Has anyone painted tmolding successfully?

[BobA]

I have about 100 ft of tmolding in a color I will probably not use and wondered if anyone has sucessfully painted  theirs to another color?  Thinking of using that special plastic paint for lawn furniture etc but worried about how it works when you flex the tmolding.

BobA

[Harry Potter]

I have. It's quite easy.

The best bet is enamel spray paint from hobby shops. Prefferably the glossy stuff. Looks real good when finished

Apply a least 2 thin coats before spraying the last one on. Don't spray on too much otherwise it'll run and it will look crap

Let it dry for a day or so and it should be good. I found the paint is so sturdy it doesn't crack even if you bend the t-molding 180^o.

Hope that helps.

Edit: and don't bother applying any form of protective coating to it. The paint is tough enough to be able to do without it.

[babydickonboard]

you can also get  plastic dyes...

[Abomination]

Vinyl dye would be the best bet, it doesnt actually paint the plastic it dye's it so there is less chance of abbrasion wearing off the paint.  You can buy it in any color online or in automotive stores (usually used for dying interior panels on older cars and such)

[BobA]

Thanks for the info.  Gives me lots of options so color availability will be better.

BobA

[whammoed]

Are you on a really tight budget or do you need a special color of tmolding?  Tmolding is relatively cheap, seems like it would be better to simply buy the right color instead of buying supplies to paint what you have.  You could ebay the stuff you won't use.

[BobA]

Just trying to get some use out of something I already have.  Was working on a mini cab and thought it would be easier to paint a little then order a whole lot.

BobA

[pointdablame]

Just trying to get some use out of something I already have.  Was working on a mini cab and thought it would be easier to paint a little then order a whole lot.

BobA

you could try to trade with someone if you don't need any special color.

Otherwise, I'm betting vinyl dye will work out pretty well.

[stratjakt]

Test the vinyl dye on a little chunk.  It works well on most plastics, but with some rubbers it just melts it and messes it up.  I found that out when I tried to dye the cords on a set of PC speakers black, it just sort of melted and splotched them all up.

[patrickl]

Weird I thought they used some sort of plastic that could not be painted. Wel you can paint it, but it won't hold for long. A die might work better, but I tried painting mine and indeed it came of quite easily.

[IG-88]

I've used that Fusion plastic paint on buttons. Works OK but I wont guarantee it's longevity.

[Harry Potter]

I painted my t-molding with enamel spray paint almost 1 1/2 years ago and still shows no signs of cracking.

[BobA]

Enamel spray paint and Fusion plastic paint seem to have the best recomendations.  Enamel has more color choices so I will probably give enamel a try.

Thanks for all the info.

BobA

[patrickl]

Check the requirements on the can. On all spray cans I found there were some plastics mentioned where the paint would not adhere properly. AFAIK t-molding is made from polyethylene. The spray cans I found always explicitly mentioned not adhereing to that.

Buttons are hard plastic I don't think it compares.

BTW I think the spray cans cost more than the t-molding itself.

[BobA]

OK will check the composition requirements.

T molding is fairly cheap but add exchange for CAN$,  Extra Shipping,  Duty and Taxes and it costs more to get it here then you actually pay for it.

BobA in Edmonton, Canada