Before and after 2011 Coachmen Freelander paint job.

pnichols wrote:
Oustanding looking paint job!

I'm just wondering how practical a paint job like that would be for camping in the bright sun of the Southwestern U.S.?

People in the bright sun of the southwest would benefit the most from a paint job like this. The clearcoat gives it uv protection that is nearly nonexistent with the bare gelcoat fiberglass.

Oustanding looking paint job!

I'm just wondering how practical a paint job like that would be for camping in the bright sun of the Southwestern U.S.?

So, how many cans of spray paint did it take?

Seriously, that is one awesome paint job. Those guys really know their stuff.

dodge guy wrote:
Looks great! Did they pull the windows and any trim? don`t want any peeling around any of those areas.

I like it!

No worries dodge guy, they know what they are doing.

Looks great! Did they pull the windows and any trim? don`t want any peeling around any of those areas.

I like it!

redsuperduty wrote:

earlvillestu wrote:
FWIW, Nexus RV lists full body paint prices on their website. Four-color full body paint lists for $6900. Single-color, including decals, is $5000.

Clicky

That sounds about right. I'm quite sure Nexus is only paying 4 to 5k to a paint shop for the 4 color jobs. Like I said earlier, it's far easier to paint a new unit that doesnt have decals on it, silicone caulk on it, awnings to pull, etc.. If I were buying new I would order it bare and hire a paint shop myself.

Years ago I had seen a few pictures of a brand new rig of our model sent off to the paint shop one block down the street from our RV manufacture. It was missing a whole bunch of parts and such. Even parts off the chassis.

I can only imagine the prep work required to paint an older rig compared to a new one. As in your case there is so much cleaning & sanding of all the old parts, caulk removal, degreasing, sap removal, replacing of hardware and anything broken. You got a partial rehab with the paint job.

The more I think about it, $8000 on your used rig sounds cheaper all the time. Getting Full Body Paint when the rig is new, is going to be most affordable...alternately stated for some people as "least unaffordable".

earlvillestu wrote:
FWIW, Nexus RV lists full body paint prices on their website. Four-color full body paint lists for $6900. Single-color, including decals, is $5000.

Clicky

That sounds about right. I'm quite sure Nexus is only paying 4 to 5k to a paint shop for the 4 color jobs. Like I said earlier, it's far easier to paint a new unit that doesnt have decals on it, silicone caulk on it, awnings to pull, etc.. If I were buying new I would order it bare and hire a paint shop myself.

FWIW, Nexus RV lists full body paint prices on their website. Four-color full body paint lists for $6900. Single-color, including decals, is $5000.

Clicky

That sounds like a great price for painting an RV that large. A guy I know spent $6,000 to have his antique Chevy Camaro painted. His car is obviously much smaller than an RV!

mlh wrote:
That is a nice paint job. I am very interested in something like this but not quite so fancy. Would you think that the price would be considerably cheaper to put a coat or two of plain white with a few coats of clear? At that point you could install graphics if desired. Like I said, I wouldn't want anything fancy. I just like the idea of easier upkeep.

I think you have the right idea in regards to painting your rig for easier upkeep and nicer over-all appearance. Even if using one color, plain white or other color. Our painted rig is so much easier to keep looking nice compared to our old gel coat fiberglass rig. From the beginning it was hard, and with every year came bigger compromises.

To lower the cost further, if your front Ford/Chevy cab is plain white without any graphics, as long as the paint is good, no bad stone chips or rust, I would not paint it. Just have the shop buff it out. Paint the house the same color which should save significant money for you. If the front cab has removable graphics, maybe they can be removed and buffed to look right. White painted vehicles generally won't have fading or reflection issues from removed graphics, unless the finish is significantly weathered.

Do it in steps and see how it goes. First buff the front cab and see if removed graphics have completely disappeared. If so, then paint the rest of the rig to match. Don't forget to paint the outside mirrors. Unpainted Velvac mirrors along with other unpainted plastic parts around the rig, all turn that creamy yellow color over time.

If you wanted to get a little fancy without a lot of extra cost, have a simple straight horizontal two-tone pattern, darker lower, white upper. But you'll be painting a portion of the front cab to make it look right.