Faux front window paint October 04, 2016, 01:57:48 pm The paint on the two faux front cab over widows is wearing off. I'm sure someone out there has repainted their own as I would like to do. Questions: did you prime first and what paint did you use as a finish coat. Technique? Dale from Downey.
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #1 – October 04, 2016, 08:07:21 pm I'm in the same boat as Dale: I need to repaint sometime in the next few months. I'll be interested to hear what people have done!
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #2 – October 05, 2016, 12:30:52 am Hi Andy and Dale. Just three weeks ago I finished re-painting my front 'windows'. Years ago I went through a sleet storm, and the front faux windows were pretty eroded. Their looks went downhill from there. Getting to it to mask it off was the hard part. First I cleaned it with alcohol, then gently roughed it up with scotchbrite, then more alcohol. I used Home Depot Rustoleum gray primer, about one can. I decided to switch to Duplicolor high buildup primer, sanding in between each coat in an attempt to level off the surface. About two cans. Maybe 10 layers of primer. Then I followed with about two coats (1 can) of satin black primer. Light sanded 400 grit paper. I could have put some coats of Rustoleum gloss black enamel, but I had some gloss black Appliance paint. It dries to a really shiny hard coat. After I was done I asked some friends why the appliance paint said to not paint over primer and they said that the dried film was meant to be over a hard steel surface and that it would eventually crack by itself over primer. Well it hasn't cracked yet, but I have a can of black gloss enamel in case it does. I had a breeze blowing dust on the surface during painting, and some dusting in spots. (The solvent vehicle evaporates before the paint droplets hit the surface, and leave a poorly adhered 'dusty' coating. Rubbing compound, and wax cleared up that spot. A little sanding of the edge to take off the lip where the masking tape was. Good thing you can't get too close a look at it but I think it looks almost as good as new. At the recent outing I noticed some people had painted their faux windows white, saying that the newer coaches don't have the black windows anymore. Since I have the old paint scheme I just went for black. I did peel off the Lazy Daze decal in front, it was pretty worn also. Haven't got around to calling LD to see how much they want for a new decal, haven't decided whether I want a decal up there again. Hope this helped. RonB 7 Likes
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #3 – October 05, 2016, 01:00:25 am Ron,I'm not to the point where I need to do this yet, and now that I've read your post frankly I'm not looking forward to the day (plenty of work involved, which I'm becoming more opposed to). But, when I do, I've bookmarked your post so I know how to go about doing it. This sort of thing is not something I'd have any idea of how to go about doing right. I do now. Thank you!
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #4 – October 05, 2016, 08:15:15 am Thanks, Ron--your detailed description was very helpful. 1 Likes
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #5 – October 05, 2016, 08:31:07 am Thanks, Ron; pretty paint and nice masking job, too! (One of) the thing(s) that stops me from doing this is access; my rig has solar panels at the front end, so doing the painting part of the job from the roof would be difficult. It looks like you laid a hinged ladder on the roof and down over the front of the nose; how and where did you "anchor" the ladder end that shows hanging over the overcab? Joan
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #6 – October 05, 2016, 09:59:37 am Dale,I have used successfully Bondo Restore Black for the last four years. Easy to apply with included foam pad and it last at least a year before redoing it again. Available at Amazon : Amazon.com: Bondo 800 Black Restore - 8 fl. oz.: Automotive.Frans Liebert2000 MB 1 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #7 – October 05, 2016, 10:18:59 am Thanks Dale for that suggestion. I've found it at Pep Boys too. 3M Bondo Restore Black - 8 oz. | Tire Details | Pep Boys. For now, I continue to use a cleaner wax followed by a harder wax. It's still a messy job because the paint seems soft. I've thought that if we had to re-paint, then we'd think about the white if we could match existing paint. Otherwise, back to black.
