Rustoleum on Steel Wheels?

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mr_Luke

Joined
Aug 16, 2019
Messages
1,245
I want to paint the steel wheels on my Prius and run the car with or without the hubcaps. The finish seems to be wearing off them under the hubcaps.
I don't want to use a spray paint. I want to use brushes or foam applicators with some type of rust stop paint that will hopefully be a matte finish.
Got any suggestions?

DSC_1193.webp
 
Rustoleum glossy enamel would work , semi-gloss not as well, and the matte not so much. You'll be heavily depending on the primer under it and their primer for rusty metal is a very soft formula that would dig up pretty badly on wheels. Then again, it'll go on, and it'll work, just don't expect good lifespan.

In other words I would clean all the rust off and use a clean metal primer. Whether you can brush it on and be satisfied depends a lot on your brushing skills, but it is a bit difficult to get a good matte finish brushing. Spray would be much easier. To be clear, brush painting matte hides painting mistakes better than glossier paint, but if you are picky about the finish there will be more errors, particularly on something with many holes and curves like a wheel.

Your covers look good, why run without them? I'd just as soon use them and put gloss black rustoleum on the wheels. It will also be much easier to rinse brake dust off of glossy vs matte.

Shorter version: I think you want spray on paint.
 
Last edited:
Lifespan on the rusty metal primer seems just fine-the 14" Civic steel wheels that I use on the xB were wire brushed, sprayed front & back with Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer, and the outer sprayed with Rustoleum flat black. I run black painted lug nuts, and I put them on & take them off by hand, and after 3 years the wheels look better than the lugs.
 
You can brush it, just make sure you thin the paint with a solvent. If you think it you will have to put more coats on, but whatever.

The first set of snow tires I ever bought were on steelies that had been painted by a brush. You only really noticed when you took them off or put them on.
 
How is the backside? Usually it gets rough with rust, which makes mud and snow stick extra well.

I've done brush on rustoleum on the visible side of wheels but it only looks good for one season.

If you don't want to dismount your tires you can jam playing cards in between them and the bead for a clean cutoff.
 
Thanks for the tips. I haven't seen the back side of them yet.

Yes, I agree, these hubcaps look good and I think the car would look best with them on, not off.
smile.gif


So I'm mostly wanting to prevent rusting on the wheels. I don't think they're rusting much yet but the black finish has worn off and they look dull.

Gloss black rustoleum seems like it would work OK.
 
If you want to prevent rust, just clean the wheels really really well and coat them with POR15. That brushes on, and should hold up better than paint.
 
Make sure the wheels are prepped properly and perfectly to get a great long lasting job.
 
I tried removing the rust with wire brushes on my old steelies and priming and painting with spray cans. Took a looonngg time and I wouldnt even waste my time doing that again. Id rather buy a new set of steelies and toss the old ones once the tires are finished. Or...just clean em quick, use a spray product that turns rust to a primed surface and spray paint them. (Ie. Dont spend much time on them). If you have wheel covers, i wouldnt worry too much. Just my 2 cents
 
Having used several wheel paints, Wurth is much better (easier to achieve a good finish) than Rustoleum, although overall surface prep is probably more important than paint brand.
 
Originally Posted by 14Accent
If you want to prevent rust, just clean the wheels really really well and coat them with POR15. That brushes on, and should hold up better than paint.




If you use POR15 keep it off the bead area. I did a set once that didn't leak a bit. When I was done I'd r
Taken it odd all 4 of them. Why, who knows I just knOw it would never let the tire seal or stay sealed. Once it was gone they were all fine.
 
You will be better served with engine paint - they can handle the higher heat coming off brakes and are more chemical resistant than regular rust-o-leum paints. I did a set 3 years ago with aerosol engine enamel and still look ok.
 
Set of older Saab wheels from the Champlain Valley (NY-VT) with rust.
Prep, prep, prep.
I used Rustoleum Rust Converter on the back-brush on. Nice finish that has
Black engine paint on the fronts-spray.

