Really any color I want?!!
I have been a little obsessed lately with paint. Now that the doors are "almost" done (still need to hang it) I am turning my attention to the most obvious undone aspect of my restoration....exterior paint. There are many options here...most of which have their own sub options.
- The first decision was DIY or send it out or a combination.
- Send it Out
- Maaco $500-800 depending on the amount of prep required.
- Higher End Resto/Paint shop $2-3K or more
- Combination
- Do the prep myself-- send it out/hire
- Hire the prep out -- paint it myself
- Either of these probably comes out to costing around the price of Maaco
- DIY-- great resources and discussions at these forums Rolled On or the Vintage Shasta Trailer Forum(VSTF)
- Rattle Cans--believe it, some very nice paint jobs have been done with rattle cans, this link is to a video by a VSTF member
- $50 paint job-- with Rustoleum or equivalent Alkyd Enamel
- roller method http://www.freewebs.com/kc8jwa/painttechniques.htm
- HVLP sprayer (borrowing spray gun and compressor)
- $150-400 paint job -- same options but with more expensive paint such as marine urethanes (Interlux) or expensive automotive paints.
- Color--
- With tractor paint, rattle cans, and some others you are stuck with pre-mixed colors or combining pre mixed colors to create a custom color.
- Custom colors--bring in your chip and the computer does a color match.
After much research, I've decided to go full DIY using Ace Rust Stop custom tinted in Benjamin Moore Mexicali Turquoise.
The color is a bit lighter but in the same range as the aqua color in my awning. I'll be going with the classic bare metal Z stripe the width of the wide frog tape. And I am toying with the idea of a smaller z pin stripe in lime green above and below the Z. just for fun.
Maybe something like this......but not quite so bright!
But First: Lots of Prep work
1. Clean-- removing all the last bits of silicone (DSR 5 best remover out there and worth every penny) around the J Rail, and removing and reattaching the top rail.
2. Seal the seams and rails with Trempro 635 urethane paintable sealant
3. Sand until all loose paint is removed.
4. Repair bigger obvious dings and dents (don't go overboard)
5. Sand again
6. Mask all windows and other things that won't get painted, remove eyebrows
7. Prime unpainted area with self etching primer
Then I get to paint it shiny!
Probably 3-4 coats with wet sanding in between each coat with finer and finer grits (600, 800, 1000)
Buffing with turtle wax or some other car polish.
The mix recommended in rolled on forums for rustoleum is 4 parts paint, 3 parts medium automotive reducer, 1 part mineral spirits, and 0.5 parts hardener.
But First: Lots of Prep work
1. Clean-- removing all the last bits of silicone (DSR 5 best remover out there and worth every penny) around the J Rail, and removing and reattaching the top rail.
2. Seal the seams and rails with Trempro 635 urethane paintable sealant
3. Sand until all loose paint is removed.
4. Repair bigger obvious dings and dents (don't go overboard)
5. Sand again
6. Mask all windows and other things that won't get painted, remove eyebrows
7. Prime unpainted area with self etching primer
Then I get to paint it shiny!
Probably 3-4 coats with wet sanding in between each coat with finer and finer grits (600, 800, 1000)
Buffing with turtle wax or some other car polish.
The mix recommended in rolled on forums for rustoleum is 4 parts paint, 3 parts medium automotive reducer, 1 part mineral spirits, and 0.5 parts hardener.
