# painting an ice chest



## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

It's the plastic your trying to adhere too. Prolly will be tough to get paint to stick. A body shop prolly has paint that will, but over the counter paint will be tough.


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## Brett (Jul 16, 2008)

Yep...scrubbed the old igloo with comet (abrasive cleanser)
then used Krylon rattle can for plastics....worked fine.
Can't tell you how long it'll hold up, as the cooler was destroyed by a car soon after.  
Some folks don't look before backing up, shouldn't have painted it camo  ;D


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I've used Fusion on plastics with....ok results. You need to prep it very well, a light sanding was needed for bite. You may want to contact Anytide, he has a way with plastics.


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## marshman (Feb 9, 2007)

yeah gonna have to do something different...this aint gonna work...i just checked again, and i can just barely touch it with a fingernail and it just falls off...

im gonna strip it down back to white and regroup...

on second thought, (its only 25 bucks)ill prob just buy a new one and deal with it being white... im not not a fan of white...my old blue one is about 6 or 7 years old and pretty beat up...


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

Wipe it with lacquer thinner or acetone to make sure it removes any wax that may be on it. Use some 320 grit to scratch it up a bit for some bite. Then spray a few coats of Adhesion Promoter, my favorite brand is "Bull Dog", you can pick some up at Auto Zone, or any automotive paint supplier. Once you have like 3 coats of Bull Dog on it, you can use any paint on it and it should stick very well. I use this method always when painting plastic. If done properly, you can scrape at the paint with a knife and it should hold. I've tested it this way several times without any issues.


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## marshman (Feb 9, 2007)

ive been searching on google and this bull dog stuff keeps getting mentioned..thanks..im headed to town to find some now...and more paint..and probably a new cooler to start over and then ill figure out the easiest way to strip the paint off this one later...


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> ive been searching on google and this bull dog stuff keeps getting mentioned..thanks..im headed to town to find some now...and more paint..and probably a new cooler to start over and then ill figure out the easiest way to strip the paint off this one later...



Lacquer Thinner soaked on a rag will remove all the paint. 
I've worked in the automotive and marine industries as a painter for over a decade and have done this type of thing plenty of times throughout the years.
You may want to wear gloves when dealing with Acetone or Lacquer Thinner. Some say it burns, or is really cold. I don't have an issue with that, but most people that don't handle those chemicals regularly do. 

Also, if you're sweating and you get some in your pores, it then WILL burn....lol


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## marshman (Feb 9, 2007)

well...im on round 2...i stripped the cooler back to completely white... wiped down with acetone... i lightly sanded, wiped with acetone again...masked it where i needed... i sprayed adhesion primer(they didnt have "bull dog", only some other brand..i think rustoleum, i dont rememeber)...i painted the bottom black, let dry...sprayed the bed liner suff, let dry...seems like its holding pretty good so far..

i went ahead and moved my masking and sprayed adhesion primer and the khaki...its drying...

we will see...

if this dont work, maybe ill just throw it away and go buy a yeti or engel.....yeah right!! : : : :


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## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

One thing to keep in mind Marsh, when using the spray can products make sure to allow several days for the final coat to cure before trying to use the item painted. Majority of these products have a very short handling/dry time but I have found that letting them cure for almost a week ends up with solid results. If it were a two part product with hardener then I would say go for it once dryed in a day or two. But in this instance not the case. Be patient..


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

Another thing, make sure you allow enough flash time in between coats. If you spray over a coat that hasn't flashed over, you will be trapping it underneath a fresh coat, and it'll take twice as long to dry, if it ever dries at all. I should have mentioned that on my first post.


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## marshman (Feb 9, 2007)

thanks for the info/tips.. a couple of htose tips wouldve been nice to know the other day..but its all good...i used it this weekend for my drink cooler...it got scratched all up pretty bad just riding in the car...no biggie.. im just gonna get a new one and deal with the white and store this one in the shed for a back up...no major investment lost...


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## marshman (Feb 9, 2007)




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## marshman (Feb 9, 2007)

on a sidenote....im leaving the yukon cooler thread alone but i thought id share something from the weekend...  my "cheap" cooler, a 70 quart coleman extreme still has ice in it after 2 85-90 degree days of fishing, holding fish(repeated opening and closing to add fish after fish)...started with a frozen gallon, 2 frozen half gallons and 2 small blocks and i did bust a small 5 pound bag of ice to fill in...  after 2 days of fishing, i threw a 20 pound bag of ice(still in bag) on top for the ride home...the 20 pound bag was still just the way i bought it after the 2.5 hour ride home(i threw it in the freezer for next trip)....  



this box is at least 2 years old..looking pretty beat up, huh??...they just dont last...i guess i should consider getting a better cooler...(yeah right)




and to correct myself on the other thread...20 pound bag of "frozen water" cost me $3.19, not 5 bucks...
: : :

i am posting this just in fun...


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## cvilt (May 31, 2010)

I have the same cooler mine is silver. My boat was docked 3 days this weekend. One bag of ice and a 1/2 gallon jug frozen and there was still ice and ice cold drinks (even one lonely beer) and some fruit when I trailered it home.


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## cwalden (Jun 24, 2011)

I like painting mine with fish blood.... just sayin...


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