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Anyone done this?
I have a perfectly serviceable car roofbox, that's looking a bit tatty. It was black, but is now a little sun-bleached and scratched, as well as marked where I put a load of stickers that since fell off. It has a mottled effect ratehr than smooth, which is why I think they fell off, either that or they were rubbish stickers.
It seems that I need to clean it up, give it a sanding, then prime, apply 2 coats of spray paint then lacquer. Any reason not to use a brush other than time?
I'd like to do something a bit more interesting than plain black, maybe a couple of stripes down the middle, but I've also seen some good urban / digital camo jobs. I have no idea how to go about doing the masking though and in what order. It'll be a job to keep my busy through the winter so if anyone has any tips, or links to video's about how to do the masking for certain patterns that would be much appreciated.
Any reason not to use a brush other than time?
Brush strokes look pants. Better off with a roller.
As its motled plastic, are brush strokes likely to be much of an issue?
You'll need the correct plastic primer and a flexi lacquer.
Can you not back to black it?
Never done it so don’t take my word, but I thought heat gun was the recommended approach to restoring plastic-just not too close.
Have thought about doing our box as the gloss black means it gets amazingly hot in the summer when we're abroad. You'll need a bumper / plastic primer and quite probably a rattle can of colour coat with the pastic flexi additive. You might well be better off doing the prep work yourself (cleaning, sanding & masking) then dropping it into a bodyshop for them to blast over with whatever they have left in a gun one afternoon.
Back to black is a good call. Aren't all plastic primers the same? I guess not
I tried some 'Tyre shine' (granted Wilko) but it was basically like a polish, not black pigment at all.
Stickers. Lots of stickers!
I like the idea of lots of stickers, but how do I know they're not just all going to peel off again, extra glue?
I'd wrap it of were me. Chrome vinyl for the win. You'll need a heat gun to make it look nice mind.
The back half of my old roof box was covered in stickers. Some didn't stick very well but they just got replaced with others when they eventually fell off. Proper vinyl decals generally worked well and good quality stickers we're good.
Get it dipped, there will be someone able to do a roof box sized object near you.
Either that or give it the heat treatment.
Its a roofbox...why bother with the faff and expense? it will only get scratched again and bother you again. spend your time and money on good stuff (bikes, beers etc. <insert choice of good stuff here...based on some STW responses Coke and Hookers are quite popular>)
Bear in mind black and dark colours get really hot in sunlight. Personally I'd go for a light colour on mine but YMMV. My white kayak stays cool to touch but the black one gets red hot ☺️🔥
I’d wrap it of were me.
Blue Peter style sticky backed plastic ?.
I’d like to do something a bit more interesting than plain black
Tragic perhaps, but i would be colour matching it to the car, just because i could.
no idea how well a rattle can job would standup to use, but with good prep and priming it should stand up as well as it does on the bumpers of cars?
As above, I'd take it to the local vinyl place and get it wrapped. It'll look brand new with none of the faf of painting.
Also if you're bothered about heat in the sun you can choose from a million shades of more reflective options than gloss black.
Wallpaper.
Cheap, easy to put on, many designs to suit your taste. Just make sure the pattern flows.
https://www.wrapdirect.com/automotive-wrap/
Got some interesting print options for wraps as well as plain colours; particularly liking the wood effect or snakeskin for a roofbox (at least for someone else's roofbox).
I tried some ‘Tyre shine’ (granted Wilko) but it was basically like a polish, not black pigment at all.
That’s because it’s just a polish! It’s purely to give the tyres a bit of a shine - you could do the same with WD40.
You really don’t want go putting any paint on tyres, you don’t know how it might react with the sidewall rubber.