Paint the sides of a class C

[kwftlaud]

Hello

I am in the process of fixing a 2001 Four Winds 23A E350 RV.

The sides were covered in various decals and even latex paint.
I have them all off but there is lots of discoloration where the decals were.

Has anyone here painted their class C?
I[m wondering how I would find the proper paint and color to paint it?
I'd be happy with any white that would be close.

Also, if you did paint one, did you use a primer first, and if you did, what kind of primer?

THanks so much
Kip

[Bnystrom]

Originally Posted by kwftlaud

Hello

I am in the process of fixing a 2001 Four Winds 23A E350 RV.

The sides were covered in various decals and even latex paint.
I have them all off but there is lots of discoloration where the decals were.

Has anyone here painted their class C?
I[m wondering how I would find the proper paint and color to paint it?
I'd be happy with any white that would be close.

Also, if you did paint one, did you use a primer first, and if you did, what kind of primer?
Kip

If you want a durable finish, you really need to be using automotive-grade finishing products. Unless you have a paint booth big enough for your RV, the necessary equipment, and the knowledge to use it, you're not likely to get great results. You may end up with something that looks worse than when you started and degrades rapidly. You're probably best off having in professionally painted.

[d23haynes57]

Will quickly cost more than the RV is worth. Really want to make it nice go the Marine Fiberglass refinishing route.

[kwftlaud]

I painted my Rialta in my driveway and got great results. That was an aluminum body thou.
I've never painted fiberglass thou.

I apricate the comments but I am going to paint it myself, in the driveway.
No matter what I do it can't look worse.
I'm just looking for anyone that has done it themselves and what paint and primer they used.

Thanks
Kip

[SafariBen]

Are you going for a factory looking gloss, or anything better than a roller? I'd check out industrial DTM acrylic enamels with an airless sprayer, but I'm not a paint job kind of guy. Otherwise I'd be buffing it.

[ride98red]

youtube has everything you need

https://youtu.be/n6V7of-JrFA?si=4JWun1-5dji4-OEV

[RickNC]

Originally Posted by kwftlaud

I painted my Rialta in my driveway and got great results. That was an aluminum body thou.
I've never painted fiberglass thou.

I apricate the comments but I am going to paint it myself, in the driveway.
No matter what I do it can't look worse.
I'm just looking for anyone that has done it themselves and what paint and primer they used.

Thanks
Kip

I painted and clearcoated the previous 23’ class a motorhome I had. I didn’t repaint the entire motorhome. Just the front cap and several cargo doors that had faded and no longer matched the main body. All my paints and clears came from Eastwood.com
I used a primer,a base and 2 part clear for the paint work. On the main body I wet sanded with 800g and clearcoated over it.
The biggest issue with painting something as large as a motorhome is you have a short time window between base and cleacoats, wait too long and you can get adhesion problems.
On the clearcoat I used a slow hardener so I had enough time to get a full wet coat on a side before drying.
Your paint color should be the same as the truck. Which should be on a sticker on the B pillar inside the door. If not it might be searchable by VIN.

[Gooma]

Lots of videos on You Tube using rollers, spray cans, and even brushes. They are all probably a 15 foot paint job. Looks good from 15 feet away.
Proper prep and a good sprayer on a calm day will give the best results.

[AlanTerry]

Look at Boating and Sailboat YouTube videos that deal with fiberglass repair might give you some ideas and or inspiration.

[Ron Dittmer]

Hi Kip,

I imagine if you do a lot of surface preparation, removal of all decals & clear film, power wash every nook and cranny, wet sand, wipe clean all plastic and rubber with laquer thinner, then take the rig to an auto paint shop for final prep and paint, the cost would be fairly affordable, and the finish would last longer.

If your van/cab is not rusting, you could restore its finish by yourself at home and have the house painted to match it. When done, your rig won't look fancy, just new and clean and easy to keep it so.

Of course the color "white" would resist fading the most, and will also be the coolest color from the heat of the sun.

It starts by calling your area auto restoration shops, providing the dimensions of your rig. If they don't work on such large vehicles, ask for a few recommendations. You might be surprised how affordable it is, especially if you do some of the grunt prep work yourself of which it sounds like you are already in-process.

As Gooma stated, painting the house with a paint roller should not be ruled out. The finish resembles a refrigerator which might actually be very nice on the exterior walls of a motorhome. A wavy wall will "pop" with a mirror finish, not nearly as much with a lightly textured finish. I have done this on repurposed steel kitchen cabinets that I hung in my work shop. They turned out beautifully and that was back in 1998. I recommend a good quality high gloss, oil base, enamel. A one gallon can of Rustoleum worked for me. My dirty greasy hands on those white cabinets, cleans off with ease without affecting the finish.

[Bill Gail]

Originally Posted by AlanTerry

Look at Boating and Sailboat YouTube videos that deal with fiberglass repair might give you some ideas and or inspiration.

The polyurethane paints designed for the marine industry will give you a professional finish , numerous shades of white and a wide assortment of colors are available .
It can be applied with a roller and a tipping brush or sprayed , in either case it will give you a sprayed finish look . The key is to go to YouTube videos for application tips .
There are 1 part or 2 part polyurethane paints from several manufacturers.
They require no clear topcoat, no waxing ever , high gloss and won't fade .
New boat high-end builders are no longer using gelcoat , they are using the polyurethane paints with great results .
I know several friends who painted their boats , one D.I.Y. with brush and roller , and two shop painted . All 3 look like new .

[Sweetbriar]

I had to do some fiberglass repairs this past summer after an unfortunate meeting with a concrete barrier plus repair some delamination. For paint I went the boating route with a marine-grade polyurethane topside paint. Applied with a roller and tipped with a high quality brush to limit the orange skin effect a roller will sometimes leave behind. I did a light sanding between the primer and the final coats to smooth each coating as much as possible. It's not a paint booth spray project quality but the end results were pretty good. Color matching 19 year old weather fiberglass might have been possible but my budget was pretty limited at the time. Used a lot of epoxy to waterproofing the wood and rebonding the sidewall back on the coach which ate into my repair budget.

Primer - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HS4YY7G...n_title_3&th=1
Paint - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HQP5CWS...d_asin_title_3

Lots a Youtube University videos of boat fiberglass restoration work using Total Boat products for prep and application of the paint.

[Ron Dittmer]

Originally Posted by Sweetbriar

I had to do some fiberglass repairs this past summer after an unfortunate meeting with a concrete barrier plus repair some delamination. For paint I went the boating route with a marine-grade polyurethane topside paint. Applied with a roller and tipped with a high quality brush to limit the orange skin effect a roller will sometimes leave behind. I did a light sanding between the primer and the final coats to smooth each coating as much as possible. It's not a paint booth spray project quality but the end results were pretty good. Color matching 19 year old weather fiberglass might have been possible but my budget was pretty limited at the time. Used a lot of epoxy to waterproofing the wood and rebonding the sidewall back on the coach which ate into my repair budget.

In your case with all the work done at and below the beltline, I wonder how the rig would have looked if you had painted the entire lower area on 3 sides, a matching maroon color.

Here is a rig with a dark colored beltline.

[Cajun 143]

At the end of the day, it's still fiberglas..I have painted many Corvettes over the years..Just prep it properly to re.ove all wax, sand we'll with 400 grit, seal with an epoxy primer, use a two stage base coat clearcoat automotive urethane. It will last for many many years. And the clearcoat will resist fading