DIY MH paint job?

YES YOU CAN DO IT...I HAVE PAINTED 5 MHOMES, CAMPERS ,BOATS AND MANY SHOW CARS AND I DO IT FOR FUN AND AM BY NO MEANS A PRO PAINTER ONLY A DIY GUY.......LAST PAINTED AN ALLERGO 32 FT MH.....stats.....$4200 in materials..PPG OMNI paint Candi apple red / cloud grey.. and 7 weeks 7 days a week , bymyself. Included two tone paint and extensive graphics dedicated to 911 . A helluve big job, consider all this before you undertake it. You can paint it outside if conditions are right. ONe side at a time....prep is the biggest job...dont use any sandpaper.....3M pads only...do some research....
If you are a diy guy I feel you can do it... DO YOU?..
tom
PS Iam getting ready to repaint my 34 foot 96 Pace Arrow......Iam going to use the urathane paint from Summit Racing.....Good luck.

it is all in the prep work, provided you know how to do automotive spray painting.

I'd go with the Zep Wet Look (aka Red Max Pro) route first. Sounds much easier and more forgiving. Red Max Pro is no longer available, but Zep Wet Look is the same thing.

Red Max Pro instructions

Check this out NOT Poliglow...Time will tell..This thread started in July of 2010 and is still active!!!

ottersea wrote:
Floor polish? That is a new one on me. I have waxed and buffed it but never ever thought about using floor polish on it.

It is recommended regularly on this forum to use some floor polish from Home Depot to put a shine back on an RV. Zep and some other wet look floor polish brands has been used by several posters. It may work fine for them but I would never even attempt to paint a coach where it has been used.

Floor polish? That is a new one on me. I have waxed and buffed it but never ever thought about using floor polish on it.

ottersea wrote:
Good info. I have not painted auto but have done cabinet work using lacquer. Much wet sanding. Anyway the quote I go locally was in the $10.ooo range for a 34 foot motorhome. I believe the hardest part would be getting all the decals off the thing. I will be doing more research on this as I do not want it to end up looking worse then it does now.

Just remember to do all of your cleanup of contaminants on the existing paint BEFORE you start sanding. You have to be sure that you get rid of all silicones, or other things, that will make the paint bubble or fish-eye. If you do not remove those contaminants first, sanding can drive them into the crevices where they can ruin the finished product. They make special paint prep liquids to do the job. If the coach was ever coated with floor polish, I would pass on ever trying to paint the coach.

Good info. I have not painted auto but have done cabinet work using lacquer. Much wet sanding. Anyway the quote I go locally was in the $10.ooo range for a 34 foot motorhome. I believe the hardest part would be getting all the decals off the thing. I will be doing more research on this as I do not want it to end up looking worse then it does now.

All great suggestions. But yes, you can. I painted an airplane I built in my driveway. Took me 4 1/2 months. Nothing fancy. Just white. I used PPG Epoxy paint. You can make mistakes with it and still make it look like plastic but it takes a tremendous amount of sanding and polishing. The cost of 1 gallon is probably $300 plus now. I used about $600 in sandpaper and polishing compounds alone. Of course with clear coat you don't need to color sand.

Painting a MH is easier than painting most cars and certainly easier than painting an airplane. You are dealing with large flat surfaces rather than a bunch of curves, hood, trunk, roof, etc.
At the factory there will be several painters on a coach to keep the paint flowing and the surfaces wet. When painting something that big, you need to break it into sections that you can handle by yourself. With most coaches, there are seams, or other breaks, that will allow you to mask off one area at a time for you to paint. It is not that difficult as long as you do not try to tackle more than what you can handle alone. A moveable scaffold helps to give you access to the upper sides. As far as vehicle painting goes, MH's are easier than a lot of other vehicles. One other thing to consider is that when you break the coach into sections, it allows you to buy paint as you need it and not "guess" at how much total paint you will need.
Be sure to closely monitor the temperature and humidity and mix your paint accordingly.

Two questions first. Do you have good experience painting cars and how professional of a job are you looking for? Painting a M/H is no different, just bigger. I certainlly would not reccomend learning to paint on your coach. This will be a very expensive endevor and could be a disaster if you don't have the necessary skills.
If you decide to proceed, I would strongly suggest using a two step paint, base coat then clear coat. Depending upon the size of your m/h, the materials alone will be in the thousands $$$.
I personally have painted many cars including some show winners but decided against painting my coach. I had it painted in Red Bay, AL at Custom Paint and the bill was %6,000(36' Allergo Bus). Bob

To do it right you will need several gallons of quality automotive paint, lots of prep materials and a really lot of time. They are not cheap for a reason. It takes time to prep the surface properly, mask off the areas you dont want painted and apply several coats of paint. Then once its dry, masking again and spraying on the trim on different colors trying to maintain balance side to side. Do you really have the time and patiences? It can be done by a DIYer but you have to figure out if you really have the expertise to pull it off? Cost? Thats another factor. Figure two to three thousand dollars in materials alone.