Roll & Tipping Primer?

[Johnny M]

Painting the Boler & got some primer on today...tried spraying which worked but didn't go down like I thought it should (probably the operator) so I switched to roll & tipping method. Watched lots of videos on youtube showing excellent results with various brands/types of paint...I rolled on with 4" foam roller in small areas (12"x12") then brushed at 90 degrees to the rolling but the brush didn't smooth it out as I seen in the videos. I reduced the paint with 4 ounces of reducer per quart of paint so I am pretty sure it wasn't to thick...then I had this thought: "maybe tipping should be done only on the top coat?"

[captsteve2002]

I have rolled and tipped on many yachts over the years. Most primers don't do well when tipped after it was rolled on. sanding it will get it smooth. Top Coat has a longer drying time so is easier to tip. I have also used foam rollers and foam brushes. Have a number of different brushes and as one starts to break down use a new one. One a Bertram 31 that I helped paint we ended up using 6 brushes. The other way is to get it all prepped and taped and have a body shop paint guy shot it for you. The most time consuming part of any paint job is the prep work and you might find it isn't all that expensive to have it painted. What ever you do good luck and show us some picture when you get it finished.

[Johnny M]

I went back and re-read the Majic Paint Spec Sheet and it says to sand the primer with 350 grit until completely smooth...there is an orange peel look to it and some lines where the roller overlapped that I couldn't roll completely out...I have a sprayer and tried it but I felt like I couldn't get it even enough for lack of experience with a sprayer so I switched to the roller...I may try spraying the top coat...I had planned on wet sanding the top coat but somehow overlooked the part about sanding the primer...should I prime the 2nd coat and then sand or should I sand, apply 2nd primer coat & sand again (spec sheet doesn't specify)???...here is what is looks like with the primer

[captsteve2002]

Once you get your priming done, don't go back to primer. Use more than one top coat with a light sanding between coats. Since you have all the hardware off, having someone spray it might still be the best bet. If you go that route, make sure that all the sanding is done and that all the taping and paper are where you want it, as the painter will just shoot the trailer. Then you remove all the tape and paper. The best paint jobs are in the prep work, not the final painting, if the paint is properly applied.

[Johnny M]

Originally Posted by captsteve2002

Once you get your priming done, don't go back to primer.

Do you mean only apply 1 coat of primer? The manufacturer (Majic) recommend 2 applications of primer and 2 applications of top coat. They did say after the final coat of primer sand it perfectly smooth with 350-400 grit before applying top coat...

[captsteve2002]

Use as many primer coats to get the color you want. Primer is very easy to sand compared to top coat. It will also give you a base color so that the top color is what yoiu want on the finished product. Once you start putting on top coat don't go back to primer. You should use two to three top coats to get a good durable finish that will stand up in the sun. I prefer to sand with 220 grit to get a bit rougher surface. Also it is worth while to spend the money and get a number of Tac-Rags, to wipe the surface befor you paint. Dusting with a rags get some of the sanding dust off, but not all of it. Tac-Rags are sticky and get a lot more dust. Also you might want to wet the ground around the trailer before you paint to help keep the dust down. Use caution not to get the trailer wet when doing this. Good luck