My Solution for Diamond Shield & Blistering Paint

[gmarsha2]

Like many other RV'ers, I have had issues with Diamond Shield on the front of my coach as well paint blistering on the top edges due to sun etc.. I decided to try Automotive Vehicle Wrap as a solution. I did not remove the remaining Diamond Shield but had the wrap applied over the remaining area that I had not removed. As for the top radius of the coach, I sanded the complete area making sure that all the blistered areas were removed. In my case it was impossible to get a paint match with the wraps that are available so I opted to select a color that was complimentary to the rest of the coach. I am posting a couple of pictures showing the before and after results of using Vehicle Wrap. I had all the work that is shown in the pictures done for less then $1,000. For anyone that has tried to remove Diamond Shield this will probably be viewed as a bargain. Hope this helps others who are having the same issues.

[redleger]

Very nice thanks for sharing

[G6driver]

Wow!!! Looks amazing, what a great idea.

[marjoa]

Originally Posted by gmarsha2

Like many other RV'ers, I have had issues with Diamond Shield on the front of my coach as well paint blistering on the top edges due to sun etc.. I decided to try Automotive Vehicle Wrap as a solution. I did not remove the remaining Diamond Shield but had the wrap applied over the remaining area that I had not removed. As for the top radius of the coach, I sanded the complete area making sure that all the blistered areas were removed. In my case it was impossible to get a paint match with the wraps that are available so I opted to select a color that was complimentary to the rest of the coach. I am posting a couple of pictures showing the before and after results of using Vehicle Wrap. I had all the work that is shown in the pictures done for less then $1,000. For anyone that has tried to remove Diamond Shield this will probably be viewed as a bargain. Hope this helps others who are having the same issues.

Could you please elaborate a little more on the Automotive Vehicle Wrap. There are tons of different wrap materials and thicknesses out there. Could you list the brand, thickness you used etc. How is it applied? Who did this for you? You mentioned that you "did not remove the remaining Diamond Shield" on the front but you did sand on the top. Did you do any prep at all on the front?

Looks great BTW...

[chuckster52]

Originally Posted by gmarsha2

Like many other RV'ers, I have had issues with Diamond Shield on the front of my coach as well paint blistering on the top edges due to sun etc.. I decided to try Automotive Vehicle Wrap as a solution. I did not remove the remaining Diamond Shield but had the wrap applied over the remaining area that I had not removed. As for the top radius of the coach, I sanded the complete area making sure that all the blistered areas were removed. In my case it was impossible to get a paint match with the wraps that are available so I opted to select a color that was complimentary to the rest of the coach. I am posting a couple of pictures showing the before and after results of using Vehicle Wrap. I had all the work that is shown in the pictures done for less then $1,000. For anyone that has tried to remove Diamond Shield this will probably be viewed as a bargain. Hope this helps others who are having the same issues.

have to agree with you,that Diamond Shield sure is garbage!!!..Chuck

[gmarsha2]

Martin & Joanie.....to answer your questions, I had the work done by a local company called "AutoTrim of Barrie" and they have a web site which is - autotrimbarrie.ca. You can see from the address that it is in Canada but I am sure that there similar businesses elsewhere. I am not sure of the brand of the product but the thickness is 1 mil. As for application it is very similar to hanging wallpaper......meaning you remove the backing and then smooth out the wrinkles with a plastic type scrapper. The only preparation that I did for the front was a good washing and made sure there were no bug splatters etc. Hope this helps and thanks for the compliments.

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by gmarsha2

Like many other RV'ers, I have had issues with Diamond Shield on the front of my coach as well paint blistering on the top edges due to sun etc.. I decided to try Automotive Vehicle Wrap as a solution. I did not remove the remaining Diamond Shield but had the wrap applied over the remaining area that I had not removed. As for the top radius of the coach, I sanded the complete area making sure that all the blistered areas were removed. In my case it was impossible to get a paint match with the wraps that are available so I opted to select a color that was complimentary to the rest of the coach. I am posting a couple of pictures showing the before and after results of using Vehicle Wrap. I had all the work that is shown in the pictures done for less then $1,000. For anyone that has tried to remove Diamond Shield this will probably be viewed as a bargain. Hope this helps others who are having the same issues.

Just watched a couple videos on the subject a couple days ago - Nice Job - do you think we could get a few close ups of the work done?

In my case I was going to sand the tops to get it Smooth and have a solid base. Then prime, and sand to make it smooth (Roof) then use strips to finish.

Mine would be a DIY, as I've done similar before.

Biggest issue is finding the right colors.

What product did you use?

The more specific you are the more info we can all get from your experience.

Thanks for Sharing,

[kwittintime]

Fantastic idea!!

[gmarsha2]

Busskipper....Here are more details as to what and how my RV was done. Starting with the sanding I use a powered finishing sander with 150 grit sandpaper. I removed all blistered material and lightly went over the rest of the painted area to remove the sheen. I did not apply anything else to the finish other then making sure it was clean. The installer then wiped area to be covered with Isopropyl Alcohol (99% solution) before applying the vehicle wrap. The vinyl wrap products that I had available to me were either 3M or Avery. The product selection ultimately came down to colors that were available and 3M had the best match for our application. Like wallpaper there is a tendency to have some small bubbles which are supposed to disappear once the surface has been exposed to sun and shrinks. After a couple of days this appeared to be happening. I have not been back to the coach so will know better next time as to how this working. I am going to attach a couple of more pictures giving it a different view. Hope this helps

[luvlabs]

Most of the bad "Diamond Shield" is, in fact, a 3M protective film and not Diamond Shield. It's kind of like calling all face tissues Kleenex. We all do it, but it makes people think that Diamond Shield is a bad product. It isn't.

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by gmarsha2

Busskipper....Here are more details as to what and how my RV was done. Starting with the sanding I use a powered finishing sander with 150 grit sandpaper. I removed all blistered material and lightly went over the rest of the painted area to remove the sheen. I did not apply anything else to the finish other then making sure it was clean. The installer then wiped area to be covered with Isopropyl Alcohol (99% solution) before applying the vehicle wrap. The vinyl wrap products that I had available to me were either 3M or Avery. The product selection ultimately came down to colors that were available and 3M had the best match for our application. Like wallpaper there is a tendency to have some small bubbles which are supposed to disappear once the surface has been exposed to sun and shrinks. After a couple of days this appeared to be happening. I have not been back to the coach so will know better next time as to how this working. I am going to attach a couple of more pictures giving it a different view. Hope this helps

Like the Look - Will be an Interesting project,

Thanks for Sharing,

[chuckster52]

Originally Posted by luvlabs

Most of the bad "Diamond Shield" is, in fact, a 3M protective film and not Diamond Shield. It's kind of like calling all face tissues Kleenex. We all do it, but it makes people think that Diamond Shield is a bad product. It isn't.

The covering on the front of my three were "Diamond Shield" as they had the "Diamond Shield" Logo on them and the others that I've seen also had the same "Diamond Shield" Logo and were garbage....in MHO...Chuck

[harleyjt]

Originally Posted by chuckster52

The covering on the front of my three were "Diamond Shield" as they had the "Diamond Shield" Logo on them and the others that I've seen also had the same "Diamond Shield" Logo and were garbage....in MHO...Chuck

Same here. Mine was trash after 10 years. I had it removed and replaced. It wasn't cheap.
jt

[Spk64]

Mine says diamond shield and has failed. Been slowly removing it.