Refurbishing Equipment Appearance

[RJMurph]

I have seen operators re-paint their arches/gantries and it looked very nice!

But I question how to do it properly so that the paint lasts longer before it starts wearing away.

I have used HF based aluminum brightener on the equipment and even sanded the aluminum before, its far too tedious and result is less than satisfactory.

My questions would go as listed
1) How do you prep the aluminum
2) What type of paint works best in the car wash setting, how does it apply IE spray can, roller brush?
3) How long does a good application of paint last, is it worth doing?
4) How long does it take to dry? Does it require downtime excess of 12 hours?

If painting is not sufficient what is the best way to revitalize appearance of equipment?

 

[MEP001]

IMO you'll get the best lasting finish from automotive paint. There would be significant downtime due to prep, closing off the bay, spraying and drying time, but it's something you could do with an air compressor and a spray gun.

I've seen numerous videos on YouTube of people painting their cars with thinned Rustoleum from a can using a roller, and I can tell you from experience it won't last. I painted the bollards once with it, I was able to get a great finish but the constant moisture or maybe the chemicals caused it to crinkle up and lift off after a month as if it had been hit with paint stripper.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I question why you would paint aluminum? Dollar stores have a product called awesome and that along with fine steel wool can often bring it back to like new appearance.

 

[Washmee]

I would consider using a plastic coating. People are painting entire cars with these products. They are very durable and easy to remove.[video=youtube;7J6rRj98A5s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J6rRj98A5s[/video]

https://www.dipyourcar.com/?gclid=C...lDwkKgua-a-ne6BfPboCzQUQkzASrUti24aArsO8P8HAQ

http://dipfanatix.com/#products

 

[Washmee]

More videos.

[video=youtube;dsslBbn_xoQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsslBbn_xoQ[/video]

 

[Washmee]

Another[video=youtube;0r7xvBSqhOE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r7xvBSqhOE[/video]

 

[boywonder]

Had some customers try to remove that plastic dip stuff in one of my bays. First off I think they had no idea how to use it, second off they had no idea how to remove it. Needless to say their BMW needed a new paint job when they got done.

 

[MEP001]

Had some customers try to remove that plastic dip stuff in one of my bays. First off I think they had no idea how to use it, second off they had no idea how to remove it. Needless to say their BMW needed a new paint job when they got done.

I've also seen people try to remove it. It has to be applied in a particular way to a well-waxed car for it to peel off, and the longer it's been left on the harder it is to remove. Most people put on a thin layer just enough to hide the paint, and that's not enough to peel.

My opinion would be to use cans of spray paint before using Plasti-Dip. You can get real automotive quality paint in a spray can.

 

[Washmee]

Automotive spray paint doesn't adhere to aluminum worth a darn. You need to use a primer with zinc chromate first and the an Awlgrp type paint.

 

[Waxman]

what about vinyl decals? some of the plastic holds up well in the bay compared with other materials.

 

[DiamondWash]

I have seen operators re-paint their arches/gantries and it looked very nice!

But I question how to do it properly so that the paint lasts longer before it starts wearing away.

I have used HF based aluminum brightener on the equipment and even sanded the aluminum before, its far too tedious and result is less than satisfactory.

My questions would go as listed
1) How do you prep the aluminum
2) What type of paint works best in the car wash setting, how does it apply IE spray can, roller brush?
3) How long does a good application of paint last, is it worth doing?
4) How long does it take to dry? Does it require downtime excess of 12 hours?

If painting is not sufficient what is the best way to revitalize appearance of equipment?

Just curious but what HF based cleaner did you use? Have you tried KleenWall from AP Formulators? That's the only cleaner I found that works.

 

[RJMurph]

@Diamond Wash

ChemQuest Chem-Brite Aluminum Brightner. Works fantastic on PVC walls and cleans arches up real nice. But the equipment has years of **** baked on. I have recomended this stuff to other washes. I stand by it.