Putting lipstick on a pig

[The Eyesore]

I can't believe I'm about to type these words...

I'm thinking about rolling on some paint (as in house paint, lol) over the fiberglass top of my camper to try to modernize it a bit.

Maybe I'm becoming senile, because I already KNOW it's a horrible idea, but something tells me that it will look better than it does now. And I feel like a nice eggshell sheen will give it a sort of landau top look.

The thing is, I just bought this van and I haven't even taken it out yet, but I don't really want to dump money into a paint job, as I'm already dumping thousands into refreshing the drivetrain, brakes and suspension, furnace, shower, lighting, cameras, TPMS, flooring, wallpaper, etc.

Attaching (before and after) pics of what I THINK it'll look like.

Thoughts? I'm open to other ideas. Maybe having it professionally sprayed with a matte paint, will be a possibility, but I really don't want to open the can of worms of a whole new paintjob.

Please don't hold back. Give me your honest thoughts, lol.

[MsNomer]

It would look better matched to the white of the van, and much cooler in summer. If there’s any removable piece (gas fill cover?) any paint store can match.

[DaveBad]

You might want to consider using Raptor Liner.
https://www.raptorliner.com/raptor-store.html
It's a bed liner paint. You and spray it on if you have the right equipment but you can also roll it on. It will give you a textured finish and it is quit easy to use. The most important step, as with most painting, is the prep work. There are a lot of videos online of people using it on their entire vehicle. I sprayed it all around the bottom section of my van. There are several similar products out there.

Just found this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_qRlwAzzm0&t=310s

[peteco]

Originally Posted by DaveBad

You might want to consider using Raptor Liner.
https://www.raptorliner.com/raptor-store.html
It's a bed liner paint. You and spray it on if you have the right equipment but you can also roll it on. It will give you a textured finish and it is quit easy to use. The most important step, as with most painting, is the prep work. There are a lot of videos online of people using it on their entire vehicle. I sprayed it all around the bottom section of my van. There are several similar products out there.

One potential problem with a textured finish on the roof is it will hold water somewhat and thus hold dirt more than a smooth finish would. Around the bottom skirting is OK and I plan to do mine sometime (when I get the time).

[The Eyesore]

MsNomer, I dunno why, but big and white doesn't do it for me. I need the top to be a different color. I picked a lighter shade to not be killed in the heat. If I thought I could pull off silver, I'd do it.

DaveBad, huge improvement on that bumper!

I'm thinking that a roller will provide a minimal amount of texture which I'd find preferable for the top over the heavy texture of bedliner.

Also, as pointed out by peteco, I could envision dirt settling on the top and creating drip marks coming down off the top making it look even worse than it already does. LOL

My goal here is to make it look just slightly more distinguished than all the camper vans used by the homeless population here in Los Angeles.

I've already got one note on it from an anonymous neighbor telling me to GTFO, "or else"

LOL, they probably assume there's a meth user living inside of it.

[folivier]

Do a bit of reading about "roll and tip" on boating and yacht forums. Basically you roll paint on and use a brush to lightly go over any ridges to smooth it out.

[The Eyesore]

Sounds perfect for my land-yacht.
Thanks, I’ll definitely check it out.

[Detroit80]

Have a buddy that painted his Suburban with white latex house paint about 10 years ago...all of us thought he was absolutely nuts and were sure it wasn't going to hold up, and probably was going to look like poo afterwards.

Although he's bit of a redneck, he wasn't looking at it from a "I KNOW this is gonna be awesome!" standpoint, rather that he got about 10 gallons of the stuff free, and figured why not try it? Worst case he just strips it back off and puts real auto paint down.

It was clearly not auto paint looking when he was done, but it wasn't horrible either. A 20 footer as they say - looks decent enough for a daily driver from 20 feet away. It looks WAY better than _any_ bedliner job I've seen. Can't quite put my finger on exactly why, but every paint job I've seen using bedliner looks worse to me than the teenager that attacks his car with a dozen Walmart spray paint cans and just paints over EVERYTHING.

It's held up surprisingly well over the past decade, especially being a truck that goes off road here in Arizona frequently. If I found myself with some free latex, I can't say I wouldn't repeat it myself.

But if I was looking to paint something on the cheap with paint that I have to pay for, I'd be much more likely to head to my local Tractor Supply store, and pick up some of the Majic enamel paint intended for tractors. It doesn't have the super deep gloss that good auto paint does, but does end up looking surprisingly good for (relatively) cheap paint.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/brand/Majic

$50 for 2 quarts of the paint, plus misc supplies...you could likely get this done for less than $100. Add a $20 can of hardener to the mix if you think you're ever going to drag this thing through low trees/brush/etc.

[The Eyesore]

I don't have a local Tractor Supply.

[Detroit80]

You must be central LA then? I see a bunch of them around the LA area. I know the stuff is at other farm supply stores like Rural Kind and Menards too, but I'm not familiar with what's around LA...I tend to avoid California as much as I possibly can, lol.

Regardless, something like Rust-Oleum would work too. They make a primer specifically intended to go over fiberglass if you have any areas that are worn down to the 'glass. I put regular ol' Rust-Oleum brown primer on my car hauler a decade ago and it's been holding up great (because I needed the trailer ASAP, and always planned on painting it fully...then life happened ��)

They also have a marine line of paints intended for fiberglass as well, but I'd bet the regular stuff would be fine. The marine paints are formulated to resist the chemical exposures boat hulls are exposed to that RVs generally wouldn't be.

