Painting Skid Plates

About to pull the trigger on some C4 steel skids. What's y'alls experience painting them? I was thinking of doing bedliner, but would just plain spray paint be easier maintenance? I figure powder coating is out of the question for cost and repair-ability.

 

I don't know how I would approach a new set of fully uncoated skids, but my OEM skids have a fair number of Rustoleum repairs.

 

If you’re going to use them, regular spray paint performs better because touch-ups are easy, they’ll hold better, and look better. Just try to prep as well as you can, so you end up with a good base layer of paint. A good base will make touch-ups stick better, and you’ll never have to worry about the backside rusting. Rustoleum is more than good enough, with good prep. Although anything else requires the same good prep.

What I did for prep on my steel plates: clean well with water and full strength simple green or another degreaser, dry, then scuff thoroughly with a coarse sandpaper. If you have a grinder or with a file, take down sharp edges. Edges are where paint ends up getting rust. Wash again with degreaser, then wipe with acetone.

Then prime asap so before it starts oxidizing. I used a coat of self etching primer, then a couple of coats of rustoleum. Looks real good after you’re done. Lots of work though. My skid plates cover more area than most, it took me the better part of three days to finish them. Much of the time was prep.



The plates behind the first one are black rustoleum on self-etching primer. The first/forward plate I used the same primer, then rustoleum “hammered finish” textured paint, followed up with regular rustoleum spray paint about an hour later. It curdled up into a wrinkle finish. It was on accident, but it looks kinda cool. Don’t to it ln purpose though, since it ends up too thick and touch-ups are obvious.

 

Powder coat, then touch up trail scars at the end of each wheeling season with semi-gloss rust paint.