Rust-Oleum Automotive Forum: Rusto Garage

I like to think of myself as a handy do-it-yourselfer.  At an early age, I enjoyed making stuff out of wood and customizing my Tonka trucks.  Once I started driving, I discovered the world of vehicle customization.  As a result of this DIY attitude, paint was my primary weapon against old, worn out and boring things.

One of my oldest and best friends, Bob Lindow, was quick to nickname me the “King of Krylon” because of my love of spray paints.  It didn’t matter that my preference was for Rust-Oleum paints, Bob likely found that the King of Krylon moniker rolled off the tongue better than anything else.

Bob always supported my annoying habit of saying “I could fix that with a little paint.”  Even today, I’ll send him a picture of my next project with some paint ideas, and he always gives me honest feedback.  Luckily, we think alike so the feedback encourages me to try the next crazy restoration.

Like Minded Enthusiasts

While my buddy, Bob, is supportive and sometimes inspirational, it’s nice to find other people who share my interest in creative endeavors. The beauty of online forums and Facebook groups is that you connect with like-minded people.

In 2021, I discovered a forum managed by Rust-Oleum whose intention is to connect hobbyists who use Rust-Oleum products with their automotive projects and more.  Over the years, they remain true to that cause and provide a supportive environment for the members to share ideas.

Rusto Garage

Rust-Oleum launched Rusto Garage, a website built for the car lover. They want to help us find “our people,” those who love all things automotive. In doing so, they also ask the members to test the newest Rust-Oleum products, get our feedback, and hear about our upcoming projects and car care/customization wishes.

The Rusto Garage community is built by the team at Rust-Oleum, who has been creating quality and innovative products since 1921.

Members of the forum also have the chance to participate in challenges and win some awesome prizes (one of my favorites was a bottle of Krud Kutter, a degreaser that removes the toughest stains and everyday messes that most “all-purpose” cleaners can’t touch – grime, grease, pet stains, and crayons. It even removes dried latex paint and permanent markers).  Cool.

Who knew Rust-Oleum sold stuff other than paint?  I didn’t, until I joined the forum.  Since then, I have been searching the Rust-Oleum website to learn all of the wonderful products that support my DIY habit!  They have a new lineup of car care products under the Wipe New brand.

Update: Rust-Oleum discontinued the Rusto Garage forum at the end of 2024.  I was a big fan of that forum, and miss the interaction with the members.  I will do my best to include more content like we covered at Rusto Garage for those of you who enjoyed it.

Creative People

It’s been fun learning about the backgrounds of the other forum members, and some of the projects they are working on.  One of those members, JJFerrero, has some mad skills and made the treehouse in the above picture.  He also has a pretty cool garage in western New York that I hope to visit (or duplicate!) some day soon.

I admire people like JJFerrero, and love to see the projects they tackle and what products they use.  That is why I join groups like Rusto Garage (you should too!) and share my fun projects in the Repairs/Mods section of this website.

In addition to the great members, the forum is nicely moderated by Pete Gonzales and Lisa.  They have helped nurture the community to where it is today.  They were kind enough to explore my interests in the recent video interview below:

FINAL THOUGHTS & QUESTIONS

I always have a project in the works, and most of those end up with a new paint finish.  I don’t pretend to know everything about painting, so it’s great to have ready access to other people who do.  Their work has inspired me in many ways.

Let me know what you are working on in the comments below and if you have any added thoughts or questions.

This article was originally published on April 21, 2022. It has been updated with the video interview found above.