I recently stared painting and using rustoleum but i was wondering if anyone has done a rustoleum paint job and finishing with clear coat with good result's.I will appreciate any comment's.

 

I've sprayed Rustoleum, but I haven't tried it with a clear coat, heres why:

1. Rustoleum is oil based, but uniquely it is fish oil to allow certain chemicals to seep into the metal to help seal/stop rust. For this reason it gives better rust protection, great flexibility but it never fully cures. No matter how long you wait. (That's if your using the spray can, if you use the gallon, you can mix thinner/mineral spirits and an enamel hardner to help it cure). With proper prepping you can make it strong vs chips and peeling, but even months later it wouldn't pass the finger nail test. Unless your coat is so thin you really can't notice, but thin = easy to chip and peel.

2. So if your using a Rustoleum spray can base coat, and Rustoleum spray can clear, chances are your base coat and clear coat will be exceptionally thin on the car, with it never curing it may be easy fingernail still, clear coat making it even more obvious than a satin finish.

3. Another thing to consider is how your clear coat will look when your done. If it has orange peels, you probably have to live with it, the paint/clear will be waay to thin to color sand, and polish or wax for that matter. This is spray can I'm talking about, if they sell Rustoleum clear in gallons, then it won't be a problem if your going to spray it with a gun.

If your on the budget and want your car paint to shine, try using the rustoleum and wetsand/polish technique that is in the $50 paint thread/mopar threads. But if you really want a clear I'd go with some normal car paint, there are many options out there that do not cost that much. You could get a gallon of paint w/ thinner + hardener for 100, same goes for the clear. Urethane based for great durability and shine. 200 bucks for good paint isn't to bad if you consider the cost for Rustoleum gallon + gal mineral spirits + enamel hardener + clear + clear thinner + clear hardener.

Then again if your using the Rustoleum roller technique and want a clear, GL with that one and post some pictures

 

why do you want clear on your rustoleum?

 

It doesn't look that bad, and I can understand why you want to use clear as rustoleum paint jobs look pretty dull and polishing can be a hassle.

I did this with a fender of Buick, and I'll have pics up soon. I sanded down the old paint, mixed together thinner and hardener with dark red rustoleum paint and brushed it on with a foam brush. After about 4 coats, I put it under a heat lamp for 4 hours and then wet sanded with high grit sandpaper. It was obviously dull, so I went out and bought Clear, the cheap 88 cent stuff at walmart, and I had a can of dupont clear coat (which is pretty watery). I shot a couple layers of clear with the walmart brand about 30 minutes between each coat, then finished up with a pretty generous amount of clear from my dupont can, and put it back under the heat lamp for an hour. Put the fender on the car and waxed it (turtle wax) with a terry cloth. This was about 4 months ago, and even through the harsh Iowa weather, the fender still looks pretty awesome, and shines. Its not a super gloss shine like you would get with a brand new car, or a car with a professional paint job, but it doesn't look bad, and I dont see any chipping.