Exterior sanding/prep advice - Surfside 78 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-24-2014, 01:30 PM   #1
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Exterior sanding/prep advice - Surfside 78

Hello again!

It's finally warm enough here in Calgary to get started on my Surfside renovation project. Have had lot's of great input regarding the interior walls, ie Ensolite alternatives, but I'm going to start tomorrow with getting the whole thing ready for paint. We're looking at painting it a vintage style, navy blue bottom, off white top with lots of chrome to make it pop!

At this point our new surfside is an empty shell, and I purchased it this way, and we're looking to do some great/fun things with it.

My question is: How far do I need to go down with sanding the original gelcoat before applying a new paint? I plan to start with an 60 grit and work my way up to a 260 grit before priming, etc.. I have an oribital sander so any advice or links to any great info on this is always appreciated!

Thanks and I'll be posting some pics tomorrow to let you see what she looks like at this point.
Chuck
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Old 05-24-2014, 01:35 PM   #2
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Exterior sanding/prep advice - Surfside 78

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This is the day I brought her home from BC...
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Old 05-24-2014, 04:26 PM   #3
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60 grit is way to much except for repairing damage. I would wash/rinse with dawn dish soap TWICE...do repairs, sand with 320 all over...wash/rinse with dawn dish soap TWICE, then go with your spot prime and what ever your paint system calls for....Dave
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Old 05-24-2014, 04:44 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by D White View Post
60 grit is way to much except for repairing damage. I would wash/rinse with dawn dish soap TWICE...do repairs, sand with 320 all over...wash/rinse with dawn dish soap TWICE, then go with your spot prime and what ever your paint system calls for....Dave

So you're saying I don't have to completely take off the gelcoat? ....cool!
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Old 06-13-2014, 07:02 PM   #5
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15 hours of sanding later...

15 hours of sanding later, we're ready to start fiberglass repairs! Hopefully putting on the primer in 4 days!
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Old 06-24-2014, 06:59 AM   #6
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Finished the exterior paint job...

So I ended up taking most of the top coat off the whole trailer, started with an 80 grit, and finished with a 120. Primer went on amazing as well as the final 2-3 coats. I ended up using the 'system 3' gel coat paint system. I did the whole paint job with a spray gun and it worked out well. Next, windows are installed and we start with the interior... pics to follow as always
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Old 06-24-2014, 08:44 AM   #7
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Looks Great!! Not many go with the Gel coat option, should be stronger and more durable than paint.
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Old 07-01-2014, 12:41 PM   #8
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Chuck....did you use interlux topside paint? What color did you choose. It looks great!



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Old 07-01-2014, 12:44 PM   #9
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Chuck, GREAT JOB!!!! You will enjoy using your camper!!!
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Old 07-01-2014, 09:43 PM   #10
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Chuck....did you use interlux topside paint? What color did you choose. It looks great!



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Hey thanks for the compliment! I originally was going to use the interlux but ended up using the 'system 3' paint as it had lower VOC's , etc... and actually it worked out really well. I guess time will tell how it holds up but at this point the shell is as hard as a rock.

WR-LPU Topcoat - System Three Resins, Inc.

I used 'lopez blue' and 'orca white'.
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Old 07-01-2014, 09:45 PM   #11
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Chuck, GREAT JOB!!!! You will enjoy using your camper!!!

Thanks very much!!! It's been a lot of work up til this point but looking forward to getting on the interior in the coming weeks! Thanks again!
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Old 03-04-2015, 10:23 AM   #12
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Ok- been out of the restoration game for over 5 months(new baby on the way), but I'm back. Managed to get all the framing done and now moving on to paneling this last weekend....progress pics will continue...Click image for larger version

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Old 03-04-2015, 10:41 AM   #13
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Your project is shaping up real nice. Looks like a labor of love. I'm looking forward to seeing the finishing touches.
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Old 03-04-2015, 12:18 PM   #14
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Wow that is really nice. Reminds me of the build photos of my Escape. You're doing quality work. I really like the finish grade plywood for the cabinet sides.
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Old 03-06-2015, 11:29 AM   #15
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Thanks guys! Definitely a HUGE labor of love. Still have so much more to do and I think I might be taking way too much time with it but I can finally see the finish line. Lots of advice and help from these forums contributed greatly!!


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Old 04-10-2015, 08:34 AM   #16
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...started the kitchen area last weekend. Hope to have all the wood work finished this weekend.


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Old 04-10-2015, 08:38 AM   #17
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....and a shot of the ceiling in process I attached a few weeks back.


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Old 04-10-2015, 09:25 AM   #18
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Looks real good and well thought out. How was the smell of that paint while it was curing? How long did it take to set-up?
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Old 04-10-2015, 10:05 AM   #19
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Looks real good and well thought out. How was the smell of that paint while it was curing? How long did it take to set-up?

Are you referring to the interior paint? If so, it was a acrylic latex bathroom paint I put on with a gun. Only smelled for a couple of days. I'm going to be staining and varnishing the interior in a few weeks and I know that will smell for a while so the last things to go in will be the windows and door. I painted the interior in a few hours.... What took a while was putting in the reflectix and then the closed cell foam on top. Eeks!


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Old 04-10-2015, 10:56 AM   #20
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I was referring to the exterior polyurethane. I know while spraying these some of them are obnoxious until cured.
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