Tonneau cover protectant applicator

[Mr_Anderson]

I've a 1975 Chevy longbed pickup with a vinyl tonneau cover. Over the years, I've not found a good way to apply protectant to it.

Earlier today I had a (hopefully) brilliant idea! Use a paint roller, on the end of an extension pole. Wide, consistently sized row of protectant with each pass. No need to try to lean across, or use a ladder to reach the middle. No over-spray onto the paint and glass. No need to remove it, then re-install it and smear protectant someplace.

Hopefully, it's a good idea. Have any of you guys tried this before? Later today (Thursday) I'll get to the store, buy a paint roller and give it a try.

Unless, of course, someone has tried it already and found it to be an epic failure.

 

[MPBGT]

I've never tried it before on vinyl, the downside I would guess would be applying too much product and having a lot of excess to buff off. On my vinyl convertible top I use a microfiber applicator and just bury the sprayer in it to get it wet and not have overspray. Then apply and buff off any excess.
I have used a small roller to apply Fabric Guard to a fabric top before. It worked well and like you said I avoided the overspray issue.

 

[Flash Gordon]

Sounds like a great idea. I will have to add a paint roller to my arsenal!!

I like your explanation for editing your post

 

[ZimRandy]

Rather than use a roller, I'd try the paint pad.

This way you can keep the product on the pad (and the bed cover) and not have to worry about splatter. They also have the ability to thread in an extension stick. Multiple widths are also available.

Just my two cents,
Randy

 

[FUNX650]

Paint roller = Massive waste of product!!

Swifter WetJet = 4TW!!


Bob

 

[Dr_Pain]

Paint roller = Massive waste of product!!

Swifter WetJet = 4TW!!


Bob

:iagree:

 

[Mr_Anderson]

Rather than use a roller, I'd try the paint pad.

This way you can keep the product on the pad (and the bed cover) and not have to worry about splatter. They also have the ability to thread in an extension stick. Multiple widths are also available.

Just my two cents,
Randy

I like your idea of the paint pad rather than roller, ZimRandy. It would have better product control, and still give me the ability to add a longer handle to it so I'd have good reach.

I'll be honest, outside of this forum, (i.e. IRL) you shant be getting any credit for this idea. :laughing:

 

[Mr_Anderson]

Sounds like a great idea. I will have to add a paint roller to my arsenal!!

I like your explanation for editing your post

(Hint: add the paint pad instead.)

I'm not normally confounded by posting photos in forums, but wow.....not even a simple "add URL of picture here" was helping me that time. I had a bad feeling that last time I painted in an unventilated room, I took about 12 IQ points right off the top. Now I know where some of 'em came from.

 

[Mr_Anderson]

Paint roller = Massive waste of product!!

Swifter WetJet = 4TW!!


Bob

I didn't know they made a 4 terawatt Swiffer ! Where do you get those? Did CERN have a garage, er...laboratory sale?

j/k

I like the way that you think, Bob! (aka FUNX725) I've a WetJet that I use in the house, and I'm familiar with how the spray nozzle isn't exactly a precision device. I was trying to avoid the potential for over-spray on the glass and paint.

I am, however,now thinking that there must be a way to remove the spray nozzle on a WetJet and run a tube down to the pad, with some sort of distribution manifold that would wet the entire width of the pad.

After reading Randy's paint pad suggestion, I do indeed see that the roller would waste product. So, until I borrow one of my friend's Swiffers and try out some mods on it, I'm going to steal...er, utilize...his idea.

I wonder if a roller would work well for post product application buffing. Probably a Swiffer with a clean, dry pad would work better. Or a sponge type mop. OR...I could wrap (even though someone probably makes one) the sponge in a microfiber towel!

 

[Mr_Anderson]

I've never tried it before on vinyl, the downside I would guess would be applying too much product and having a lot of excess to buff off. On my vinyl convertible top I use a microfiber applicator and just bury the sprayer in it to get it wet and not have overspray. Then apply and buff off any excess.
I have used a small roller to apply Fabric Guard to a fabric top before. It worked well and like you said I avoided the overspray issue.

It isn't just the overspray that I'm trying to avoid. I need something that's going to give me some reach. Even though it's lowered, it still is a long way to the middle of a full size Chevy pickup's bed. And the less that I have to lean up against it, the fewer opportunities I have to scratch the paint.

You know what I was thinking would be awesome? A genuine leather tonneau cover. That would fit a 4-wheel drive that belonged to a cowboy, a country and/or western enthusiast, and maybe even a hillbilly. (I can say 'hillbilly'. I are one.)

Someone with more money than I have to play with could even use something exotic, like alligator, or elephant (I've never seen elephant leather, have you?) or mummy. Mummy might be too creepy, offensive, and brittle, so that might not be a good exotic material.

I'll put this out there right now: If anyone has the capability and willingness to do it, I would sign whatever documents I need to, and, after my death, would donate free of charge the flesh from my corpse if they would tan it and incorporate it into a tonneau, or soft-top, or even some seat covers, for any motor vehicle. My face MUST be used. That would work great on a seat cover, if my face was on the headrest. My arm flesh could be used for the arm rests. I'll add my hands and feet if they use them for drink holders and gas and brake pedals.

 

[Mr_Anderson]

After seeing these suggestions, I'm going to give the paint pad a shot. Probably two paint pads, one for applying and one for buffing.

Possibly modify the one for buffing with a microfiber towel.

I'm most definitely going to borrow and destroy one of my friend's Swiffer WetJets, and try moding one from a spray output to some sort of pad-localized fluid distribution.

Doing things like that is probably why I only have, like, three friends.