Removing paint from fiberglass

[Angelo F.]

So it seems one of the previous owners of my trailer thought it would be a great idea to paint over the shiny fiberglass on the interior cabinets with white latex paint. It scrapes off moderately easily, but some spots are tougher than others and I still have a lot left to do. Is there anything out there that I could use to remove it easily without damaging the finish of the glass underneath? My fingernails are getting pretty sore!!

[Janine]

So it seems one of the previous owners of my trailer thought it would be a great idea to paint over the shiny fiberglass on the interior cabinets with white latex paint. It scrapes off moderately easily, but some spots are tougher than others and I still have a lot left to do. Is there anything out there that I could use to remove it easily without damaging the finish of the glass underneath? My fingernails are getting pretty sore!!

I'd test spot in a hidden area some forms of paint removal, heat'd probably damage, if all methods damage, you're stuck with scraping with plastic spatula or sanding, if that's insufficient I'd sand off the loose paint and repaint with PLASTIC spray paint as it sticks well to fiberglass plus other paints.

[MikeyC]

So it seems one of the previous owners of my trailer thought it would be a great idea to paint over the shiny fiberglass on the interior cabinets with white latex paint. It scrapes off moderately easily, but some spots are tougher than others and I still have a lot left to do. Is there anything out there that I could use to remove it easily without damaging the finish of the glass underneath? My fingernails are getting pretty sore!!

I am in the same boat,I just tried a chemical stripper on a spot that wouldnt show and it melted the glass.I am going to sand and prime and paint with Brightsides.

Mike

[Mike Watters]

The entire exterior of the Boler I had was painted with latex when I bought it. I used a razor blade scraper. I knew I would be repainting so I wasn't worried about the occasional scrape or small gouge.

The interior cabinets were pretty badly beat up when I bought it too. The bad spots were filled (mostly with gel coat repair material actually). After I painted though, they actually looked pretty good.

I've never tried the plastic paint on fiberglass. I used it for my son's halloween costume a few years ago though and was very impressed. It's VERY flexible without cracking or flaking, but seemed to scratch easily (some parts of the costume rubbed together during use).

Mike

[Bill MacDermod]

If the surface under the latex is not lacquer I'd try lacquer thinner as it won't hurt gel coat. I ran over some paint that had spilled from a truck in front of me and between goo gone and lacquer thinner it all came off rather easily on both truck and trailer

[Jennie W]

I'm about to buy a 1994 Casita SD whose previous owner was a hunter, and spray painted it with camouflage spray paint!!! Yikes. Please tell me there is a way to remove it?? It's a good deal, and most importantly, I'll be able to afford it along with all the solar upgrades, batteries, LED lights, and other tech stuff I plan to add. Along with ripping out the dirty carpet and painting cabinets, re-upholstery. Any suggestions? I'm going to DIY because I need to save money.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Jennie W

I'm about to buy a 1994 Casita SD whose previous owner was a hunter, and spray painted it with camouflage spray paint!!! Yikes. Please tell me there is a way to remove it?? It's a good deal, and most importantly, I'll be able to afford it along with all the solar upgrades, batteries, LED lights, and other tech stuff I plan to add. Along with ripping out the dirty carpet and painting cabinets, re-upholstery. Any suggestions? I'm going to DIY because I need to save money.

Of course we don't know the type of paint or whether it is properly applied, but if you find it difficult to remove, you might cosider a good scrubbing followed by a sanding using Scotchbrite instead of sandpaper then try this paint in semigloss...
Zinsser PERMA-WHITE Mold & Mildew-Proof Exterior Paint

All of this assumes a budget and no trip to a paint shop.
Use microrollers for a sprayed look.

[Jennie W]

So I should use Scotchbrite for both the scrubbing and the sanding? I have no clue what I'm doing, never owned one of these before nor have I ever removed the paint from anything.

I read online about some type of chemical that might remove the paint? Seems like it would be easier...

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Jennie W

So I should use Scotchbrite for both the scrubbing and the sanding? I have no clue what I'm doing, never owned one of these before nor have I ever removed the paint from anything.

I read online about some type of chemical that might remove the paint? Seems like it would be easier...

I have used chemical strippers before on steel and they work fine but someone else here might know what the effect is on gelcoat. Also I suppose you would need to know the type of paint. MikeyC's experience may prove valuable.
Scotchbrite comes in different colors depending on harshness.Also the harshness is mitigated with the use of soapy water. It is very effective on old fiberglass trailers without harming the gelcoat.
Without soapy water it scuffs the surface much quicker to prep for paint.
The purple sheets work great for me.
Don't be too concerned, It is not as daunting as it seems, and you've got a bunch of people here who have been down this road and are anxious to help where they can.
Good pictures would help a lot!
If it is latex paint, I know a lady who used powdered laundry detergent mixed with water to form a paste,brushed it on and kept it damp overnight to strip wood furniture. Can't say if it would work in this case.

[melissab]

If this is the Casita the OP is referring to he states in his description "Easy to paint over, the paint is from walmart spraycans, I did not use primer".

1994 casita camper used for hunting, no leaks solid : eBay Motors (item 320586535898 end time Sep-12-10 21:43:17 PDT)

[Jennie W]

Yes, Melissa. That's it. I'll be going down to look at it this week.

[Jennie W]

Thanks Floyd. I'll definitely get the purple Scotchbrite ones then, and use soapy water. That sounds like a common sense, good approach. It just may take me a week!

[melissab]

LOL, figured that had to be the one. How many camo Casita's can there be?? I saw it on ebay this morning and thought Oh My, I wonder if that can be removed? Hopefully with the group knowing exactly what kind of paint was used and no primer maybe they can give additional suggestions for removal. The more info the better. Good luck and be sure and post pix once it's yours. We need "before" and "after" pix for sure!

[Jennie W]

Ha ha! I know. I was pretty much horrified to see the photos. I am from AL and it's in MS, so I wasn't surprised to see it camo-fied! With all the hunters around here. LOL. But, it was really disgusting at the same time. But, for that price...I'm willing to use some elbow grease. This price is going to allow me to get all the solar panels, tri-fuel honda generator, new fridge, battery monitor, and all the internet connectivity geek-ware that I'll need to make a living on my laptop while I'm out there cruising around in the desert!