Cladding Restoration...so Easy & Dope!

[rowhard]

I'll pose a question for the group. It looks to me like Gatorback was mentioned on the forum BEFORE Refinish Restorer, yet it seems only a few people have used it vs. RR.

Think it is a question of cost and application. GB is 4 times as much and needs to be sprayed verses wiped on.

[Mile High VX]

Looks good

Here:

Before




AFTER

Maybe a bit easier here. Hey Mike, is the pic with the tape before any application?

Looks good man.

[circmand]

Whoa whoa whoa... I'm 31 and still consider myself one of those "younger dudes." Don't give up on youth yet, you'll burst my deluded bubble.

Don't trust anyone over 30. You may consider yourself one of the Younger dudes. But the "younger dudes" do not and for that matter do not consider themselves "younger dudes" Its a law of nature when the lingo changes you go to the next older stage even if you adopt the new lingo. Even though you still consider yourself a real Hep Cat

[vt_maverick]

I think I'm too young to have ever heard that saying. But point taken, I guess I can comfort myself in being able to own/afford things I couldn't when I was in my 20's.

[circmand]

I think I'm too young to have ever heard that saying. But point taken, I guess I can comfort myself in being able to own/afford things I couldn't when I was in my 20's.

You are still younger than some of us. I keep myself feeling young by hanging out with older people.

[VX KAT]

Mike-I'm really interested in this stuff! SO some more questions

Was it really pretty easy to get a uniform coverage, or was it tricky at all?

Did it run at all?

Does it seem to puddle at all in the torx screw holes?

Did you have to be pretty darn steady and even when spraying it?

Did you just do a back and forth motion on the spraying? Do you think you overlapped any in the process of spraying on the 1st coat?

Did you get any overspray with the amount of masking and paper you used?
Was it windy at all when you applied it? Just wondering if it flies into the air pretty easily (and therefore I'd mask some more).

Website says it's great for doing touch ups if you scratch it or damage your cladding. If this is really true, this is the stuff I want!

Did you find any areas where you had to go back and "touch up" by spraying just in a certain small area?

Does the stuff really just blend into itself quite readily or do you have be really careful about hovering over one area too long? If it dries so quickly, I'd think this may not be too much of an issue??

Is it really a MATTE or SATIN finish? I'd say SATIN has a small amount of shine to it, whereas MATTE is completely flat. What would you say it is (IN PERSON) vs the pics we're looking at?

Thanks a ton!!

[crotchrocket]

Mike-I'm really interested in this stuff! SO some more questions

Was it really pretty easy to get a uniform coverage, or was it tricky at all?

Did it run at all?

Does it seem to puddle at all in the torx screw holes?

Did you have to be pretty darn steady and even when spraying it?

Did you just do a back and forth motion on the spraying? Do you think you overlapped any in the process of spraying on the 1st coat?

Did you get any overspray with the amount of masking and paper you used?
Was it windy at all when you applied it? Just wondering if it flies into the air pretty easily (and therefore I'd mask some more).

Website says it's great for doing touch ups if you scratch it or damage your cladding. If this is really true, this is the stuff I want!

Did you find any areas where you had to go back and "touch up" by spraying just in a certain small area?

Does the stuff really just blend into itself quite readily or do you have be really careful about hovering over one area too long? If it dries so quickly, I'd think this may not be too much of an issue??

Is it really a MATTE or SATIN finish? I'd say SATIN has a small amount of shine to it, whereas MATTE is completely flat. What would you say it is (IN PERSON) vs the pics we're looking at?

Thanks a ton!!

gees, thats ALOT of questions, lol

[PittVXr]

Can any original owners tell us how close this comes to the original color of the cladding? Honestly this is how I imagined it looked. If this Gatorback can survive a northeast winter, I'll be impressed.

[Luna X]

There is just as much prep work to put the Gatorback stuff on as to spray the cladding with a basecoat/clearcoat... I'll stick with the bc/cc... it has proven UV protection.

[samneil2000]

There is just as much prep work to put the Gatorback stuff on as to spray the cladding with a basecoat/clearcoat... I'll stick with the bc/cc... it has proven UV protection.

Do you think that would adhere to the cladding as well as or even better than with the GB coating? Would you need flex agent and adhesive promoter to paint the cladding?

[Luna X]

Do you think that would adhere to the cladding as well as or even better than with the GB coating? Would you need flex agent and adhesive promoter to paint the cladding?

You wouldn't need any flex agent, but yes, I usually do spray one coat of adhesion promoter before paint.

Another thing I like about bc/cc is that the color and gloss is totally up to the customer.... any color, any degree of sheen

[mike nomy]

Looks good

Here:

Before










AFTER

yo dude thanks for posting these up! much appreciated!

[mike nomy]

You wouldn't need any flex agent, but yes, I usually do spray one coat of adhesion promoter before paint.

Another thing I like about bc/cc is that the color and gloss is totally up to the customer.... any color, any degree of sheen

well if yer going for OEM finish on the cladding, GB looks completely OEM. slight slight satin finish, but no matter how close u look, it doesn't look like a "top coat" like a BC/CC might.... it is "one" with the cladding.

[Luna X]

I wonder how long it will take before it starts fading out?

[Ascinder]

I wonder how long it will take before it starts fading out?

I doubt they're going to engineer a product like this and not think: "Oh my, shouldn't we maybe add some kind of UV inhibitor or use a base material that is inherently UV resistant?" Their main claim to fame is restoring plastic sundamaged trim/cladding. How long would a company last whose product fails to do what they advertise. Word of mouth is going to make or break them.

From the Gatorback website:

Q:What exactly do you mean by long-lasting?
A: Unlike any other treatments available until now, the GatorBack coating will not wear off, weather or fade. Obviously, reasonable care is required in keeping the plastic surfaces clean, and there are contaminants that will affect the appearance (exposure to acid rain, rail dust, fall-out). However, in general, this is truly a one-and-done product. There should be no need for further applications of any kind.

I'm confident it'll hold up.