# Help repainting Radio Flyer wagon



## 2FNLOW (Sep 1, 2014)

I recently picked up an old wooden Radio Flyer wagon at a tag sale that I'm trying to fix up for my son's first birthday and was wondering if I could get some help/advice/tips. I know a thing or two about taking a rattle can to a wall, but I'm a newb when it comes to prepping and painting wood. 

I want to repaint the wooden sides of the wagon. They're red now. I know I need to first remove as much of the old paint as possible. I've started to do this by hand sanding with 60 grit, removing as much of the paint as I possibly could without digging into the wood (the pieces are thin and there's not much to work with). I followed the 60 up with 100, then 150, 180, and finally 220 until the wood felt smooth and there were no visible scratches.

After finishing with 220, I wiped the wood off one final time with a clean towel and blew it off with my blower (I did this continuously while sanding as well). I then laid the pieces out and applied two thin coats of grey primer. That's as far as I've gotten so far.

Now for some questions.....

In regards to sanding: am I following the right procedure by working my way through the grits? Should I be doing something different? Although the wood feels smooth after 220 and it appears all the old paint has been removed, sections of the wood are stained red. Is it alright if the wood looks like it stained after sanding, or do I have to do something to remove the wood? I read that you're not suppose to clean bare wood with any sort of cleaners or soap. Is this true? Rather than just blowing the pieces off and wiping them down with a dry towel, should I be cleaning them with something first?

In regards to priming: after priming the pieces I've sanded so far, they feel gritty. They didn't feel that way before priming them. Is that natural? Should I lightly "wipe" the primer down with a high grit sandpaper before painting them to remove the grittiness, or do I want the grittiness for the paint to adhere?

I still have a lot of pieces to sand down and prep before paint, so any advice you can give me for the proper steps to follow from start to finish would be helpful. I left the bigger, more noticeable pieces for last just incase I found out my prep work was poor after painting the pieces I have now.

When the pieces are ready for paint, I've picked out a color called Shock Blue by Montana Cans that I can't wait to apply. It's a low-pressure can and a high quality paint that will likely cover in one shot. I've used it before on wood that I didn't prep first and was previously paint and didn't have to lay a second coat. Considering that, what advice can you give me for when it comes time to paint? If I only need to lay one coat, should I lightly sand that one coat before applying a clear coat, or should I just go ahead and spray a clear coat?

I hope I didn't ramble too much. I have a habit of that. If you read this and can throw any tips or advice my way, I would be greatly appreciative of your time. Thanks/


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## gregzoll (Dec 25, 2006)

Las Vegas Restorations did one for one of their shows. http://www.ricksrestorations.com/ You are better off sending it to a local auto body shop that you can trust. Or just ship it off to Vegas and let the real experts in this kind of work to send it back to you, in original condition.

If you choose to do it yourself. Use Auto paint for the primer, main coating, and Clear coat. It will last longer. There is also if you have locally. The option to Powder Coat. That will last a lot longer than standard painting.

As for the lines that have be redrawn back on. How good are you for doing that kind of art work.

I would say to talk to local antique auto buffs and see if they have the paint equipment and blasting equipment to do the rough work. Or even find a local car group and get some ideas from them how to deal with old metal stuff like this.


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## 2FNLOW (Sep 1, 2014)

Thanks for the recommendations. While sending it off to an auto body shop or restoration firm would ensure a flawless finish, doing so is not in the cards financially at the moment. Plus, I like having the satisfaction of being able to say I did something myself.

Why will automotive paint last longer? What's different about automotive paints than other kinds? The paint I planned on using is something that I've used for years doing graffiti and art projects. It's lasted years on walls with little to no wear. I figured it would be just as good on wood, especially if I went over it with a UV-protective varnish. Maybe I'm wrong. Like I said, I'm a newb when it comes to prepping and painting wood. 

As for the lines and logos that will need to be repainted, I feel I can handle it with the right tip. I've done similar work on other projects.

PS: I'm not working with metal. The underside of the wagon is mint, as is the wooden frame. I just want to repaint the wooden stakes that form a barrier around the frame.


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## 2FNLOW (Sep 1, 2014)

When I say the wood is stained red, here's a picture of what I mean. As you can see on by the piece on the far right and the top of the piece in the center, the wood is stained red. I can't remove it unless I sand several layers off the wood, which I don't think is the smart thing to do since the pieces are already thin and pretty flimsy. Do I need to remove this or will it be alright to paint over?


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Greg he's just doing the wood.

Since your going to prime and paint the red stain won't hurt anything. No don't clean them with anything else. Gritty is not a bad thing in primer this gives the paint bite (something to adhere to). Just use a good enamel paint and you shouldn't need a clear coat.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Like Toolseeker said, primer is almost always rough after applying it to wood. It raises the grain. Sand, remove the dust, and you're ready for paint. Personally, I would just brush on some red Rustoleum. There's really no need to use rattle cans unless your brush skills are lacking a bit.


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## 2FNLOW (Sep 1, 2014)

Gymschu said:


> Like Toolseeker said, primer is almost always rough after applying it to wood. It raises the grain. Sand, remove the dust, and you're ready for paint. Personally, I would just brush on some red Rustoleum. There's really no need to use rattle cans unless your brush skills are lacking a bit.


Thanks for the tips. I'm actually changing the color of the wagon from red to blue. He already has a red one, so I decided to switch it up and make this one blue. I have a metal one too that I want to paint yellow, but that's a thread for another time.

My brush skills aren't the best to be honest. Never have been. I even sucked at paint-by-numbers when I was a kid lol. I don't know if I use too little or too much paint, or if I'm simply just brushing too soft and too slow or too fast and too hard, but you can always see the strokes in my brushwork. I have over 15 years experience working with rattle cans, so I figured I'd stick with what I know. I'm not particularly fond of Rustoleum, or even Krylon. While Kyrlon has nice colors, they're too diluted and the paint is too thin IMO. Rustoleum paint is better quality than Krylon IMO, but the colors are lacking. I'm extremely picky when it comes to colors. I bought 12 different shades of blue just to find one I liked for this project :laughing:

I'm going with a color called Shock Blue by Montana (http://www.montana-cans.com/)


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