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Has anybody used PostCoats?

L

Locals Find!

New Member
Pat Whatley said:
Am I the only person who paints real estate posts white AFTER they are installed?
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I guess it a southern thing pat. I only paint them after they are up.

Usually with the cans of cheap spray paint from lowes. I buy it in bulk and its costs about $0.50 a can. Usually 2 cans a post. Dries quick too. Of course I only do these things for Realtors for empty lots. So they don't care about what the posts look like after the 1st month they have already forgotten they have the listing.
 
T

Tifosi

New Member
If it is a quick turn around sign that has to be painted I use Barn and Fence paint. Really thick and dries fast. No primer needed and it's cheap! I will brush it on once the posts are in the ground and set in concrete. The finish is not glossy but when they just want white posts in a hurry they can't be picky.

If it is a long term project then I will prime and paint with a high gloss oil after sanding the 4x4 smooth.

This stuff, I think it would be too much of a hassle...
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
I can honestly say..... I've never heard of using rattle cans to spray a wooden post in my life. To go a little further, I've never heard of anyone n their right mind, spray painting anything outside with a rattle can, let alone wood.

Rattle cans have more thinners in them than pigment. How is it possible to paint a 4 x 4 x 8' post with only two cans ?? A month, it won't look good the first day.
 
L

Locals Find!

New Member
Gino said:
I can honestly say..... I've never heard of using rattle cans to spray a wooden post in my life. To go a little further, I've never heard of anyone n their right mind, spray painting anything outside with a rattle can, let alone wood.

Rattle cans have more thinners in them than pigment. How is it possible to paint a 4 x 4 x 8' post with only two cans ?? A month, it won't look good the first day.
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Its easy if its not windy. You don't have graffiti artists in your area??? You can't use those things inside you need good ventilation. I won't even use them in my garage with the door wide open.

I do it after I put the posts 2 feet into the ground. Each can will cover 10 sq feet. I am only covering 2 square feet of post which leaves me plenty of extra. I spray the first post with the initial coat of the entire first can. Then I move onto the next post while the first one dries. Repeat procedure. Then back to first post again with second can and then 2nd post.

I have used them on wood my whole life along with just about any other material I could find when I was a kid.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Adtechia said:
Its easy if its not windy. You don't have graffiti artists in your area??? You can't use those things inside you need good ventilation. I won't even use them in my garage with the door wide open.

I do it after I put the posts 2 feet into the ground. Each can will cover 10 sq feet. I am only covering 2 square feet of post which leaves me plenty of extra. I spray the first post with the initial coat of the entire first can. Then I move onto the next post while the first one dries. Repeat procedure. Then back to first post again with second can and then 2nd post.

I have used them on wood my whole life along with just about any other material I could find when I was a kid.
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Okay Addie..........

Unless you have primed or pre-painted posts, I don't see how you... or anyone else, can paint a post outside with a rattle can.... with any regards to quality for the finished product. One month or 6 months.

The reason you don't want to use them inside is because of all the lacquer or solvents in them to make them dry so quickly.... and when you use them outside, the air will dry it almost 50% before it hits your posts. Now, unless you have hundreds of runs in your post, I still can't see how you can paint treated or non-treated posts with only rattle cans. Do you hold cardboard up against the sign to keep overspray form getting on it... or are you that good you can spray in the little areas and not need any touch-up ??

Up here, the posts go in the ground 40", but that's besides the point. The amount of square footage you're talking about is physical square footage. With a rattle can, half of your coverage goes up in the air.

When we ever paint out in the field we will use those little 3" shurfine rollers and throw them away when finished. But we're actually getting a coat of paint on the posts and not some fine mist of 50/50 solvent/pigment combination. You're talking aerosol cans, not two part spray booths.

I guess I should back up and re-word it..... why would you use a complete inferior product for painting a professional sign and post setup ?? Rattle cans are not for finish work for exterior projects.... even a one month sign.






Please Addie.... next time you do this, take a few pictures for me. Seriously, I'd really like to see this in action.
 
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L

Locals Find!

