Painting interior fiberglass closet,benches etc. - Fiberglass RV
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Old 04-13-2009, 10:56 PM   #1
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Trailer: 1977 Boler
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I am sure it has been covered numerous times but having no luck with the search function...what is the best paint to cover the closet, benches front and rear and cupboards etc for the wear and tear they will see? Trying to get it ready for the "Fort"
Thanks
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Old 04-13-2009, 11:31 PM   #2
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First of all, the initial gelcoat from the mold is generally pretty tough. But if you need/want to paint for some reason: For a job I would be happy with, I'd want to use something like a sprayed-on (or rolled and tipped) two-part linear polyurethane. They're very hard and durable and shiny paints. You do have to wear a supplied-air respirator when spraying them, but for roll and tip you can use a good quality cartridge respirator (they are quite useful for many projects around home and trailer anyway).

There are one part paints (which may be polyurethane but are not the same as a two-part LPU). These are a bit less expensive and less challenging to put on, but on the negative side, they are not as durable and the shine doesn't last nearly as long.

Prep, however, is the same amount of work for each one...

And the prep is the key to a good finish.

For those units, I might want to remove them and take them out into the shop to paint (then you can re-seal your rivets, or perhaps eliminate some), especially if you are spraying.

Really, I always tell myself that painting is days and days of prep, and side jobs that the prep suddenly alllows (i.e. rivets, painting behind flanges, running wires while they're out...), followed by days more preparation and a hundred trips to the catalog or Internet or store, followed by a bit of last-minute prep, followed by -- incidentally -- a bit of painting.
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Old 04-14-2009, 05:44 AM   #3
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I am sure it has been covered numerous times but having no luck with the search function...what is the best paint to cover the closet, benches front and rear and cupboards etc for the wear and tear they will see? Trying to get it ready for the "Fort"
Thanks
You'll be seeing a trailer that was painted ... check with Doug Mager... it's his and he's happy with the results.
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Old 04-14-2009, 07:02 AM   #4
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For a DYI job that looks very good and lasts use Oil based melamine paint and a small foam roller with a foam brush for the hard to reach spots. I did ours about six or seven years ago now and it still looks brand new. Washes well and any marks come off with a Mr. Clean magic eraser. Sand lighly first and no primer necessary.
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Old 04-14-2009, 08:59 AM   #5
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Yes Roger, I concour with the above posts BUT I do have one disclaimer.
You ARE painting a hard surface which has a permanant color IN it.

I have yet to discover a paint that will withstand (scratch free) the rigors of normal (camping) use. One thing about this painted idea is that it can ALWAYS be touched up.

If you care about the newly painted surface(s) you still need to be very CAUTIOUS about where you place things (or move them) in and around the painted surfaces.

To sum up, I wish that when these older trailers were made, the designers would have just used a nice white finish inside as is used in trailers built nowadays. You'll be able to compare the differences at the meet. Whatever you DO, be sure to use the FOAM roller and (disposable) foam brushes. I neglected to do this and now my walls have a 'textured look' to them. It still looks awwwwhite (LOL!) but it was NOT the result I was going for.

Look closely at the appended pic and you might see the 'textured' wall I ended up with!!
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Old 04-14-2009, 09:15 AM   #6
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I have yet to discover a paint that will withstand (scratch free) the rigors of normal (camping) use. One thing about this painted idea is that it can ALWAYS be touched up.

If you care about the newly painted surface(s) you still need to be very CAUTIOUS about where you place things (or move them) in and around the painted surfaces.
It is this reason we have not painted the inside fiberglass, we never have to worry about being cautious, and no matter what we have done to it, we can easily clean it up.

Fortunately/Unfortunately, the prior owner painted the outside, looks good, but I am forever touching up chips and scratches, and still have not found a white paint to match correctly.
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Old 04-14-2009, 07:12 PM   #7
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i would have to agree with the melamine paint. I painted the inside of mine over the winter and have had very good luck with the melamine paint. I had painted the lowest parts of the front bench seats in my boler before i did my renovations to see if i like the colour that i had chosen, and throughout my renos i was concerned that with all the work going on inside, i would have to re-paint later (i ended up liking the colour), but it seems that the melamine paint is amazingly tough. I also painted my "kitchen" table and cupboard doors with it and it seems to also be holding up extremely well. I would definitely use the melamine again as it would be less work than removing all the parts and spraying them (the stuff i painted isn't removable anyways!!!).

Like the previous poster has said, make sure to use a small foam roller for the best results. I would also recommend using a different roller for every coat to get the best finish (made that mistake and had to sand my brains out).

Benjamin Moore seemed to have the best selection of colours (they can't really tint the melamine without compromising its strength). And I found the coverage was quite good, might take a couple coats but it is very worthwhile.

here are some pictures i took when renovating:

Things i painted with melamine paint, the walls, cupboards, "base boards", the kitchen cabinets (the fiberglass), kitchen table and dinette table.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=8655...mp;l=a7e6735c50
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=7236...mp;l=1c9bf79aa3

I hope that helps!
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Old 04-14-2009, 11:33 PM   #8
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If you use the right paint it will stand up. I used a proper HVLP spray gun with an automotive based primer and Acrylic enamel paint (all automotive stuff)....Its very durable and will not scratch...only scuff at most.....The proper paints use a hardner that you cannot use in any roll on or spray paint type paints.

The stuff stinks and is nasty stuff to work with but the results are untouchable.

Fiberglass can easily be painted with the right tools and products....look at Corvettes for the past 50 years
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Old 03-04-2015, 02:25 PM   #9
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Did you use the same paint on your cupboards Steveo R?
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Old 03-04-2015, 03:05 PM   #10
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Alisha, This post is 6 years old.

From Steveo R's public profile: Last Activity: 05-20-2009
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Old 03-04-2015, 04:47 PM   #11
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I thought maybe he was still around, on here
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Old 03-04-2015, 05:25 PM   #12
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Name: Alisha
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Any chance you have an answer to what paint can be used on the cabinets...heh heh. I find the search on here is a little hard to get super specific. on the phone app it seems a little better for whatever reason, maybe I will check there
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Old 03-04-2015, 06:11 PM   #13
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Fibreglass can be painted with almost anything. Surface prep is very important. Fill any chips with something like bondo. Then sand smooth with a 100 grit paper. Then sand the whole trailer with a 400 to 600 grit before painting.

I have a trailer that was painted with interior latex on the inside and outside. It didn't weather very well. Search "Role and tip". This will get you lots of hints on painting fibreglass.
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Old 03-05-2015, 09:01 AM   #14
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"Roll & tip" or "roll and tip" will probably result in more relevant results. (Those darn homophones!)
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Old 03-05-2015, 02:46 PM   #15
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Sorry I meant the cupboard cabinet doors. Although I definitely intend to paint everything so thank you for that
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