TC Paint Questions

[BMW442]

Hey guys

I am looking to repaint my 30 year old/new-to-me camper. We are taking it on the maiden voyage in November, and it will be living outside (in New England) all winter.

Is there a special kind of RV paint to use? Or auto or house paint? Brush or sprayer? Any advice is much appreciated!

[Led_67]

pjay9 wrote:
Earl...any car any color $69.95...those were the days! Prep, prep, prep, primer, top coat, clear coat. Maybe you will not have to do that much, but get the decals off and prep the surface!!!

That is exactly whar can make or break a great paint job.

Good Luck

[pjay9]

Earl...any car any color $69.95...those were the days! Prep, prep, prep, primer, top coat, clear coat. Maybe you will not have to do that much, but get the decals off and prep the surface!!!

[dadwolf2]

Super_Dave wrote:

dadwolf2 wrote:
Has anyone painted a filon exterior camper before? I imagine like Mkirsch stated, removing the decals might be the biggest pain.

dadwolf2, what I think he was getting at is that even if one gets all the decals off, the surface below the decal is weathered differently than the rest of the camper skin. When you paint it, the area of the old decals telegraph in the new finish.

Totally get the different weathering, but I don't think that would telegraph if proper prep paint was completed. I've always thought that having a nice paint job on the camper would be preferred over a couple decals that will fade, but I can't imagine what a professional job would cost? Can't imagine it's cheap.

[Super_Dave]

dadwolf2 wrote:
Has anyone painted a filon exterior camper before? I imagine like Mkirsch stated, removing the decals might be the biggest pain.

dadwolf2, what I think he was getting at is that even if one gets all the decals off, the surface below the decal is weathered differently than the rest of the camper skin. When you paint it, the area of the old decals telegraph in the new finish.

[dadwolf2]

Has anyone painted a filon exterior camper before? I imagine like Mkirsch stated, removing the decals might be the biggest pain.

[trailgranny50]

Many years ago our son in law gave us a slide in 8' no cab over camper and the paint really sucked. I bought an enamel spray can type automotive paint, taped her all up and sprayed, and sprayed and sprayed. Two coats over a couple days. Long story a little shorter, we used it a few years, it sat outside here in Oklahoma, sold it to our son who used it a few years and then just left it sit. Everything else has gone to heck but that paint job still shines, no peeling or bubbling. Amazing. I did hand sand everything lightly and wipe it down before painting. Don't even remember what brand it used to be, kinda resembles an abbreviated Alaskan. Aluminum skin.

[mkirsch]

Good luck with that. It's going to take a LOT of work to get rid of any evidence of the decals. Otherwise it's just going to look like you spray painted over the top of the decals. In other words, NOT sharp.

[BMW442]

Cool thanks guys. It's aluminum on the outside, most of the original decals & stripe are peeling and I want to make it look real sharp before we hit the road.

[Reddog1]

I am sure there are exceptions, but the house paint RVs I see usually are parked at Walmart till someone tells them to leave. House paint looks great on a house, but not often on a RV.

For me, I would only use spray. Using spray cans can get spendy, but can be done. I would prefer a spray gun. It would probably require 1-1/2 to 2 gallons of automotive paint for most TCs. You could use a roller on the roof.

[Super_Dave]

What is your siding material? The material and the current condition would likely sway how I approached it. I used to have an old boat that I would roll some enamel house paint on every couple of years and look great. If you are trying to go all out on a reno of this old camper, lots of prep work and auto paint.