Take your trailer to a car wash where you put the quarters in. Make sure that the bay is high enough to clear the ceiling mounted pipe and hose. Use the long-handled scrubby brush. You’ll probably have to do the roof at home - unless you can stand in the bed of the truck to reach the roof of the horse trailer (at least most of it).
Regarding the GEMPLERS Rust Converter - the stuff is fantastic.
Be sure the surface is clean of any wax or grease. When I was dabbing at all the rivets on my steel trailer, the stuff only stuck to rust!! So once it dried, I wiped away any excess flakes. A quart bottle was more than enough for a 2H with large dressing room, 7"4" tall trailer. (roof was fiberglass) to apply to rust patches only! If you are doing the entire trailer, you’ll need more.
I bought a package of several different sized wire brushes.
Paint rollers come in different thicknesses and “naps”. The thicker the nap, the more texture you get. In a house where there are walls or ceilings with some lumps and bumps… the 3/4" nap is better, but there is also lots of spatter. As GRD said, a smooth nap is best for very smooth surfaces.
Rollers come in a HUGE assortment of widths and materials. There are even sponge rollers. There are rollers that are narrow and used in corners too. Many sizes of paint trays as well.
You can use Saran wrap and aluminum foil to cover, TIGHTLY, a pan of paint while you run to the store, eat lunch, take a break, etc.
There are also some pressurized tubes of silicone sealant. These are FANTASTIC. I like these SO much better than the huge tubes and blue pumper thing. I bought the pressurized sealants at Auto Parts stores. These can be used around windows and vents, after painting or before. Whichever you prefer.
DUSTY:
The metal diamond plate is available at many hardware stores in different thicknesses and sizes. You can also look in the yellow pages for welders and then call them about purchasing material. And, ask at a local auto-parts store. Truck accessory shops is another option, but probably most expensive.
When I replaced some items on my old trailer, a friend used stainless steel rivets. Very nice.
Another item available in hardware stores are metal strips with lots of holes in them. Like giant erector set pieces. Instead of attaching wood - these can be used.
My method of attaching things to the ribs is the same method used by interior conversion companies. But GTD makes excellent points about weakening a structure and how wood would transfer moisture. That’s why it’s critical to attach one “layer” (using furring strips) to the ribs, and then attach paneling to the furring strips. (for anyone who might be looking at used trailers that were converted.)
