Best option for smooth painted sides???

[universal_exports]

am am looking at covering the sides of my trailer and I want the smooth look, painted white and blue,

I was going to go with filon, but with the price so high, I am looking for other options like wood/fiberglass resin or something.

so what is best to stay looking good and resist the elements, and weight is not really an issue, so it can be kind of heavy if it needs to be,

what would you use???

thanks in advance

[oregonguy]

You can get aluminum with baked on enamel paint - white or sometimes black.

[aggie79]

You can get aluminum with baked on enamel paint - white or sometimes black.

And, from sign shops, you can get sheet aluminum in colors too. They sometimes call them aluminum blanks. The only downside is that it is hard to get colored aluminum in 5-foot widths in anything but white.

[universal_exports]

thanks for the replies,
wouldn't aluminum be really susceptible to dents and dings, I guess the thicker stuff might work, if you get it white, can you paint it???

[caseydog]

Look up PlanoVet's build thread. He used an industrial grade paint right on top of his wood surface, and it looks as smooth as any metal siding.

It took several coats, rolled on, with sanding in between coats, but it looks good.

That's another option.

CD

[mikeschn]

I'm going to try the fiberglass/epoxy resin thing. But of course, I'm doing it over foam!

Mike...

[KenC]

am am looking at covering the sides of my trailer and I want the smooth look, painted white and blue,

I was going to go with filon, but with the price so high, I am looking for other options like wood/fiberglass resin or something.

so what is best to stay looking good and resist the elements, and weight is not really an issue, so it can be kind of heavy if it needs to be,

what would you use???

thanks in advance

I used Marine topside paint by Pettit, 4 coats of Raka epoxy, 3 coats of primer then 3 coats of topside paint rolled then tipped with a foam brush, paint is self leveling. paint was under $100 for my 4 x 10 walls, only problem is the fiinish is somewhat wavey, but that was caused by the sanding and not the paint.

[CARS]

am am looking at covering the sides of my trailer and I want the smooth look, painted white and blue,

I was going to go with filon, but with the price so high, I am looking for other options like wood/fiberglass resin or something.

so what is best to stay looking good and resist the elements, and weight is not really an issue, so it can be kind of heavy if it needs to be,

what would you use???

thanks in advance

I used Marine topside paint by Pettit, 4 coats of Raka epoxy, 3 coats of primer then 3 coats of topside paint rolled then tipped with a foam brush, paint is self leveling. paint was under $100 for my 4 x 10 walls, only problem is the fiinish is somewhat wavey, but that was caused by the sanding and not the paint.

Just a quick comment on your walls being wavy. Use the longest standing block you can. I often use a 36" block when blocking primer on cars. Standing in an "X" motion will get you straight walls.

[oregonguy]

Another interesting idea that my brother and I have considered and still may t on a future build is a product by Nudo called elements. See I here: http://www.nudo.com/Wall-Panels/Decorative/Elements.aspx also there Poly metal is very nice. I have used the poly metal product on my own trailer and have been very happy with it. It is a composite product with thin anodized aluminum surrounding a polyethalene core. It is 3mm thick, so that must be taken into account. The element product is available in tons of great colors an finishes, but is only available in 4x8 and 4x10 sizes, no 5 ft wide. The poly metal has a 5x10 size panel available, in whit only- that is what used for my roof. It has a great finish, is UV proof, and very workable. It bend pretty nice down to about a 1' radius, but also can crease at a severe angle if you route out a v-groove on one side. I didn't even need underlayment with this stuff, it is super stiff and strong. It can dent fairly easily though, so keep that in mind.