DIY Horsebox Respray

vallin

vallin

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Afternoon All,
I am currently in the process of buying an old layland DAF with an even older wooden body. I have had it all mechanically checked and they're happy with it but I will want to tart it up a bit as it does look tired. Asking around a respray will be in the region of 2k which I'm not prepared to spend on a 3k lorry so am looking at DIY options and am wondering if anyone here has done it. The lorry is currently burgundy and ideally I'd like to repaint plain navy - thoughts/suggestions?
Thanks
V
 
I've done this!!! By god was it a big job!! Fortunately I then worked in the trade and managed to purchase proper paint, masking stuff and had a compressor (plus someone to check paint mix etc)
Mine was a very dark blue and bearing in mind I did it in the field - yes you read this right, my workshop door was 2 inches too low to get it in! It took 3 coats and I still missed a bit on the passenger door (not enough paint so looked dull!), a few years later when I sold it the person said how good it looked for an M reg, the thing is, I could always see the bits I wasn't happy with.
I can honestly say I would NEVER do it again, it almost killed me and my elderly father who helped me by standing on the ladder and keeping me going. It was a mammoth task and windy so the hedge did get more paint than intended, but I was determined to get it done cheaply!!
If I needed a box respraying, I would next time do all the prep for them (rubbing down etc) and then get a professional to spray. However there is a second option! My husband (who was away sailing at the time of the lorry) is into land rovers and has had really good results with a white spirit based paint and a paint roller (be aware it can fade and thinners eat the roller!) and you would never know as he takes them to shows!!!
I'm sure there are several people who have done this, but remember its about the preparation more than anything, what you put in will make a difference to the end result!
And colour wise, mine was silver/grey underneath and where I missed (say round the window a tiny bit) it didn't look to bad, but not sure if the red will show?
Good luck!
 
Thanks for that. I'm not sure how much preparation work to do as I don't want to weaken the wood by sanding, although I will obviously remove the rust on the metal bits. Have you got a link to the types of paint your husband uses?
Thanks
 
If its wood you will probably need different paint, he used stuff from landcover paint man (he (husband) says ring him and he will tell you how much and how to apply, chap doesn't just to landcover although does do heritage stuff!!) Hope it helps!!


(the paint man told him ratios and suggested the roller method, so there is hope!!)
 
I have a wooden horsebox with metal framing. The wood is natural so is wood preserved, if yours is painted then you'll need to remove all flaking bits as a minimum but ideally sand the wood back so the new paint looks even, if you only remove flakes and dont sand you'll end up being able to see the different levels in the paint. Use primer and exterior gloss

For any metal bits on mine I plan to use tractor paint thinned down and applied with a mini gloss roller
 
WelshD said:
I have a wooden horsebox with metal framing. The wood is natural so is wood preserved, if yours is painted then you'll need to remove all flaking bits as a minimum but ideally sand the wood back so the new paint looks even, if you only remove flakes and dont sand you'll end up being able to see the different levels in the paint. Use primer and exterior gloss

For any metal bits on mine I plan to use tractor paint thinned down and applied with a mini gloss roller
Click to expand...

Cool, thank you. Do you use a hand sander or an electric one? Slightly worried about compromising structural integrity :/
 
We are renovating my 25 year old IW trailer, which has wooden sides.We are using Dulux Weather shield as we used it before after making some repairs on the same trailer and it looked good and lasted well.
 
vallin said:
Cool, thank you. Do you use a hand sander or an electric one? Slightly worried about compromising structural integrity :/
Click to expand...

mine was already done. if I had to do it myself though I would go over the wood with a decent scraper to get rid of flakes and bubbles then use a small handheld 'mouse' sander which will remove a very small amount of surface - this would even things out enough for me. You could strip the paint completely if you wanted a perfect finish
 
I've done two now, 3.5t and 7.5t.
Preparation is crucial for a decent and lasting finish.
All loose paint needs to be removed then any remaining paint needs sanding over with 600 grade paper to feather edges and provide a key for the new paint. Don't worry about damaging the structure. If sanding would cause a problem then it wouldn't be anywhere near string enough for a horse.
Metal work will need stripping to bare metal if any rust or paint bubbles showing. Rust will need treating with a rust treatment then an undercoat of metal primer. Any aluminium bits will need an initial coat of acid etch paint before base coat (primer). Whole lorry then should have a base coat of primer to get it all level and looking the same colour. This should be sanded with 800 grade to smooth it once dry. Then you can paint your top coat.
Here's my 3.5t
All rough areas stripped
Picture013-1.jpg


Exposed aluminium sprayed with acid etch
Picture018.jpg


Whole lorry primed
Picture020.jpg


Final finish
Picture032.jpg


7.5t had the same treatment but took a lot longer due to size and had to be done outside
 
I repainted my ford transit 3.5t (had a wooden back)

Although I didn't change the colour just used a similar shade

Brought wood paint and metal paint (for the framed steel bits) from B&Q and did a pretty nice job

Although it did nearly kill me doing it, really long job! Don't forget a good pair of tall ladders lol!
 
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