Help with zolatone colors

[soldiermedic]

We finally have come to our turn at the shop doing the work on our trailer, and we need to decide about our zolatone color.

We are looking at silver grey and Medusa grey at the moment, but it is hard from looking at a small swatch online to determine what a larger scale looks like.


Medusa Grey


Silver Grey

Our wood is natural finished maple and birch. Our side bed is red, and the front sofa bed is going to be a type of charcoal grey with red pillows matching the side bed. The floor is cork and wood countertops.

We are not designers by any means, but want to know people's thoughts on this since we are having a hard time deciding.

Thanks!

[Bigventure]

FYI Zolatone cannot be touched up like regular paint. You have to repaint it with the same paint and speical gun.

[reinergirl]

I really like the silver grey, neutral enough that you could change the color scheme to anything in the future just by switching out soft goods.

The upper one is warmer (and I hope I don't offend anyone here!) but has a real seventies vibe . I'm not a fan of that rusty/pinky fleck.

I vote go with the silver gray and let your warmth come from the cabinets.

I love the idea of zolatone but the colors to me are very drab and too beige. That silver grey is the only one I like. I like the colors in Multispec paint better, particularly the Watercolors line.

What era is your trailer?

It's true you can't touch it up in large sections but small areas like rivets and such can be touched up with normal paint and will blend just fine?

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by Bigventure

FYI Zolatone cannot be touched up like regular paint. You have to repaint it with the same paint and speical gun.

Yes sir...very aware of this. Fortunately zolatone is very tough stuff and resists chipping and breaking.

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

I really like the silver grey, neutral enough that you could change the color scheme to anything in the future just by switching out soft goods.

The upper one is warmer (and I hope I don't offend anyone here!) but has a real seventies vibe . I'm not a fan of that rusty/pinky fleck.

I vote go with the silver gray and let your warmth come from the cabinets.

I love the idea of zolatone but the colors to me are very drab and too beige. That silver grey is the only one I like. I like the colors in Multispec paint better, particularly the Watercolors line.

What era is your trailer?

It's true you can't touch it up in large sections but small areas like rivets and such can be touched up with normal paint and will blend just fine?

It is a 63 Overlander...ever seen one in person?

Steve

[reinergirl]

Yep, up close and personal! But with all your trials and tribulations with your SOTR and subsequent sale, how did I miss you getting a 63 Overlander? Now pictures are obligatory! . Is there a thread somewhere?

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

Yep, up close and personal! But with all your trials and tribulations with your SOTR and subsequent sale, how did I miss you getting a 63 Overlander? Now pictures are obligatory! . Is there a thread somewhere?

Trials and tribulations? No no no...the SOTR was not that...it was far worse.

After that experience, we decided to only do business with someone who had an impeccable reputation, was respected in the community, and most importantly who we felt we could trust. The situation actually presented itself in June 2011 before we bought the SOTR, but we were blinded by a rare 13 panel trailer, and the worthless promise of the person who said they knew what they were doing.

After I sold the SOTR, I contacted the aforementioned party, and purchased the trailer. That was in March. Now we are finally able to get the work done on ours at the shop, and hopefully spend some wonderful family time in an Airstream (that hasn't happened since June 2010).

There is no thread regarding my purchase. I wanted to do that once I had pictures from the shop that is molding the trailer to fit our needs. If you have other questions feel free to PM me.

Steve

[Melody Ranch]

Medusa!.....but, look at the color choices again and have some imagination. Some Hot Sauce on Mexican food just before bed time....during the night you will have a catharsis of sorts. Bingo! The right color choice.

[CombatMedic]

Despite that we made a fresh batch of sauce and spent the morning filling up vials of it...we think these two choices are the best fit.

[BIGED52]

Amy, I personally like your two final picks! I like the silver the most as it allows you to have a clean new finish that is neutral and will really let you change the interior finishes as your family grows up with this trailer. Let us know what you and Steve decide on. I am waiting to see all the pictures of inside and outside the "new" baby. Wishing you all the best! Carol and Ed Carver

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

Medusa!.....but, look at the color choices again and have some imagination. Some Hot Sauce on Mexican food just before bed time....during the night you will have a catharsis of sorts. Bingo! The right color choice.

OK,

So in looking at some other trailers out there we may actually go with an intermix of silver grey and desert camo. It would be light enough to let the wood and textiles attract the eyes instead of the walls.

Steve

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by Bigventure

FYI Zolatone cannot be touched up like regular paint.

