Painting my boler. - Fiberglass RV
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Old 09-18-2017, 08:48 PM   #1
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Name: mensie
Trailer: Boler
Alberta
Posts: 100
Painting my boler.

My boler is going to need a paint job I want the whole thing done , it is completely gutted, and windows removed. What would you do get it painted,take it to a body shop, or do it yourself, if doing it yourself what is all involved? I am pretty handy but never done paintjobs besides painting walls in the house.
Like to hear from some of you that have done this.
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Old 09-19-2017, 12:57 AM   #2
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Name: Patricia
Trailer: 1975 Ventura
Ontario
Posts: 353
This thread might help you. Kai has good advice on painting the exterior:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...eam-79034.html
You can find more by searching the forum. Choose the search function and go down to Google search then use keywords like paint to find more results.
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Old 09-19-2017, 08:27 AM   #3
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Name: Ken
Trailer: Acorn 13
Maryland
Posts: 42
Painting

It really is not rocket science . Clean the surface - use a cleanser like comet plus a good detergent ... wash it at least 3x times ,, you can do that . Then fill the imperfections with a auto body filler - like bondo which you can buy at Walmart you can do that , Then after removing whatever fittings you want , sand ( do not go to fine ) nothing finer than 220 grit (in order to give the new paint some "tooth " - you can do that. Then wipe it down with a good cleaner like Algrip Cleaner ,,, at least 2x - you can do that .. Then decide on a paint system --- I like Sherman Williams Marine Industrial Polyurethane ( I think it is impossible to " run that paint -- you can do that ... pick a color .. you can do that ,,,, Then buy a small airspray gun ,,, I like the pint size for ease of handling ... you may want larger ,,, you can do that ,,,, beg buy rent or purchase a decent quality air sprayer ,,, Harbor freights best is fine -- you can do that .... decide if you need a primer -- some say yes - some say no .... mix up a small batch of paint and paint something ,,, like a piece of board or sheetrock or anything you like ... practice for a day or two - you can do that .
Then pick a food day to mask off the window frames etc and start spraying -- use light coats ,, say 3 or 4 of them -- you can do that .. You will be surprised at how fast it goes ..... Make the unfamiliar / familiar and then it will be comfortable -- you can do that --- or go to you local auto paint shop
with your check book -- and a couple of aspirin .... Best Ken
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Old 09-19-2017, 09:42 AM   #4
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Trailer: Uhaul
California
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Great plan. I had my U-haul and Escape painted by a RV repair shop. Costs ran 2K to 2.5K. A paint shop might do it for less. Please post new color when it's done.
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Old 09-19-2017, 09:47 AM   #5
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Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
Trailer: Amerigo FG-16 1973 "Peanut"
Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area, Washington
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Thanks, Patricia D! I re-read what I wrote there, and have added a bit here. Our paint job so far is holding up well. A few rock chips on the front, but only rubber paint would have helped with that.



Hi, Mensie,

Bondo is OK but "Bondo HAIR" is for fiberglass. If you fill imperfections with plain Bondo you may find it popping out later on, even if you paint over it. So use Bondo HAIR. It has tiny strands of fiberglass in it and is stronger and more tenacious. If I had a fiberglass body CAR I'd use Bondo HAIR to fill dings and chips. We used Bondo Hair on Peanut and haven't lost a bit of it. Nice and solid.

Be sure to sand first; yes, you can use a coarser grit originally, and to clean out small dings and chips--you can use a little Dremmel and try to slightly undercut so the chip is bigger underneath than at the surface. That really helps your Bondo Hair stay in place.

We rolled ours with a foam hot dog roller--Paul rolled it thoroughly and got all the little bubbles popped with the roller--and then it self-levelled as it dried. It's nice paint. We didn't spray.

We took the windows OUT first--that's the preferred way--but you can mask around them (and over them if you're spraying). Mask very carefully, meticulously.

For finish work, after you get the first primer coat on (and I agree and recommend marine enamels--Brightside is one of the really good and recommended ones, but is pricier and less easily available than Rustoleum Marine enamels--then you use increasingly fine sandpaper so you still have a nearly microscopic "tooth" on the surface but an easier and easier time of getting the final surface smooth. Haven't used Sherwin Williams Marine Polyurethane yet, but it's no doubt a good paint, too. If you buy your marine paint by the quart, get 3-4 to start with and you can return what you haven't opened or keep it for touching up later. Rustoleum was about $23 a quart around here--I believe we used 2 quarts of primer and about the same of topside (top coat--finish--main paint).

