Hey, Ronda -- so this is a "Help me!"--Ronda
post. 8)
YES, we have painted a
fiberglass trailer. Many on here have.
The color you describe that's there now certainly sounds like it's less than ideal.
There is a lot of prep work involved, but it's on a fairly small item and won't take forever.
Get yourself some fine-grit sandpaper. People like 600 - 1000 grit.
Consider if you want to pull the
windows (the proper way) or try to
paint around them. MASK carefully whatever you don't want painted. Blue or green masking tape will work well and pull off easily without leaving a sticky residue.
Use something like: MARINE ENAMEL. Use primer first, then the top coat. We used Rustoleum Marine Primer (white) and Rustoleum Marine Topcoat (white). Brightside Marine primer and enamel are probably a better
paint, but not as readily available for us locally. Durabak makes a lovely rubberized
paint in many colors including white, both a smooth and a textured finish--that literally repels most rocks and chips, and can easily be touched up for a nearly invisible retrouch after scratches etc. But the rubber paint (which would be super underneath!) is tricky to work with and has a very short shelf life (a month?) once opened so you cannot save leftovers for years.
Auto paint also works, and is shinier. You can brush, spray, or roll.
The "roll and tip" method* is "traditional" if you're not going to spray...but some here (including us) have found you can get a lovely finish by using a small, foam "hot dog" roller (covered end) and just rolling the bejello out of it until all the little surface bubbles have broken and the paint is settling into a self-levelling mode. It does work pretty well, these expensive marine enamels.
*Roll & Tip involves rolling the paint on, then going over that rolled paint at right angles with a dry brush to break all the little bubbles. It can work very well, but Paul (the other half) was unable to master or even appreciate the technique. Some swear by it. Others master the hot dog roller method and swear by that (that's us, among others). You can easily try it both ways. Whatever you use, you'll get better at it as you go along! Some swear by spraying. We didn't have the equipment and didn't want to get--or clean--any. YMMV (Your choice--Your Mileage May Vary).
Take your time. Sand carefully but not wildly--don't cut through to the bare
fiberglass if you don't have to. Wipe down well after sanding--you can use acetone or rubbing alcohol and let it dry well. No dust!
Apply a THIN coat of primer everywhere. When dry, sand with fine sandpaper again. Consider well if the primer has covered sufficiently.
If so, apply a THIN coat of your finish paint--marine enamel, auto enamel, rubber paint. (It is NOT traditional to use rubber paint on the sides and roof of a
fiberglass egg, but would be amazingly durable though quite expensive), or even gel coat. Then sand again very lightly, and reapply a 2nd coat of final paint.;
NOW you can decide if you want to wet sand the whole shebang--in which case you'll use a very, very fine grit and keep it wet. Sand cautiously but get it all and rinse well.
You should end up with a lovely job, and a feeling of complete exhaustion/satisfaction.
WE used Rustoleum marine primer and marine enamel, both white, sanded carefully between coats, used one coat primer, two coats finish paint (the actual "paint"), and did NOT wet-sand afterwards, as we liked the slightly muted sheen that I think of as a "boat shine."
We were going over a dark brown with gold fleck enamel; the gel coat is somewhere under there.
You can pay a pro (auto or boat) to paint your trailer...but it'll cost ya'!
You can pay to have these fiberglass trailers re-gel-coated, or do it yourself, but it's not quite what I consider to be "painting it" yourself.
Do NOT under ANY circumstances paint with some kind of house paint. That will not give you satisfactory results, and latex is a total mistake.
But you surely don't need to spend $1,000, $2,000, $6,000 for a "professional" job unless it is desperately important to you or you don't mind spending. The pros usually do a gorgeous job, but your paint job can look really good, too. And remember--it won't be pristine for long. The first rock chip, the first branch scratch, and there goes the perfection. (Hence the advantage of rubber paint...but once you've mastered the paint job, you can always retouch!).
Here are photos of before and after with our "Peanut" (one shell, two nuts)"
BEST
Kai