Thanks, Denise! It's kind of amazing how quick it actually is to lay down a coat of paint with a sprayer, but then you gotta think about all the time that goes into prep and cleanup afterwards, lol!
Hi Conan, enjoyed your video! On my vintage Pathfinder camper I just washed ,lightly sanded and had a friend spray it with a latex primer, then I rolled on three different colors of high-quality semi-gloss latex house paint. I was very happy with the results and has held up well for 4 summer seasons so far. It's easy to touch up if needed. It can be seeing on our RU-vid channel classic camper Basecamp that we just started February of 2023. Just a word of caution. I didn't always protect my lungs like I should have and I have been dealing with lung cancer for 7 years and I never smoked.I highly recommend wearing a respirator when spraying painting. I wish you the best from Doug in Wisconsin
Sorry to hear about your lung troubles Doug, you are 100% correct about the respirator. I actually have one, but it has disappeared. I should've just ordered a replacement online, but I kept thinking I would grab one at the hardware store, and every time I'd get there they'd be sold out except for the crazy expensive full face masks or something! So yeah, I was in a rush and poorly prepared, but I absolutely agree with you. Latex paints have really gotten very good in the last 20 years or so, and some lay down pretty smooth with a roller. You can't beat the convenience for sure!
Looks great! We have finally begun work on our Shasta Compact. Talk about disaster lol I’ve got several of those “what have we done” & “will it ever end” thumbnails. Definitely want to thank you for providing such informative videos. We’ll be going the same route as you (completely start from scratch) if we ever do another.
That self etching primer works pretty well. I use it myself on small projects. But like you did it must be sanded before topcoating or the topcoat will flake right off! I usually scrub it with scotchbrite then prime it again with sandable primer or epoxy. Looks awesome Conan!
Thanks! I'm really happy with how this one turned out, but I think the next camper I put together will be painted with a single stage automotive paint, so I'm reading up on how to get the best results out of all that. It's a bit more complicated, but it's pretty understandable, and I think it should be a bit harder wearing ultimately.
Conan, I was going to ask about thinning, so thanks for including it. On the price of painting automotive, just the cost of products to do a car 10 years ago was $1,000.00, it’s gone crazy since the pandemic
Hey Jerry! The cost is a real issue, and I'm not hugely convinced that it's worth it on a camper, but I am eager to try it myself to see how it compares. On thinning, I realized I misspoke in the video, it's more like 3:1 with mineral spirits for both the paint and the primer.
Thanks! I'm not really sure what the best answer is regarding DTM paint, and I'm just going off of stuff that I've read online. The purpose of the self etching primer is to eat through the aluminum oxide coating that forms rapidly on exposed aluminum (which actually provides its natural corrosion resistance) and to provide a surface that paint can easily adhere to. DTM paints supposedly offer a high degree of corrosion residence, so when applied over steel you don't have to worry about rust forming underneath as much (assuming proper preparation). While I know DTM paints are supposed to work on aluminum, I don't know that they are as good as a self etching primer at surface adhesion. I sort of feel that DTM is often a marketing feature like paint and primer in one. People think, "Oh hey, now I don't need to buy a gallon of primer and a gallon of paint, I can just buy two gallons of paint." Of course the paint is more expensive than the primer, so... But I do know there's more to paint+primer than that, so there's probably more going on with DTM paints than I really understand, too.
@@TrailerTrashtoTreasure FWIW, I know almost nothing, I'm just familiar with DTM paints because I wanted to paint my container a few years ago. What you said makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the reply, much appreciated!
Really appreciate the video. This is exactly what I was looking for. I'm restoring a 1969 Aloha trailer. Couple of questions: 1) how many sq ft did you get out of a can of the self etching primer? 2) I have read of bubbling, poor adhesion on aluminum. How has this combination of brand and type of paints etc. held up at this point one year in? Great content! Thanks,
Hey, thank you and thanks for watching! So let me first say that I really think your best option for a quality paint job is to use an automotive single stage paint (or base/clear if you prefer). It seems intimidating to a lot of folks, and the paints are a bit more expensive, but you can talk to the folks at a lot of the big auto parts stores and get everything you need. That said, I'm not an expert in auto paint, but that's likely the way I'll go in the future. As to your questions... 1) I don't really remember how many square feet, but it probably took seven or eight cans to spray both sides (the top came painted white so I didn't have to prime that). If I would've been able to find it locally in a gallon can I could've sprayed the whole camper with that using my gun. 2) Poor adhesion is usually because people don't use a self etching primer or they don't properly clean the surface before painting. Aluminum almost immediately oxidizes in the presence of oxygen to create a layer of aluminum-oxide that protects it from further corrosion, it also prevents paint from sticking to it very well. The etching primer etches through that layer of aluminum-oxide to bond better with the aluminum, but you then want to top that etching primer with another regular primer to isolate it from your top coat of normal paint. It's a process with a few steps, but I actually enjoy it, and I think it's pretty easy to see that the end results are worth the effort. How has it held up after a year? Pretty well honestly, especially considering I haven't done any real maintenance to it, waxing, polishing, etc. House paint will never take a real shine like automotive paint will, but you have to look pretty close to spot the difference between the roof wrap which came painted from the factory and my house paint sides. Disability has been excellent, and I haven't had to touch up any rock nicks or scratches yet. Hope that helps, and good luck!
I’ve been watching your video since I bought my trailer in 2019, I’m finally starting to make some progress on mine. Where did you buy your J rail? I found some online but I want to make sure I get the kind I can bend since mine is a canned ham
Hey Amber! Thanks for watching and following along. I was actually able to buy my J-rail locally; although, the last time I was there I bought all they had, and they didn't think they'd order any more. Virtually all extruded aluminum trim is bendable so long as you're careful about it, so if it's J-rail you need, pretty much anything you find will work, just make sure it's the same size and profile as what you took off. You can get it from several suppliers, just a few I can think of right away: Vintage Trailer Supply, Hemet Valley RV, Mac's Aluminum, but there's many more. You might check your local RV supply places first, because shipping can be a bit expensive on such long pieces. Good luck!
You know durability hasn't really been an issue, but it does lose some luster over time, and it doesn't take a buff out like an automotive finish would. Regardless, I'm still overall really happy with the result!
I wasn't positive the color would be close enough of a match, and I didn't have time to waste testing it. But I like Rust-Oleum; it's actually very adaptable and one of the few brands that isn't afraid to mention thinning right on the label.
COULD YOU WIPE DOWN WITH ALOCHOL? BENJAMIN MOORE HAS ULTRA SPEC #HP MAINTENANCE COATING D.T.M. ACRYLIC FOR PAINTING ALUMINUM. DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS KIND OF PAINT?
You could use alcohol as well, but sometimes it'll evaporate before it's really had a chance to break down any oily residue. I still think oil based paints are hard to beat for durability. Direct to metal paints come in a wide variety, but my understanding is that a self etching primer is still the recommended base coat for bare aluminum.
