Painting cargo covers

[kendelrio]

I haven't seen a thread devoted strictly to this yet... so...

I have a tan cargo cover that I'd really like to paint black, but my mind is telling me any paint I use will end up cracking etc if I roll up the sides or fold it.

Has anyone painted their covers? If so, how were the results? What paint would be best?

I know soft top roofs have/can be painted, but they don't have near the movement a cargo cover would.

I appreciate all and any info!

 

[Guyfang]

Depends on the material. When we got trucks back that had been painted by a "Real" paint shop, the canvas did not do well. But the rubber/plastic cover held the paint much better.

 

[Mullaney]

I haven't seen a thread devoted strictly to this yet... so...

I have a tan cargo cover that I'd really like to paint black, but my mind is telling me any paint I use will end up cracking etc if I roll up the sides or fold it.

Has anyone painted their covers? If so, how were the results? What paint would be best?

I know soft top roofs have/can be painted, but they don't have near the movement a cargo cover would.

I appreciate all and any info!

.
Wonder if there is some sort of dye that would do the job? Especially going from a light color to a darker color. Long years ago, I think NAPA had some sort of dye that would color the seats and dash in a car or truck.

 

[kendelrio]

.
Wonder if there is some sort of dye that would do the job? Especially going from a light color to a darker color. Long years ago, I think NAPA had some sort of dye that would color the seats and dash in a car or truck.

I'm going to research it. My main question is what material are they made of? That would be a determining factor I guess.

 

[kendelrio]

OK, found this on the web:

"Military-grade tarp material is polyester and covered with a unique PVC coating."

 

[kendelrio]

More research:

An acrylic paint with a fabric medium added to it should do it.

Gonna experiment when I get home and post results.

 

[CMPPhil]

Hi

In your experiment track how much paint, thinner, etc you use. So that you can figure the cost. Painting vinyl it may not be bad, but if you are paintings canvas you maybe surprised at how much paint will be needed to change color. I tried paintings a Cordura tarp with flexible dupont truck paint a gallon just disappeared into the fabric.

Cheers Phil

 

[silverstate55]

One and a half gallons of Behr exterior paint worked great on my Deuce’s cargo cover...UV-resistant and still holding after 6 or 7 years. Only cracking/peeling was around some of the more frequently-used tie-down corners but it’s hardly noticeable.

 

[TheDrashStash]

I've painted tent fabric which is vinyl coated polyester several times with behr paint. It works great

 

[swbradley1]

I would suggest Behr elastomeric paint. I use it for our house on the concrete block. It is designed for movement and filling cracks and remaining flexible.

Never tried it on a cover but when I'm done this week maybe I can slap some on a piece of tan material. I'll forget so don't hold your breath.

 

[chucky]

OK, found this on the web:

"Military-grade tarp material is polyester and covered with a unique PVC coating."

I would get a piece of pvc pipe and just wipe it clean and start testing differant paints to see what will get hot enough to adhere to pvc or go by your local automotive paint supplier and see if they still use an additive in the paint when shooting plastic/rubber bumper covers to stick and bend without cracking years back they did but things might have changed my local paint man says epa has outlawed everything that make paint work in the last 2 yrs to where if your not gm ford or chyrsler shooting water based paint out of robots your screwed even the best paint stripper (Aircraft stripper) in the spray cans is now waterd down to crap .

 

[Guyfang]

I would suggest Behr elastomeric paint. I use it for our house on the concrete block. It is designed for movement and filling cracks and remaining flexible.

Never tried it on a cover but when I'm done this week maybe I can slap some on a piece of tan material. I'll forget so don't hold your breath.

Getting old?

 

[Aussie Bloke]

G'day everyone,....


Stencils painted on canvas work just fine,....

So why would'nt it work?





Aussie.

 

[Mullaney]

G'day everyone,....


Stencils painted on canvas work just fine,....

So why would'nt it work?

View attachment 843531



Aussie.

.
Dang Aussie Bloke !

That is logical. So dang logical that all of us have completely overlooked that tiny bit of information...
Maybe this will be easier than it appears at first glance.

 

[Guyfang]

What kind of paint? Is it even paint? I agree, should work. But I do not think it is paint.

 

[SCSG-G4]

Most of the time, stencils on canvas are ink, not paint. I have used the white 'cool seal' elastometric paint on a deuce cab cover with success. If it already has holes in it simply lay a piece of cloth over the hole and paint, let it dry and put another coat of paint on, then repeat once more. That puts two layers of paint over the cloth patch. Overcoat with whatever color you desire and roll on!

 

[Mullaney]

What kind of paint? Is it even paint? I agree, should work. But I do not think it is paint.

.
I keep thinking that I remember a cloth / plastic seat dye. Hard part is not remembering what it was called 40 years ago. I feel sure that if I could figure that out, we could dress up almost anything.

 

[GTUnit]

The current LMTV cargo covers are not straight canvas. The canvas is coated in PVC so the surface you are dealing with is only PVC.\
The thickness of the coating will have a big impact on adhesion affected by flexing. Super thin dry spray of a number will flex fine since its already a broken up collection of fine spots instead of a continuous coating that like one applies when it goes on wet and flows out.

Maybe this stuff:

Superflex flexible PVC Paint User Guide | Polymarine Paints, Adhesives, Parts & Accessories

www.polymarine.com

If you use and normal paints i would dust it on and not let it flow out. And prep the crap out of the surface with degreasers.