well... and I think the result is acceptable.... (but nothing spectular like the other guys using spray paint and auto paints and stuffs....)

I donno how good it will be if I use glossy black.... (it might not hide the bad spots well....)

but you have to apply 2-3 coats.... so.. if you're planning on flat black.... brush should be ok.......

hope it helps....
   

[madk]

I used a roller and was really really impressed with my work.  I was soooooo scared to start painting.  I did my first coat with spray paint...which sucked.  So I sanded it down and added 2 coats with a roller.  It turned out great.  No visible streaks or anything.  Go with a roller man!

madk

[Bursar]

I've only primed my control panel so far, and used a roller for that. The roller kit I bought had a foam roller (meant for gloss) and a more traditional wooly type one.

I used the foam one to start with, but I found that as I rolled over the cutouts for the buttons, the circle shapes would indent on the roller and leave little cirlce prints over over panel.

I sanded it all off and used the wooly roller and it worked much better. It actually left a very slight texture in the paint which you may not want for your side panels, but I reckon on a control panel it will be better as it will give your hand that little bit more grip on the panel.

I'll sand the primer flat, and then use that roller to put the final coats on with. I think it will work out quite well.

[neuromancer]

Why not use a foam roller?

I used a foam roller and it worked great. Very smooth finish (much better than I've ever gotten with spray paint) -- no marks at all.

Not all foam rollers are equal, though. Make sure you get the one with very tiny cells and a rounded end. It's about 1.5 inches across. Bright white foam.

Bob

[JesterDEV]

I used spray paint and ended up with little spots all over the place even after 3 coats. It looks bad. So I would suggest the using a roller.

[Frostillicus]

I just finished mine and used a very high-grade roller.  If you are using wood then make sure you put 2-3 coats of sanding sealer on it, then sand it smooth after the last coat of sealer.  Then roll on the first coat of paint and stick it in a zip-lock till the next day.  Then when it's dry sand the first coat lightly with 400 grade paper(might use a lot of it) and put on the 2nd coat.  The key is to have a true smooth surface before painting.  If you don't use a sealer(and you're using wood), you will probalby be bummed at the grain that shows through.  Trust me you will like this finish.  I've tried spraying, but a high quality roller gives it a much nicer texture.
Sorry instructions are soo long, BTW. But if you do something might as well take your time and do it right.  

[Rahzel]

I also used a foam roller and it turned out pretty good. My only regret is when I opened the garage door once dirt blew in and got stuck on :(

[madk]

I put the last coat of paint on my control panel and box this morning.  Since it was such a nice day here in mid-michigan I decided to set it out in the driveway and let the sun bake it for a few hours.  Well during these few hours the neighbor decided to have his grass cut.  I walked outside to my cp covered in grass.  Needless to say some foul words were exchanged...I was serisouly about to hit the little lawn care boy.  Luckily the surface of the paint has already dried a bit and only a few fine pieces stuck......argggggggg....what a day.

[SirPoonga]

I used a pad.  There are some streaked, I think it looks cool.  if you don;t want streaks, roller or spray paint.  BTW, you don't need a parking lot to spray paint.  find some old sheets or blankets, create a paint booth so you don;t spray anything in the apartment.  (hint, get cheap cheats if you don;t have any from local salvation army, goodwill, whatever your thrift store is named)

This is in my parent's basement. it was winter when I painted the cab, so no doing it outside:)
(copy and paste the link)
http://free.hostdepartment.com/SirPoonga/images/y_mon2.jpg

[ErikRuud]

Yes, spray painting inside needs a spray booth of some sort. at a minimum, you need to cover evrything within six feet of object being sprayed.  As you spary there is a certain amount of paint that just sort hangs in the air as a mist.  Eventually this settles to the floor and sticks.

Plastic drop cloth from the hardware or paint store is probably the cheapest way to go.