New Member
Gino,

I put the signs on after I paint them not before. I have always done it this way. I don't get runs unless I get to close. I been using rattle cans for so long maybe I am doing something different then you and not even realizing it. I don't know.

I have never had trouble painting anything with spray paint unless its been very windy. You just have to put on a nice smooth coat. I remember my father teaching me to use them to paint wooden louver doors, and interior doors when I was a kid and he was a paint contractor. He Never got one complaint in 20+ years that I have ever heard of. I did 100s of them for him growing up.

As far as inferior product. I don't know where you would get that idea. I have found it to be a perfectly acceptable product when applied properly.
 
S

SqueeGee

New Member
I received an email from PostCoats and was going to ask if anyone here had used them. I searched first and found this thread. Good info. Thanks for the review, insignia.

Gino, whenever we've tried painting posts in advance, we have problems with them twisting and bowing before the actually get used. I've tried stacking them different ways to help eliminate this but haven't found a solution. We now just do them on as "as needed" basis or factor in the cost of PVC sleeve(not the PostCoat deal). Is there a special technique that you use to keep them from bowing? Is there a special grade of post that performs better?

On a related note, I've noticed that some posts(from Lowes) have rounded corners and some are square. I prefer rounded because they don't tend to split as easily so when we have no choice but to get square corners, I'll sometimes run a round over bit down them.
 
Gino

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Here goes............

The reason ours don't warp or bow is because we are not painting them with latex or oil based paint. Over the years, here at s101, I've made special effort to emphasize 'solid color stain'. It's almost like a paint, but it's a stain and allows the wood to breath. Therefore, you're not trapping any moisture in the post/wood allowing it to continue to breathe, if you will. Checking, blistering and twisting occurs when you trap moisture in the wood and it moves horribly to get out, by going back to it's original shape.

Another thing is to look for double kiln dried posts. These will almost be guaranteed not to warp.

The rounded posts are generally 8'ers and are for landscaping, but if all you need is 8', by all means get them. They're usually cheaper.

One thing to add, almost all treated posts are going to get some bow or warp into them, eventually. These trees are scientifically cut down so that even if a gnarled sapling 40' tall is 4" thick most of the way up, they'll still cut it down. In the saw mill, they have saws hooked up to a computer which will cut a perfect 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" all in one shot straight up the tree. The trees are soaked down so much they almost flatten out, but the specialty saws can account for the bends and twists and after being cut, pressure treated and stacked, they will remain rather straight. As they dry they might go back to some warping a little bit, but once you add your paint... the process is sped up beyond belief and they'll warp within weeks and try to go back to their original shape while they were still alive and growing. Many years ago, a good friend of mine went on a tour of one of these companies and he told me how amazing this process is/was.
 
omgsideburns

omgsideburns

New Member
Looked at these but yeah, the cost was too much.. for twice the price you get a pvc sleeve from hd and it'll hold up to the weed whacker, sun, whatever.

Painting 4x4's is good work for someone to do if you catch them standing around.
 
MikePro

MikePro

Active Member
lumber condoms?
paint roller and some Kilz does the trick for me! I just throw some screws on the ends and span a pair or shop horses. takes 15-20min. for me to roll 4 of em, and they're dry in under 1hr.
 
Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?

Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?

New Member
I'll tell you another reason that I personally wouldn't use spray cans on a sign post outdoors and that's liability. You never know where that over-spray is going to travel. We use Rustoleum professional series oil enamels for any outdoor painted wood surface and a roller. Seems like the only good productive way to go in my opinion. I've thought about using 100% acrylic latex but I'm a bit scared that it won't last as well as oil based enamels.

The post condoms definitely seem cheap. Hell just wrappin' 'em in adhesive vinyl seems comparable to the product they are showing.

As for posts warping and such. Isn't it also best when selecting your own lumber, to choose the posts that are cut from the center of the tree? The ones with a full circular grain pattern? Just thought I would add that.
 
Moze

Moze

Active Member
Bringing this back from the dead because I just pulled the trigger on a roll of this. Thought I'd see if anyone else has any updates or thoughts.
 
Marlene

Marlene

New Member
no but it was fun to see a stupid answer from our long lost addie, wonder how the king of the low ballers is doing these days
 
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