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #8 – October 05, 2016, 10:47:14 am Hi Joan. The ladder I used has four sections and the top 1/4 bends over and locks at 90 degrees. My solar panels are behind the escape hatch, so the area in front is clear of obstructions. I had two thick rubber pads side by side about 3'x1-1/2' x 1" thick, with a piece of plywood. I screwed a piece of 2x4 to the plywood and the ladder ends rested against that. The base of the ladder rested on a bigger piece of plywood on my driveway with wood blocking to keep the ladder base from slipping. I also made a clamp on footrest platform just above the hood for my feet. Drying time for the primer gave my feet a rest. A packing blanket protected the hood, and a bucket with tools hung from the ladder. Normally my slanted driveway is a disadvantage, but in this case shifted my weight towards the motorhome. I still made lots of trips onto the roof to get to the top and far edges of the faux windows. A step stool allowed some work on the edges. Ron
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #9 – October 05, 2016, 10:55:30 am I would be sorely tempted to at least swing by a quality auto paint shop and inquire about the cost of a good, long lasting paint job.Ed
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #10 – October 05, 2016, 11:20:22 am Thanks Ron. Your description of the job was very helpful. It more or less confirmed what I thought I needed to do. Rustoleum gloss will be my choice I guess.Dale from Downey.
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #11 – October 05, 2016, 11:29:22 am I redid mine about 5 years ago. I sanded down the panels to give a rough surface, then taped around the edge, which isa little difficult with the rounded edges. Used Rustoleum semi gloss paint, 3 coats, no primer or sealer. It still looks pretty good after 5 years. 1 Likes
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #12 – October 05, 2016, 11:42:31 am I took the same approach as JOTA. As is all things in life, preparation is 99% of the job. First and foremost is to obviously thoroughly clean the surface. Get some really high quality masking tape, then carefully tape off the area. The curves are the hardest, but it's not too difficult if you simply tear & layer multiple short micro sections to form the curve. After you've finished taping, mask off the front and put down a tarp/ground cover over the windshield/hood.I didn't primer the surface, but I did lightly sand it, so in effect it acted like it had been primered. I used flat black Rustoleum BBQ paint, since I figured it would be able to withstand the hotter temperatures from baking in the sun. I thought about painting the faux windows white, but that would mean color matching with the older, faded GM factory white. Any deviation would be obvious, whereas - to a degree - black is black.Fours years later, they still look good. 1 Likes
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #13 – October 05, 2016, 12:06:17 pm Hi Jota. My surface was too far gone for just repainting with black paint. Not quite bad enough for Bondo, but multiple applications of high build up grey primer. I couldn't find any black high build up primer, and I didn't want new rock (sand) chips to reveal grey pits, so after the grey was built up enough I did several coats of black primer, then the appliance black gloss. We're only talking about maybe 15 square feet, so it wasn't that much work to sand or much materials. Less than $40 for me, but I had most of the materials already, masking paper, painters tape, etc. I just need to avoid driving in those ice/sleet storms. The decals I removed are still visible because they protected the gel coat surface pretty well. Ron
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #14 – October 05, 2016, 12:06:59 pm Thanks for the description, Ron; very clear. I think that position of the solar panels on my rig will be the "kicker" to prevent working space access from the top. I need a cherry picker or rigging and a boom! Joan
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #15 – October 05, 2016, 12:19:24 pm Watching our 2003 LD's front 'windows', and many others, decay within years of purchase, leads me to think that the black paint used was just something out of a cheap rattle can, not the long lasting, two-part polyurethane paint used on the coach.The results from repainting the the windows with anything from Home Depot or any other home center is going to decay rapidly. For a more durable finish, use a high quality, two-part spray paint, available through a auto paint shop or onlineSome auto paint shops custom mix two-part paints and package it in a special spray can. This type of spray paint is known a 2K and is sold under the Spraymax brand . The can contain two separate areas, one with paint, the other with the curing agent. A button on the bottom the can is used to pop an internal bag, releasing the curing agent. Shake the can hard for several minutes. The paint is now ready to use, having a 48 hour pot life, more than long enough for a window job.2K clear coat: SpraymaxThis is what I use for repairing small sections of damaged LD exteriors. It