After you use Bondo Hair or any fiberglass patching, you should wash the set-up and cooled area (fiberglass heats up as it cures) with plain soap and water (you can use dish detergent but not dishwasher detergent, though we never tried that), rinse very well, and then wipe it down well with acetate. You can get acetate at almost any hardware or auto parts store. It's also in fingernail polish remover--along with scents and color and emollients. You don't need those.

Use rags and throw away the dirty ones. You don't want any dirt or dust in this project. You already know that, though!

Let it dry very well before proceeding.

The soap helps neutralize the chemical surface of the Bondo or fiberglass (far better explanations are available) making it less likely to reject the paint. Otherwise you can get a "hard" or "hot" spot that will cause the paint to pull away from that area. You don't want that.

Ken's method isn't essentially different, and I agree with him about some practice time if you're not used to this sort of thing You might even try practicing with the Bondo Hair to fill some cracks/dings in something and then paint that. Paul (the ball and chain) practiced on our old lawnmower deck--which had rusted through. He did it, a little lumpy, painted it with leftover primer and red enamel and it's really quite good. He got better as he went along.

Wishing you the fun and satisfaction that comes with fixing up your trailer--
And then, HAPPY TRAILS.

BEST,
Kai

I see this isn't such a "summary update" after all.
But it's a subject near and dear to my heart.
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Old 09-19-2017, 11:20 AM   #6
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Name: Mike
Trailer: Bigfoot
Alberta
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paint

You have to ask yourself ? would i want the body shop to house paint or boat paint on my classic trailer /or car ? How many cars do you see at show and shines with brushed on or rolered on house paint .When we see this in an insurance claim. we de valued it 30% somthing to think about.
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Old 09-19-2017, 11:44 AM   #7
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Name: Kelly
Trailer: Trails West
Oregon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mensie View Post
My boler is going to need a paint job I want the whole thing done , it is completely gutted, and windows removed. What would you do get it painted,take it to a body shop, or do it yourself, if doing it yourself what is all involved? I am pretty handy but never done paintjobs besides painting walls in the house.
Like to hear from some of you that have done this.
Circumstances of weather and a dependency of sometimes needing a helper for certain jobs dictate what our best choice for getting a paint job accomplished is going to be.

Practical matters:
Sounds to me like you will have to take it to a place to have it done where they can do it inside in a warm and dry place unless you have such a place to work in.

It is already into the season where condensation from the dew point has messed up the possibility of painting the trailer outside at your location or even inside in an unheated space. You can't have the morning dew of the day after get onto a paint job you did the day before. The condensation that can happen at the dew point temperature at certain humidity levels which could then occur on the exterior surface of your trailer would ruin the paint job. Areas where there is morning or evening fog during the fall will also mean you can't do the job out of doors.

So you are in a situation where you now can't just take general advice, you need to get location specific for your personal location in terms of weather for what you can and can't do at this time of year.
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Old 09-20-2017, 12:04 PM   #8
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Trail Cruiser
Alberta
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It will depend entirely on what you want your final outcome to be and what you will be satisfied with. You can paint with a roller but it will be obvious that you did so. Preparation is 90% of the success of your paint job. If you haven't done this before, it will be a learning experience. Your next job will be better. Do you want to learn from this experience or do you want a good paint job now.
There are some prep things you can do. This will reduce costs. Some things, like final sanding and spraying, are better left to someone more experienced. Visit the shops in your area and see if you can set something up.
If you spend a lot of money (and time) trying to do this yourself and it doesn't turn out well you either have to live with it or start over. Working with a professional is often cheaper and much less frustrating than trying to do it yourself the first time around.
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Old 09-20-2017, 12:36 PM   #9
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Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
Trailer: Amerigo FG-16 1973 "Peanut"
Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area, Washington
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It's your trailer.

We're pleased with Peanut. We saved about $2300 by doing it ourselves. <$200 vs $2500 for that shiny pro brown job, which had serious flaws.

I didn't want to pay big for paint that eventually would be scratched by trees and chipped by rocks, and we wanted to do it ourselves.

Paul did all the work in our Seattle area driveway over the winter of 2015-2016. There were days it was too cold, but no days it was too wet. The tarp did the job and the marine enamel dried beautifully.

BUT

YMMV: your mileage may vary.

It's your trailer.

PREP is all-important no matter who does the painting.

YouTube videos, more threads on FGRV, and Bob Miller's threads about Marine paint are all worth your time.

Good renovating and happy trails.

BEST
Kai
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Peanut 10 2015 to 6 2016 044.jpg   Peanut 10 2015 to 6 2016 038.JPG  

Peanut 10 2015 to 6 2016 056.JPG  
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Old 09-20-2017, 08:22 PM   #10
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Trail Cruiser
Alberta
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Very nice job!
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