Krylon vs Rust-Oleum: Reviews and Comparisons

Rust is the fierce enemy of all car owners. You can’t afford any spec of rust on your vehicle, otherwise, this can turn for the worse. Even a tiny scrape on your car body can turn to a blob of rust. If you overlook rust, it can corrode your car body and eat up all the visible metal. This is why smart car owners prevent rusting by applying protective coats of anti-rust paint. 

Two of the most popular are Krylon and Rust-Oleum. This is a review of Krylon vs Rust-Oleum to find out which one is better at protecting your vehicle from rust and corrosion. 

What is Krylon?

Krylon is a very popular brand of spray paint and is one of the best spray paint brands that offer optimum rust-protection. The company has been in business since 1950. Krylon has attained worldwide popularity because aside from just offering spray paint in different colors, it is also available in different finishes like chalky white, silver, glossy sheen, clear coats, and more. Krylon is easy to apply as you don't need to use multiple coats. All Krylon paints are quick-drying and thus, you can use it indoors or outdoors.

 Krylon Automotive Truck Bed Coating

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Krylon prides itself as the industry's color leader. It is one of the most popular color companies for package design, innovations, and colors. Krylon is the first to provide products such as Superbond Paint and Primer, Fusion for Plastic, Magnetic Primer, Looking Glass Paints, Acrylic Crystal Clear, and Glitter Blast.


What is Rust-Oleum?

Rust-Oleum is another contender when it comes to spray paint with rust-protection properties. Rust-Oleum is not as popular as Krylon but more and more car owners and hobbyists are starting to trust the brand. Rust-Oleum is available in different colors and various finishes as well. You will find chalked, enamel, all-surface, hammered, metallic, matte, granite, and many more.

Rust-Oleum, Black 248914 Truck Bed

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Rust-Oleum is more than rust protection as it is also the name behind many brands like Epoxy Shield, Universal, Stops Rust, Concrete Saver, Varathane, and Sierra Performance Coatings. Rust-Oleum is also one of the best in the industry offering automotive, professional, industrial, and personal/homeowner products.


How are they different?

Krylon and Rust-Oleum have similar properties, but the two differ when it comes to performance. Rust-Oleum is a tougher brand which means, you don't need to apply many coats to achieve total rust protection. Therefore, Rust-Oleum is preferred by more car owners and hobbyists as this provides better protection for outdoor surfaces. Car bodies, the hood, door, and top are constantly exposed to the environment (rain, wind, pollution, and dirt). Rust-Oleum will cover the area better and provide more durable protection from rust.

But when it comes to drying, Krylon is way better than Rust-Oleum. This may be due to Rust-Oleum’s thicker and more protective formula as it needs to dry longer to achieve the best protection. Meanwhile, Many choose Krylon over Rust-Oleum as Krylon dries faster and will be ready in just a few minutes. If you want a quick fix then you should choose Krylon as it is ready after just a few minutes.


How are they similar?

Both Krylon and Rust-Oleum are available in different colors. You'll find all the colors of the rainbow and in varying shades and degrees. The two brands are also available in different finishes: gloss, metallic, flat, satin, matte, hammered and textured finishes.

Both are easy to apply as you only need to spray it on the surface you want to cover. You can use Krylon and Rust-Oleum on indoor or outdoor surfaces. Both brands claim you can simply spray rust away or stop it by just spraying the paint. However, it’s important to strip off all the rust first to completely expose the raw metal underneath before you spray any paint or protective paint.

Rust-Oleum and Krylon may be used on all kinds of surfaces, not just metal. You can also spray this on wood, plastic, or fiberglass. There are many types of Rust-Oleum and Krylon paints and anti-rust products, so you must check closely what are the products before using them.


What’s better about Krylon?

There are many reasons why Krylon is better. Check out the following:

  • Krylon is available in different colors and finishes
    You’ll find Krylon in varying colors, you’ll get the right color that will match your vehicle or any project you are doing. If you are still unsure about which Krylon spray paint matches your needs, check paint color from Krylon from its official website or you may consult a Krylon representative to help you out. We also recommend Krylon paint colors for metal and Krylon Neverwet.
  • Krylon dries very fast
    A plus for Krylon users is that it dries faster and thus, you may already use your vehicle or the surface you’re protecting. Krylon users don’t need to wait very long for paint to dry. If you need your vehicle as soon as possible and you really can’t wait, then Krylon is the best type of paint for you. 
  • Krylon is easy to apply
    Krylon is the easiest to apply as you don’t need to spray a lot of times on the surface. One pass would do with Krylon and thus, it’s easier to work out. If you’re spraying a large area like the hood of your car or your car door, then Krylon will save you money as you only need to spray at one pass. But you can still apply two or more coats if that’s what you want. Also, you don’t have to wait too long for one coat to dry as well.
  • Krylon is not just for automotive use
    Krylon is also for hobbies, projects, and other rust-protection jobs at home or at work. It's not enough to say that this brand is just for cars as you can also use this to work with other metal surfaces. You can spray-paint your old refrigerator, the outer surface of your oven or microwave or you can spray a metal gate. Also, there are other Krylon products that you can use on other surfaces like wood, plastic, acrylic, and even cement. These products also apply a protective coating on the surface to prevent damage from water or moisture.
  • Krylon car paint saves money as you only need a few applications/coats
    You will save a lot of money when you use Krylon as you only need a few coats to cover any surface. You don’t need to buy cans and cans of spray paint and still have questionable coverage. With Krylon, the money you save can be used to buy more supplies for your project.
  • Krylon is tough to remove
    One of the properties of Krylon is that it can be very difficult to remove. We placed this on the pros section as we see this as an advantage. Anything sprayed and protected by Krylon would be impossible to scrape, tear, and wear unless you use good quality paint removers.

Krylon Review YouTube Video


What’s better about Rust-Oleum?

There are also so many reasons why you should choose Rust-Oleum:

  • Rust-Oleum offers better and thicker protection
    Rust-Oleum is better at rust protection as it has a thicker formula than Krylon. Most users say that this is better for outdoor use as it provides the best protection for surfaces that are exposed to the environment. We recommend this for cars, trucks, lawn mowers, mailboxes, and gates or fences.
  • Rust-Oleum is easy to apply
    Like Krylon, this is very easy to apply as you only need to spray the paint on the surface. No need to use special applicators to apply the paint. You can even cover rust quickly, but we still recommend good old-fashioned rust scraping and rust removal before applying any kind of paint.
  • Rust-Oleum is available in different colors
    Rust-Oleum has more colors available and so, you can explore more colors possible for your project. Don’t be defined by basic or traditional colors.
  • Rust-Oleum is available in different finishes
    Rust-Oleum is also available in varying finishes. You can choose from metallic, satin, flat, and hammered, to name a few. And because of the many types of finishes, you can use Rust-Oleum on different projects not just for automotive use.

Rust-Oleum Review YouTube Video


Verdict

So, is Krylon or Rust-Oleum better? Both products offer good qualities; both have so many colors and finishes to choose from, and both are not just for automotive use but may also be used for crafts, projects, and industrial use. Both Krylon and Rust-Oleum are waterproof and offer great protection against rust but when it comes to better outdoor rust and corrosion protection, Rust-Oleum is better. But when drying time is considered, Krylon is far better than Rust-Oleum.

Krylon vs Rust-Oleum, which is better for you? We recommend Rust-Oleum for outdoor use and automotive use as it offers better protection. But if you want faster drying as you need a quick fix for your vehicle, then Krylon is better for you.

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