Painting my cab - should I lay it down?

[kelemvor]

Going to paint the side of my cab and want to get a nice finish.  I'm not going to go crazy with infinite sanding, painting, etc so I can use it as a mirror.  Just want it to looks nice and be mostly smooth with minimal work.

I'm wondering if I'd get each side to be smoother if I laid the cab down on its side to paint the opposite sides.  Then every dan I can roll it and paint the next side.  I'd think that if the paint can settle while flat it'd even out more imperfections and end up looking nicer over all.

Anyone recommend or not this way?  Or have experience with this?

THanks.

[spacies]

I wouldn't bother. Just do lots of light coats.

Also, if you have it lying down you are more likely to get dust a crap settling on it.

[kelemvor]

Also I was just going to use a roller.  Do regular rollers work fine or do those foam kind work better?  Not sure if it makes a huge difference or not.

[spacies]

The foam ones give a flatter finish.
Be sure to use one that has rounded ends. The straight edged ones make it harder to get a nice overlap without leaving those little lines of paint.

[Ummon]

Frizz swears by sponge rollers.

[ChadTower]

Don't roll a cab you've just painted.  If you put the weight onto paint before it is cured you'll trash the finish.  Curing is not the same as dry to the touch.  It takes a lot longer for the paint to fully cure.

[paulscade]

Paint it standing up.  I don't see any advantage to laying it on its side.  You shouldn't be putting on the paint so thick that it runs.... nice thin coats.

Word of advice: If you roll on the paint, invest in a good roller.  Cheap rollers leave little bits of fuzz behind (voice of experience  ).

Of course, if you use a foam roller, you won't have that problem... (I'm hardly the expert)... but I've never liked foam rollers.

[fjl]

I once tried an ultra smooth finish foam roller. It wasn't smooth at all. Sure it was better than a regular roller but not by much. I just ended up spray painting and lots of wet sanding to get the plastic like smooth mirror like finish.

[Hoopz]

Here is what to do to have the best paint job and finish period.  His work is amazing.

 

This is basically what  I did:

1.  Sanded MDF with 600 grit to get it as smooth as possible
2.  Applied OIL-based primer - rolled on with a 4" foam roller (2 coats).  Sanding after the 2nd coat with 220 grit.
3.  Applied water-based pink paint - rolled on with a 4" foam roller (6 coats).  Sanding after the 2nd, 4th and 5th coats with 220 grit.
4.  Sprayed on 25 coats of lacquer straight from the can - no sanding.
5.  Wetsanded like crazy with 1500 grit - I spent 8 hours just on this step
6.  Applied rubbing compound with soft cotton rag (2 coats)
7.  Applied polish with soft cotton rag and buffer (2 coats)

HERE are a few good shots of the difference the rubbing compound/polish makes.

I did not have access to any spraying tools/materials, unfortunately.  The lacquer was easy to apply though - I did it all in one weekend since each coat dried in 20 minutes.  I couldn't get it perfect but the finish still looks 1,000,000 times better than leaving brushstrokes on there with ordinary paint, IMO.  It almost looks like it came from the factory or something.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do - I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can...   

[Marky_1979]

Here is what to do to have the best paint job and finish period.  His work is amazing.

 

This is basically what  I did:

1.  Sanded MDF with 600 grit to get it as smooth as possible
2.  Applied OIL-based primer - rolled on with a 4" foam roller (2 coats).  Sanding after the 2nd coat with 220 grit.
3.  Applied water-based pink paint - rolled on with a 4" foam roller (6 coats).  Sanding after the 2nd, 4th and 5th coats with 220 grit.
4.  Sprayed on 25 coats of lacquer straight from the can - no sanding.
5.  Wetsanded like crazy with 1500 grit - I spent 8 hours just on this step
6.  Applied rubbing compound with soft cotton rag (2 coats)
7.  Applied polish with soft cotton rag and buffer (2 coats)

HERE are a few good shots of the difference the rubbing compound/polish makes.

I did not have access to any spraying tools/materials, unfortunately.  The lacquer was easy to apply though - I did it all in one weekend since each coat dried in 20 minutes.  I couldn't get it perfect but the finish still looks 1,000,000 times better than leaving brushstrokes on there with ordinary paint, IMO.  It almost looks like it came from the factory or something.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do - I'd be happy to answer any questions if I can...   

Can someone recommend :

6.  Applied rubbing compound with soft cotton rag (2 coats)
7.  Applied polish with soft cotton rag and buffer (2 coats)

im in uk btw

cheers

[DrFrag]

I painted with a high densisty foam roller and got great results.  Sanded, tinted prime, sanded, two coats, sanded, last coat.  I don't think I used anything finer than 120 grit.

I lay it down to paint the sides, but didn't bother with orientation for the smaller panels around the top/front/back.  Looking at the final piece, I can't see any difference.