sanding before and during painting

[pete42]

While reading another post I read the following statement:

"Hand sanding between each coat starting at 120 and ending at 2000 grit. Most people that see it don't think it's painted wood."

I believe it was Mark&Cindy's trailer and the trailer in the picture sure looked bright and shinny.

my question is when sanding between coats how do you know when to stop sanding before all the paint you've applied is sanded off?

pete

[Steve_Cox]

While reading another post I read the following statement:

"Hand sanding between each coat starting at 120 and ending at 2000 grit. Most people that see it don't think it's painted wood."

I believe it was Mark&Cindy's trailer and the trailer in the picture sure looked bright and shinny.

my question is when sanding between coats how do you know when to stop sanding before all the paint you've applied is sanded off?

pete

Pete,

I'd say your done sanding when all the paint is sanded off.
But... as I get older my close up vision and time left on earth tell me 220 grit is "good enough", because it all looks good at 70 mph.

[planovet]

While reading another post I read the following statement:

"Hand sanding between each coat starting at 120 and ending at 2000 grit. Most people that see it don't think it's painted wood."

I believe it was Mark&Cindy's trailer and the trailer in the picture sure looked bright and shinny.

my question is when sanding between coats how do you know when to stop sanding before all the paint you've applied is sanded off?

pete

Yep, that was my tear.

When I sanded, I just hit it until it was smooth. I did not try to take much off because my coats were thin to begin with. It was mostly to smooth any rough spots and rough it up a little for the next coat.

[john warren]

theres the advantage of age,,,,,, they all look smooth as glass to me!

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I sanded after the CPES dried, but I didn't sand the primer coats or the final coats at all. The roller gave the exterior a subtle textured appearance.... nothin like that fancy shiny red Swiss trailer above

A couple people had asked me if it was FRP exterior due to the texture and sheen. Kinda hard to see in this picture but its the best one I could find. Look at the side, not that crappy end grain area

[GPW]

Pete, having done Lots of painting in the past ... on a Teardrop , the primer is applied over the wood as a way of leveling the surface and providing better adhesion for the paint ... eliminating the grain and slight imperfections ... I apply primer (sand-able) and then block sand it smooth (220-320)...then usually re prime and sand again ... By this time the surface should be pretty slick (400G) ... Any imperfections in the primer will "telegraph" through the paint ... so once you apply the paint (2 coats) it should be pretty smooth and require little sanding unless you've picked up some dust /dirt in the finish ... then , of course , it's re-sand and buff or polish, or even re-coat if it's bad enough .. Lots of work to a Great paint job ...mostly in the surface prep ... which seems endless and is not as much Fun as putting the color on ... But the Prep is EVERYTHING!!!


I also wouldn't get too carried away with those extra color coats ... You don't want to build up the thickness beyond the manufacturers recommendations ... could lead to cracking later ...

When we painted cars/ vans, if the vehicle already had a couple paint jobs on it, we'd take it down to metal and start all over..

Hope that helped ...

[CARS]

What seems to be the most popular primer to use?

Are the sand-able primers good sealers of the plywood or should a sealer be used and then the sand-able primer??

(trying to learn what wood likes. I have the metal work down, just need to re-program my brain for a different substrate!)

[GPW]

Seal first , sand , prime , sand , paint ... The primers we've used in the past didn't seal very well..but that was on cars (metal) Wood primer may be different ... read the can ...

[pete42]

In the past I have painted airplanes but I only sprayed them others did the sanding it has been so long ago I just forgot what was done 2000 grit would be like sanding with air, or it would seem to me.

thanks for the post I'm old and forgetfull

[absolutsnwbrdr]

I used Killz Premium Indoor/Outdoor Primer. Supposed to protect againt rot and mold growth as well as provided heavy covereage over any stains the surface might have. Not sure if its considered sandable or not.

[planovet]

What seems to be the most popular primer to use?

Depends on what paint you are using. I'd pick a primer that is compatible with your paint.