Correct.

Originally Posted by Bigventure

You have to repaint it with the same paint and speical gun.

Not entirely true in my experience.

We Zolatone'd our trailer several years go and have been thrilled with the results. Touch-ups of small things like rivets are no problem - you just dab on the Zolatone with a small artist's brush, you don't brush it on like normal paint. The key is not mixing the color globules when doing so and having some Zolatone left over from the same batch - especially if it is a custom blended color. For small areas say 6"x6" to 12"x12" or so you can use a touch-up kit sprayer. But for a larger area or entire panel, it does require re-spraying. The good news is, it is so durable that rarely is an extreme touch-up required.

I also find "regular paint" can be tough to touch up invisibly after it's been in use for awhile - it fades, gets dirty and the sheen is often a telltale sign pointing at the patch. At least Zolatone with it's random pattern camouflages these.

Shari

[Melody Ranch]

I liked the Madusa so well that I mixed it with another color because I did not want a neutral color. I know you will like the choice you made.

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

I liked the Madusa so well that I mixed it with another color because I did not want a neutral color. I know you will like the choice you made.

Your color came out somewhat bluish didnt it?

[Melody Ranch]

That is the blue I was searching for.

[reinergirl]

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

I liked the Madusa so well that I mixed it with another color because I did not want a neutral color. I know you will like the choice you made.

That's the medusa? It looks nothing like the sample! Do you have a close up? I like it

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by reinergirl

That's the medusa? It looks nothing like the sample! Do you have a close up? I like it

His picture is Medusa grey mixed with another color. There is nothing BLUE in my interior, and would never go that route. I thought about mixing Medusa and silver grey, but also like the look of Rob Baker's 58 SOTR. My woof color is similar to his, and he mixed the desert camo with silver grey. Insideout told me that desert camo looks Peachy, but doesn't in the website.

Steve

[walt c]

soldiermedic,
Not to try open a can of worms,but I found out that there are two types of Zolatone.(both called Zolatone) The original was solvent based,and,there is also a water based!(zolatone.com) The water based is much cheaper(I didn't price solvant based) and safer to apply. It is being used on building walls and had a tremendous selection.(supposed to be just as durable as solvant based) I recently did my 1955 Bubble with it so I have some experience applying it. Not sure what the going price is for solvent based Zolatone,but I paid $80 per gallon I believe.Hope this helps!....walt...tulsa,ok

[InsideOut]

The Zolatone that was originally used in Airstreams was the solvent based. The water based is aesthetically "the same" but I don't think it holds up to the extreme temperature swings and rigors of travel. I am an interior designer and have specified the water base for interior projects where the climate is controlled, but opted for the AIM (Automotive, Industrial. Marine) version when we did our trailer feeling it was more suitable.

Shari

[Frank's Trailer Works]

I would like to throw in my two cents Steve...
Zolatone can indeed very easily be touched up as Shari stated. I also takes very well to being shot again using a spray gun.
The sample you are given by the manufacturer is a possibility, not an actual result. There are many variables that will effect the final out come. The color of the base coat can have a dramatic effect on your final out come. Most people use a white primer, but there are over 350 "whites" offered by three major paint makers. A warm white versus a cool white can drastically affect the final outcome. You mentioned Rob Bakers zolatone and that was two different colors shot one on top of the other creating a custom blend.
Another serious variability is the needle size and pressure of the gun. The finer the paint coming through the tip, the more subtle the blend will be. The paint works by not only being broken up by you stirring it, but the atomization of it passing through the tip. The paint is further broken up when the blobs hit the wall and burst into many tiny bubbles of paint. The force with which it leaves the gun and how far the gun is from the wall have a drastic effect also. All that in a nut shell means that once you start at it, you must remain consistent until the very end.
On a final note I must add that even though the product is no longer solvent based, it contains some very noxious carriers. I have sprayed numerous products over the years and posses some very high end person protective equipment. Zolatone is without a doubt the most intense material I have ever come in contact with. I want to strongly express it is NOT a product for the intimidated or sensitive to chemical exposure. It totally took over my mask and literally had me seeing triple. I was physically ill after spraying it and would never think of spraying it again without a fully protected breathing system with make up air. Even 24 hours after it was sprayed, the fumes still had me coughing.
All that caution aside, it is an awesome product. The results are worth every bit of effort it takes to apply it.

I like the first sample you posted. It is a bit richer than the second one...