Bumper paint question

[DaveB]

I am building a new rear bumper for my scrambler with a tire carrier and hitch in it and would like to paint it with something that will hold up. I have tried spray paint on previous bumpers but it doesn't last very long. On another one I tried POR 15 but it chips off too easily. Should I go the cost to have my bumpers powder coated ? Does it hold up better or should I use something else ????
Dave

 

[TK1]

How did you prep the surface? Surface preparation is key.

 

[James K]

How did you prep the surface? Surface preparation is key.

its all in the prep. you don't spend time on prep you will never be happy with the results.

any bumper, cage, bracket, whatever. gets wire wheeled on the welds, a little light sanding and then wiped down with lacquer thinner. then prime and paint.

but hey then again thats just me

 

[dunatic67]

I used POR 15 on my frame when I built my Jeep. POR 15 does NOT do well with new metal- it has to be ruffed up or it will chip like you said. I prepped my new bumpers like I normally would (like described above) and the first time I took the Jeep to a car wash the POR 15 blew right off. It does do extremely well on rusted metal (old). POR 15 also doesn't have any UV protection and fades fast. The frame that sees daylight is faded (this Jeep is stored and never driven daily) and the frame underneath is glossy still. Any other paint does not like to stick to POR 15 without serious prep also. I don't care much for POR 15.
A good base/clear paint job or Powder coating is what I would recommend- they are similar in price (could be who you know and if they are indebted to you ). I've heard lots of debate over which is better- I think both are good options- nothing is perfect. I have a guy who is really reasonable on coating.

 

[ZUKEYPR]

The first mistake would be using any thing that rattles. The previous posts are correct in it comes down to preperation. You need to ensure that the service is clean. Then it needs to be scuffed up and cleaned again. Then tacked with a tack cloth, then primed (no rattle cans), then sanded (this might be the most important step-If you don't sand the primer it is going to chip and flake), then wiped down and tacked again, then painted using multipe thin coats. The air temp and humidity also play a factor in all this as well. It's just like body work, if you use cheap body filler (Bondo) in the prep stage don't expect the paint job to last more than a few years. If you used quality stuff, such as Sage Gold, your paint will last a life time.

 

[DaveB]

Thanks for the tips. When I did POR on the bumpers I did sand and clean the metal then I used the POR metal prep and it still would peel right off. The POR on my frame is working great but not on the new metal. I'll check with my brothert in law who is an auto body expert and see what he can do.
Dave