Looking for white-painted aluminum over 5' wide

Finishes, paints and coatings

Looking for white-painted aluminum over 5' wide

Postby nrhmaine » Thu May 14, 2020 2:44 pm

My 13-yearold son and I are currently planning our 5x9 Kit profile teardrop. He wants to skin it with white aluminum, and I've found 49" panels for the side (nearby truck stop), but only found bare aluminum for the roof. Our roof is going to be a bit over 5' wide (like about 61"). Does anyone know if you can get white pre-painted roof coil?

Thanks, Nate
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Re: Looking for white-painted aluminum over 5' wide

Postby eLink » Tue May 26, 2020 9:45 am

Check sign supply shops. They may not have coil, but white sheets seem common.
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Re: Looking for white-painted aluminum over 5' wide

Postby Aguyfromohio » Tue May 26, 2020 11:53 am

We used 4 x 8 sheets and just accepted the extra scrap caused by turning them the long way.
We found one web site selling oversized pre-painted sheets that seems to target the race-car owners building race car haulers.

The costs of shipping oversized sheets and the practical problems of handling them stacked in a sturdy crate weren't worth it.
Items like that are easy as can be when you have a loading dock and a fork lift. But when you are working at your home and the big truck rolls up with your 300 lb crate of sheets on a truck floor 4 feet off the ground, you suddenly find yourself helpless.

In the end we bought from metals supermarket, got white painted sheets painted both sides with a peel-off protector film on one side. They delivered "free" in a pickup truck. We paid top dollar but we got it quick and easy.
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Re: Looking for white-painted aluminum over 5' wide

Postby nbcarey » Wed May 27, 2020 11:41 pm

Pretty much any boatyard could shoot your finished trailer with AwlGrip — 2-part LPU yacht paint. Paint job would last for years.

https://www.awlgrip.com/

Any decent auto body shop should be able to shoot it with 2-part automotive LPU, too. Something like DuPont/Axalta Imron

http://products.axaltacs.com/dcat/us/en ... ality.html

You do want a pro to shoot it, just because you're talking at least $150 – $200 per gallon, they need to use the right primers/tie coats for the substrate. And it's way toxic (cyanide gas is a byproduct of the curing process for starters.)

They come in a rainbow of colors, stock. And they'll both do custom colors if you'd like.

Another option would be System 3's water-reducible LPU. Still $160/gallon, but much easier for an amateur to apply. It can sprayed or roll-and-tip. Color selection is more limited.

https://www.systemthree.com/products/wr ... ne-topcoat
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