They've seen 8 or 9 Winters without problem.

I swear, today at a junkyard in Balston Spa, NY I'm buying a rough alloy wheel and will take a stab at cleaning/refinishing one of those.
Wish me luck.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
Set of older Saab wheels from the Champlain Valley (NY-VT) with rust.
Prep, prep, prep.
I used Rustoleum Rust Converter on the back-brush on. Nice finish that has
Black engine paint on the fronts-spray.

They've seen 8 or 9 Winters without problem.

I swear, today at a junkyard in Balston Spa, NY I'm buying a rough alloy wheel and will take a stab at cleaning/refinishing one of those.
Wish me luck.


Wurth silver wheel paint is very close to the original Saab paint, by the way.
 
I like rustoleum, but I wouldn't leave it as the exposed top coat - I suspect it will be more prone to fading under UV. I'd suggest a rust-friendly primer and a color coat and clear coat made for wheels. I've painted several wheels, and the wheel-specific paints (which need a week to fully cure) are robust and long-lasting. I prefer duplicolor as it flows better but VHT has a good product too. It's helps the clear VHT to flow by having the cans warmed in hot water.

BUT-- you will be disappointed in the finished product if you skimp on prep. Wire brush, rust treat with your choice if needed, sand and clean them well first. It's much worth the effort if you care about the results.
 
Originally Posted by Rand
why no spray paint.. that is the easy way?
+1
I have refinished the wheels on my Toyota. Spraying is the easiest and best way IMO. I washed and dried the wheels first, then I used black primer spray paint (which is flat, VERY easy to apply, and dries fast). I bought it at Pep Boys. One can covered all 4 wheels. They came out very nice. I did this 8 years ago and they are starting to fade to gray where the sun shines through the wheel covers so I will have to do them again, but it is so easy and cheap to do that I don't really mind. Contrary to what you might think, and what some others will say, you do NOT have to apply a finish paint coating over the primer. Also, I just painted over the surface rust on the wheels, the primer has stuck and the rust has not reappeared.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by GMBoy
You will be better served with engine paint - they can handle the higher heat coming off brakes and are more chemical resistant than regular rust-o-leum paints. I did a set 3 years ago with aerosol engine enamel and still look ok.

I had a can of Rust-Oleum high heat black engine paint hanging around so I tried using it on a rusting caliper bracket. Cleaned off as much as I could with a dremel then sprayed a couple of coats. You are right! It's the 3rd winter and no rust!. Other methods I've tried over the years lasted a year maybe two. This is definitely going to last longer than that. I think it's a good idea for the rim. Just spend some time cleaning and give it a light sand 1st
 
Prep is more important than the paint itself - though the latter has equal impact. Rust-Oleum has a new "turbo" can that claims spray gun like finish if you care about aesthetics.

Brushed-on Rust-Oleum doesn't level well and takes a long time to dry. Since Rust-Oleum is a synthetic alkyd enamel, if you live in an non-VOC restricted area, you can get a catalyst that will accelerate the dry/cure time and make it much more durable. It's kinda pricey and once you mix it you have about an hour to use it before it "kicks".

Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Valspar-4625-Enamel-Hardener-oz/dp/B000LNY1MY and from a review:
Quote

Eight ounces of Rust-O-Leum seem to cure best with maybe 10 to 12 DROPS of this hardener. Too much hardener makes the cured paint brittle
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
How hot do steel rims get? Do steelies get hotter than 200F?
Replies
9
Views
473
nthach
G
How to properly buy 15x6jj rims
Replies
6
Views
209
AZjeff
wings&wheels
Refinishing Grady White Wiper Arms
Replies
2
Views
119
wings&wheels
K
Wheel Repair
Replies
1
Views
290
Kira
S
Wilton Vise Revival
2
Replies
36
Views
1K
PKFan
Back
Top Bottom