Future exterior painting desired

[Henry]

I want to paint my Royal exterior but lack the facility. I’m located in Harrisburg PA. I’ve had it priced and its outside my budget. I’ve painted cars so talent not the issue. If anyone is considering painting their rig and has the facilities, I would consider boon-docking.

 

[GatsbysCruiser]

Well, I had such an ugly color on my GMC that I Rattle Can painted her.

It turned out pretty good.

1974 GLACIER 260 -- My attempt to change the color the PO had chosen​

You have to do it in sections.

The secret is learn to keep the wet line as you spray.

The large open panel with no windows is tough to keep that wet line.

The roof is kind of easier, you do the center best you can then do the sides from the gutter up over the crest, or everything you see from the ground. The roof just needs paint that wont peel off, it will look ok.

in the world of avoiding heat from the sun, you can apply Kool Seal to the UPPER flat roof area.
NOT over the crest where it would be seen.

Kool seal has dramatic temperature drops as you apply it to the metal roof.
The reason you don't apply it where you can see it is it is not glossy like paint, looks dull, and needs to be cleaned every year or two.

My Rattle can paint job took I think about 2 to 3 cans per section, was a inexpensive paint job and has held up well over 10 years. Even with mother nature beating it up.

YOU NEED A GOOD SEALANT that won't crack over time.
I used what was said to be the best and it basically evaporated away over time, and it was painted over.

I am hearing a lot of good talk about LEXEL sealant, used in homes. Need some feed back if it has been used on a GMC motorhome.

Amazon.com

I did my Rattle can paint job alone, and it took a long time for me to finish. Cost was relatively low to do it. PREPARE your surface for long lasting affect.

My only failure was where the original paint, not my paint, pealed from the body.

good luck.

 

[boybach]

When the time comes to scrap my Vinyl wrap, I'll be painting mine with a roller. I've seen some great results done this way, again, do it in sections.

 

[GatsbysCruiser]

When the time comes to scrap my Vinyl wrap, I'll be painting mine with a roller. I've seen some great results done this way, again, do it in sections.

I have seen the roller technique done on cars. But to avoid the textured finish, you have to do a lot, and I mean a lot of layers and sanding to smooth it out.
Rattle can sort of self levels, and two coats covers nicely.

But either way is cost effective.

 

[boybach]

I have seen the roller technique done on cars. But to avoid the textured finish, you have to do a lot, and I mean a lot of layers and sanding to smooth it out.
Rattle can sort of self levels, and two coats covers nicely.

But either way is cost effective.

Not necessarily. Some of the designed-to-be-sprayed catalyzed urethanes can be successfully rolled on followed by a brisk brush out to break up any bubbles. I did my boat with Interthane almost 40 years ago using this technique and even today you can see your reflection in the surface. No sanding or any type of buffing.

Larry

 

[GatsbysCruiser]

I look forward to seeing your results when you take this project on.
I will tell you from experience, everything will depend on how you prep the body panels for paint.
And yes, do it in sections as i show in my comments. The pics are dramatic as the color change happens.
Keep the wet lines as you paint.
one thing I did was to seal the seams then paint over them to the edge of the next panel. This will
hopefully cover and seal the seals with paint and protect them a bit longer.
I wish I could tell you what is the best sealant, but when I did my color change, I used what everyone said
was the best sealant and honestly, it just didn't hold up. It actually deteriorated and wore away, literally.
I know a brand called LEXEL is used on homes and seems to really seal the seams. But I don't
know if it would be good on a vehicle like the GMC motorhome.
One comment was that it was great but, after you apply it, you can't really work with it. You have a
very short time, almost immediately after application, to do any shaping then you can't touch it or you'll
can mess up the application. All I know about that brand.
Do let us know when your color change project begins.

 

[boybach]

I look forward to seeing your results when you take this project on.
I will tell you from experience, everything will depend on how you prep the body panels for paint.
And yes, do it in sections as i show in my comments. The pics are dramatic as the color change happens.
Keep the wet lines as you paint.
one thing I did was to seal the seams then paint over them to the edge of the next panel. This will
hopefully cover and seal the seals with paint and protect them a bit longer.
I wish I could tell you what is the best sealant, but when I did my color change, I used what everyone said
was the best sealant and honestly, it just didn't hold up. It actually deteriorated and wore away, literally.
I know a brand called LEXEL is used on homes and seems to really seal the seams. But I don't
know if it would be good on a vehicle like the GMC motorhome.
One comment was that it was great but, after you apply it, you can't really work with it. You have a
very short time, almost immediately after application, to do any shaping then you can't touch it or you'll
can mess up the application. All I know about that brand.
Do let us know when your color change project begins.

It won't be for a couple of years yet!

 

[LAKINCOE]

You can use a vehicle paint-spraying system. However, if you’re on a tight budget, you can opt to use a standard paintbrush in painting outside of camper. It will take more time and effort to paint your RV exterior.

 

[Keith V]

Man just get a cheap HVLP spray gun and some Fleet Farm , or O'Rileys single stage paint.
It's not that expensive and it's way better paint and way easier to spray than rattle cans.

 

[tmsnyder]

Bounds just put a 5? part series on painting the GMC motorhome. After watching it, I'm going to try polishing first.

 

[pvfjr]

After watching it, I'm going to try polishing first.

Haha, seems like an appropriate response. It's a big job, for sure.

 

[tmsnyder]

Haha, seems like an appropriate response. It's a big job, for sure.

I was thinking about splitting it up into manageable sections. The various paint areas might end up looking slightly different though....

 

[T McManus]

I just added an album of my painting our Royal. Two weeks of sanding and filling and sanding and filling and sanding. https://www.gmcmotorhome.org/media/albums/painting-the-royal.28/

 

[Keith V]

I was thinking about splitting it up into manageable sections. The various paint areas might end up looking slightly different though....

I painted my air dam with paint from the same can a couple of years apart and it's a different shade!

 

[tmsnyder]

I painted my air dam with paint from the same can a couple of years apart and it's a different shade!

Just the different air temperature and humidity from one day to the next can make it look different lol However, that might be just fine with me.

 

[Billygoat]

If and when I get to this I’ll need to locate a good indoor place to paint. Will have to research that here in KC.

TG

 

[tmsnyder]

If and when I get to this I’ll need to locate a good indoor place to paint. Will have to research that here in KC.

TG

Might be a reason to get one of these: https://www.versatube.com/price-dro...rcPyWkV9tkG7bmXRq2v7T51o2DtLKbp0aAgIFEALw_wcB

 

[MikeB]

When the time comes to scrap my Vinyl wrap, I'll be painting mine with a roller. I've seen some great results done this way, again, do it in sections.

I’ve been thinking about vinyl wrap. What has been your experience so far.

 

[boybach]

I’ve been thinking about vinyl wrap. What has been your experience so far.

It's been on since around 2010. Possibly stored indoors from about 2013 to 2020. Starting to break down now, mainly in places that had severe draining. Some shrinking/splitting around tight concave bends but still looks pretty good overall. Some colour areas easy to repair with rolls of cricut.

 

[MikeB]

It's been on since around 2010. Possibly stored indoors from about 2013 to 2020. Starting to break down now, mainly in places that had severe draining. Some shrinking/splitting around tight concave bends but still looks pretty good overall. Some colour areas easy to repair with rolls of cricut.

View attachment 8986

Thats very cool and it goes over the windows as well. Im guessing thats a mesh type tint over the windows? Thirteen years is impressive Ive been reading 5-7 years for wraps but that maybe due to my location near the southern coast. Very interesting. Thank you.