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Well, I went ahead and purchased some Rustoleum and had it tinted turquoise. I thinned with mineral spirits and laid down two very thin coats 24 hours apart, but by the time I sanded out the orange peel, I was pretty much back down to primer (bare metal in spots). Last night I thinned the paint significantly just in case my first attempt wasn't thin enough and laid down a single thin coat. The pictures show the outcome. To me, it still looks too "orange-peely." What do you guys think? Is this what it should look like, or do I need to thin some more? Maybe a thicker coat of thinner paint? Any help is definitely appreciated. Thanks for your input!
- Ian

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Hi, I've been following this from the beginning, and I'm going to start soon(maybe this weekend). One question--if I'm going to put a coat of clear on, do I buff it out first to get the shine, then clear coat it? Also, how do I clear coat in general, does it need to be sanded?

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it depends on what clear you use, if you use the tremclad clear coat, i'd just prep the final coat with 800-1000, and not buff/polish, then follow with the clear about 4 coats and buff polish that like the paint, but it is not that necessary as you get really good gloss out of the paint alone.

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I was wondering, since this is technically "paint job on a budget", if anyone used the tintable rustoleum and sprayed it on? Like some of us out there, I do have my project in a small garage, have a compressor, and understand I need an air dryer and dessicant to avoid problems which I wouldn't have with rolling. I know a lot of us have sprayed, but I'm wondering how this rustoleum turns out sprayed is all, and what, if anyone tried, was a successful process.
Also, did anyone actually try using acetone to thin this stuff yet (rolling or spraying)? That's what the can says to do, and it says right on the can you can roll it too (and thin with acetone). Maybe that would get rid of those bubbles quicker, and there would be a faster "outer coat" drying time than the spirits... Just thinking out loud.
I know this thread mainly has to deal with saving paint by rolling, not getting overspray on everything, etc, but the title of this thread said "paint on a budget", so has anyone tried, considered, or abandoned this idea, and for what reasons, other than the obvious (don't have a garage/compressor, etc).

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i've sprayed the tremclad stuff, and i was amazed at how well the paint flowed and that it was so easy to spray. there was no clogging, spitting, and it sprayed on virtually any psi setting the same with a HVLP gun. the best thing about this paint is that it is not prone to fish-eyes, and reactions, ect....as with regular automotive paints, but having mastered the rollering tequnique, i'll never spray the stuff again, the main issue with spraying in you garage is dust/dirt/hair, it is allmost impossible to avoid, and with rollering you get no dirt if you enviroment is clean. that's a huge advantage to spraying. but if you have a booth, that is a different story, then i'd spray a traditional automotive paint, the "paint job on a budget" is just that, what any joe shmoe can pull off in his garage with limited $, and not be ashamed to drive it. The best part about this paint job is that your not paranoid about driving your car, for example, just last week i opened my door right into a engine i had out of a car and chipped my paint on the lower door skin, and i hit a deer!!! all in 1 week, sure it hurt a bit, thank god i did'nt spend thousands of $ on paint, i touched it all up and you can hardly tell where the damage was from the door opening, and i buffed out the scratches from the deer on my hood, fender, and lower valance. cost me nothing. for me it's the way to go, all my cars are driven alot and hard, it's not worth it to spend huge $ on paint just to have it all stone chipped in 1 month from driving on our lovely roads.