BigBeam
BC
New Member
Joined: 04/07/2023
View Profile
 Offline
|
I've been researching some of the marine paint removers that don't damage the gel coat but they all have caveats on what type of paint and I don't think the 89 year old couple who sold would know either...
Although paint remover is my last resort I'm starting to think this is the only direction I can go. Highly doubt 15k to paint one side but it is 2023 lol
|
Tom/Barb
Oak Harbor, Wa
Senior Member
Joined: 10/16/2009
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
|
I am a painter, normally once painted it must be sanded off. normally the gel-coat get sanded prior to paint is applied. this makes it near impossible to remove.
2000 Newmar mountain aire 4081 DP, ISC/350 Allison 6 speed, Wrangler JL toad.
|
JimK-NY
NY
Senior Member
Joined: 05/12/2010
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
B.O. Plenty wrote:Possible they used Zep floor wax to make it shine. In time rhat stuff flakes off. Before sanding it try washing with floor wax stripper. Might be all you need.
B.O.
I guess I need to watch my RV finish over the next few decades. I put Zep on my RV in 2013. Every year or so I apply another thin coat. So far, no yellowing, no flaking, no deterioration of any kind.
|
jjrbus
FT Myers FL
Senior Member
Joined: 07/19/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
BigBeam wrote:I've been researching some of the marine paint removers that don't damage the gel coat but they all have caveats on what type of paint and I don't think the 89 year old couple who sold would know either...
Although paint remover is my last resort I'm starting to think this is the only direction I can go. Highly doubt 15k to paint one side but it is 2023 lol
I am in FL in the area where hurricanes hit. I took my Roadtrek for a full paint estimate, $12,000-$15,000. I went for a 2nd estimate $8,000. I went inland a bit away from the hurricane damaged areas and high rent districts and revived a quote of $3500! I upgraded from the cheap economy paint to a quality base coat, high solids clear coat for $700 so total of $4200. I did not expect the amount of work this shop is putting into my paint job! So yes $15k for a side might me a tad on the high side LOL
I did read about a Corvette owner stripping his car with a razor blade and claimed it was not that hard. Corvettes are fiberglass so might want to check a corvette forum.
|
LouLawrence
Traveling the US fulltime since 2000.
Senior Member
Joined: 03/16/2021
View Profile
|
Sorry, I was referring to 15,000 to paint the entire coach. Can't imagine being happy with a shiny new paint job on one side but not the other.
|
|
|
Ed_Gee
Central Oregon coast
Senior Member
Joined: 01/14/2015
View Profile
Offline
|
A thought... if you become a snowbird and travel south, you might inquire about paint job for entire RV just across the Mexican border. I understand you can get excellent paint jobs for just a fraction of the cost in the U.S.
Ed - on the Central Oregon coast
2018 Winnebago Fuse 23A
Scion xA toad
|
Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
Senior Member
Joined: 05/06/2013
View Profile
Offline
|
jjrbus wrote:BigBeam wrote:I've been researching some of the marine paint removers that don't damage the gel coat but they all have caveats on what type of paint and I don't think the 89 year old couple who sold would know either...
Although paint remover is my last resort I'm starting to think this is the only direction I can go. Highly doubt 15k to paint one side but it is 2023 lol
I am in FL in the area where hurricanes hit. I took my Roadtrek for a full paint estimate, $12,000-$15,000. I went for a 2nd estimate $8,000. I went inland a bit away from the hurricane damaged areas and high rent districts and revived a quote of $3500! I upgraded from the cheap economy paint to a quality base coat, high solids clear coat for $700 so total of $4200. I did not expect the amount of work this shop is putting into my paint job! So yes $15k for a side might me a tad on the high side LOL
I did read about a Corvette owner stripping his car with a razor blade and claimed it was not that hard. Corvettes are fiberglass so might want to check a corvette forum.
Doesn’t matter what the substrate is, but yes with the right conditions, stripping paint with a razor blade is a viable option.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/7qeuoJyl.jpg)
Stripped this entire truck (well maybe 95% of it) with razor blades and a mapp gas torch.
The big flat areas went fast. Smaller and curved areas MUCH slower.
You can see the ribbons of paint laying on the hood.
Yes blasting the truck or having it blasted would have been much quicker (and more expensive) and come with the downsides of blasting including potential damage to the sheetmetal and the inevitable mess and gift that keeps on giving with any blast method except dry ice, which is very difficult at best, to remove all the leftover media. Since I wasn’t doing a complete tear down of the cab.
Sanding may or may not have been quicker but it would have made a hell of a mess and cost more in materials than the $2 worth of razor blades and $2 worth of torch gas I spent.
This was an old “professional” repaint on top of new (better) primer than the OE paint system. It lasted decades and did not peel. Even when I hit it with a 2500psi pressure washer. But I was able to remove the vast majority of the paint that needed to come off with no dust, no mess and preserved the relatively thick primer underneath as the first filler coat for block sanding.
Now, if the paint is bonded properly, this is not a great option. However it’s a pretty good chance it may work for the OP, given it is/was a half assed attempt at painting. Most folks who don’t know what they’re doing (like painting a car with a paint brush, lol) also aren’t great at prep.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold
|
BigBeam
BC
New Member
Joined: 04/07/2023
View Profile
Offline
|
Good point. We were thinking about Baja this next winter...
|
LouLawrence
Traveling the US fulltime since 2000.
Senior Member
Joined: 03/16/2021
View Profile
|
I can agree the paint jobs are cheap. However, when they are done they look like cheap paint jobs. If you want to go down and strip, clean and paint it white you can return to the US and have a sign company make up some decals to your spec's. That could well be a satisfactory way to get the 'ole girl looking good again.
|
valhalla360
No paticular place.
Senior Member
Joined: 08/19/2009
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
|
jspringator wrote:I have often wondered how well the 2 part marine topside paint would work. Supposedly it hides the brush marks. The OP would have to remove the graphics first, then paint. It would be a lot of work, but not $15,000 worth of work.
Marine topside paint is a great option. It's intended to go onto fiberglass.
We did our boat several years ago and loved it.
The 2 part paints are tougher but if you manage to scratch it, touch up is more of an issue. Also, it's pretty much for professional application only.
We did 1 part (interlux brightside enamal). My brother-in-law who used to do car painting sprayed it. It's self leveling, so no paint brush marks. Also, kept a pint and it made for 2 minute touch ups that were almost impossible to see from more than 3 feet away.
When we sold the boat 3 yrs later still shiny and smooth never having buffed or waxed it.
If you take your time you don't have to spray. They call it "roll and tip" and there shouldn't be brush marks.
We used a fiberglass paint remover and it was taking forever. Since we were painting anyway, my BIL pulled out some heavy duty stuff and it went 10 times faster.
PS: Prep is everything with painting.
Tammy & Mike
Ford F250 V10
2021 Gray Wolf
Gemini Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and RV
|
|
|