[The Eyesore]

Yep, Central LA (Hollywood). We've more RV's here than any state park, but ours are mostly broken down with drug addicts living in them. I'm trying to avoid California, too (thus the RV purchase). Haha!

[phantomjock]

I refinished my small race car with Rust-Oleum. As a long time sailor I was familiar with the "roll and tip." But I wanted to avoid the picky "tip" actions. For the car I stripped it "mechanically" (sanded). The repaired , 'glassed and faired. I used the Rust-Oleum marine prime/base as I wanted a hard bond to the fiberglass and weather resistance. I rolled the primer and the finish coats using Japan Drier and reducer to get good cover and flow. After 4 coats of the finish, I hit it all with a buffer. Worked a number of compounds and final polish. Came out show-room quality. Inexpensive materials - 3-4 weeks of sweat.



My point is, you can get the level of finish you want with almost any materials, if willing to put in the effort.
(I have better paint pictures of the job - but I'd have to find them. )

To bypass some effort - what about a trip by Macco or Rhino-Liner and see what they'd quote? Maybe get an acceptable finish with less effort (a few bucks), and get back on the road. No mess, no cleanup, easy-peasy.
[And for Cali - no VOCs!]

Cheers - Jim

[Blueboy1]

Since you will be painting over gelcoat, it will need sanding, then you should apply a urethane Alphatic paint (2 components) instead of acrylic. The top of a RV is what I would consider a harsh environment for paint. (Direct sunlight, rain, dust, vegetation mold) Alphatic urethane is well suited for this, it can be brushed, rolled or sprayed. White top is the way to go if you want to keep the inside cool !!

[Mosh]

Since I am in love with our old Roadtrek which looks similar to yours, I would just polish it up a bit if you’re not happy with the way it looks. I think it looks just right for a vintage camper van. The paint job you propose might make the van look worse. You said to be honest….. Moshie

[billywtucker]

My 92 dodge RoadTrek’s white paint was bubbling and sheeting off in big flakes. I stopped by Maaco for a quote, and after they quit laughing at the pitiful sight, they quoted more than the van was worth.
So I searched YouTube. I had nothing to lose. Here is what found and tried. The outcome is not show quality, plenty satisfying. I bought one gallon of the best outside latex Sherwin Williams had and went for it. 4 years in direct sun, and it still looks good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhlxE3EFcCQ&t=81s

The outcome is not show quality, plenty satisfying. I bought one gallon of the best outside latex Sherwin Williams had and went for it. 4 years in direct sun, and it still looks good.

[phantomjock]

If you "do" FB, there is a fellow that attacked the topsides of his 07210P.
Link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/252621115223541/

He used Henry Tropi-Cool Silicone roof coating. I have no experience with it.

Cheers - Jim

[The Eyesore]

I keep trying to join, but they never approve me. I guess they can tell that I don't really own a Roadtrek, haha!

[phantomjock]

Originally Posted by The Eyesore

I keep trying to join, but they never approve me. I guess they can tell that I don't really own a Roadtrek, haha!

We spent the 4th with friends. He applied a similar coating to the tile-ed pool surround. Noticeably cooler. But, back to "roofing." Another neighbor used it on his shingled roof. He had some leaks to seal, and wanted to cut the temperature too. His "unscientific test;" you can lay on it and it is "OK." But the other areas - "No-way." (His analysis)

There is a thread over on Truck Campers that goes into it - and you don't need to "join." They even show how they capture "data" for comparative before/after application Outside - and inside. Useful information. Here is a direct quote:

Fundamentally, the interior ceiling temperatures were reduced about 16-degrees while the roof temperatures were reduced 24-degrees.

https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/...-roof-coating/

It "could" be used on the hood to help alleviate solar heat absorption in the engine bay. [Intentional cross reference to another thread]

Cheers - Jim

[The Eyesore]

One thing I noticed when working on The Eyesore™ the other day, is that light penetrates the gelcoat and actually comes through the fiberglass. That translates to heat coming in. We don’t normally see it because of the insulation. I only saw it because I was working on an exhaust fan and had to pull back the insulation. Any paint that reflects that would certainly make a difference.
While I do like the idea of reflective paint to keep it cooler inside, I also trying to make the van look more appealing as I have to park this thing on the street where I live and I’m not trying to bring down property values. ��
I do use Henrys products on the roof of my apartment building (I’m the property manager) and they’re great. I have no doubt that their RV coating is amazing, but I’m trying to steer away from white as the camper currently just looks a huge, old, white camper. I want to modernize the color a bit, even if it comes at the expense of a few degrees hotter inside. I was talking to my wife about the color that I photoshopped in and I said to her, maybe I’ll look at paint chips for beige, and she said that she thinks more of a grey is what I should look for. And then I went to look at Baer paint chips and found “griege”, haha! And it’s exactly the perfect color, so I’m probably going to go with Baer house paint, with a kills primer coat. I’ll test run a small patch first to make sure it’ll stick.

[The Eyesore]

Originally Posted by Blueboy1

Since you will be painting over gelcoat, it will need sanding, then you should apply a urethane Alphatic paint (2 components) instead of acrylic. The top of a RV is what I would consider a harsh environment for paint. (Direct sunlight, rain, dust, vegetation mold) Alphatic urethane is well suited for this, it can be brushed, rolled or sprayed. White top is the way to go if you want to keep the inside cool !!

I have no doubt that this is good advice, but I think I’m gonna try latex. I’m going for an almost flat finish look that “semigloss” will achieve and the thickness of the latex I think will help make the top look nice… I think. If it doesn’t hold up, then I’ll sand it off and try the urethane you’ve suggested. Thanks for chiming in!