goes on nicely and is easy to use.To match body colors, I remove an exterior hatch cover and take it to the paint store for custom matching.Or you can buy two-part, gloss black from Eastwood, in a pre-mixed Spraymax can.2K Aerospray HT Ceramic Engine Paint Gloss Black2K paints are harmful to breath. Painting should be done outdoors, in well ventilated spaces and you MUST wear an approved respirator.For each job, I buy a new, organic solvent-rated, respirator. I find these 3M respirators to be widely available.Amazon.com: 3M 07193 Paint Spray Resp. Large: AutomotiveWhen wearing the respirator, if the respirator is properly fitted, there should be absolutely no smell of solvent.The filters have a limited life, keep them in the Factory sealed bag, until ready to use.Partially used respirators are handy to wear when dealing with any solvent but if there is any smell of solvent, immediately discard the respirator or change the cartridges, if the respirator has replaceable ones.Larry 3 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #16 – October 05, 2016, 01:01:03 pm Some years a go on someone posted a picture of redoing the paint in body color which I though was a nice idea. The wildest one I saw was someone made bridge at the top of the two windows with black paint, then painted sun glass arms to stretch over the side windows. I thought that was very creative. 2 Likes
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #17 – October 05, 2016, 01:29:36 pm Hi Larry. Looks like your Gloss Black 2k is exactly what I wanted for my 'windows'. Too late now, but we'll see how the appliance paint does first. At about 10 sq. ft. one can should be good for three coats, assuming you can repaint within the 48 hour window. I think the black faux windows are gel coat (styrene monomer) applied to the mold where ever the front caps are made (SB?). The rest of the front cap gets painted by LD with the polyurethane to protect the fiberglass. The worn faux windows look like the white is starting to show through. On mine it looked like the fiberglass paste was showing, very short granulated fibers, much as if fiberglass had been bead blasted. The white streaks look like somebody had rolled the black on with a paint roller, makes me wonder what method SB used to apply the gelcoat where the windows are. I would have thought that Lazy Daze would at least use Black Polyurethane on the windows, but a moot point now. One member did have their front windows re-painted by Lazy Daze, they looked good. He didn't know the price because it was mixed in with other repairs. Ron 2 Likes
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #18 – October 06, 2016, 10:32:49 am I used this disposable sprayer + 1 oz paint bottles ordered from the mothership to provide an exact color match for a couple of cosmetic, two-tone repairs:Preval 267 Spray Gun - Auto Body Spray Guns - Amazon.comI hadn't considered using it for the black faux windows, because as Larry mentions, the 2-part poly is extremely toxic. I was willing to undergo the challenge for body color matches, but I figured "black is black". So far, the Rustoleum has lasted 4 years in good condition.With regard to the disposable sprayer, I think I ended up using 4-5 of them. The key is to properly mix both the paint components (color + bonding agent), and to dilute the mixture so that it evenly sprays.I was surprised how much surface area a few 1 oz bottles handled for the coach. 2 oz of black would easily cover the two faux windows if one wanted to take undertake the effort with respect to the associated hazards of 2-part poly. 1 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #19 – October 06, 2016, 01:40:03 pm Quote from: snerf - October 06, 2016, 10:32:49 amIQuote from: snerf - October 06, 2016, 10:32:49 amI used this disposable sprayer + 1 oz paint bottles ordered from the mothership to provide an exact color match for a couple of cosmetic, two-tone repairs:I hadn't considered using it for the black faux windows, because as Larry mentions, the 2-part poly is extremely toxic. I was willing to undergo the challenge for body color matches, but I figured "black is black". The two-part touch up paints, sold by the Motherhship, should not be sprayed without using the same respirator I mentioned when using the two-part polyurethane paints. It's the same stuff, just it is in a two little bottles.When inhaled, mixed two-parts paints can cure in the lungs, nothing you want to experience.Be safeLarry
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #20 – October 07, 2016, 10:51:45 am Quote from: Larry Wade - October 06, 2016, 01:40:03 pmThe two-part touch up paints, sold by the Motherhship, should not be sprayed without using the same respirator I mentioned when using the two-part polyurethane paints. It's the same stuff, just it is in a two little bottles. Yes, sorry for not being more clear. The point was that you can have a shop mix 2 part poly in a pseudo rattle can, or you can mix it yourself and use a sprayer. Same paint, same toxicity.That's why I was willing to go through the hassle/safety procedures to achieve an exact color match for the two-tone LD coach. However, in the case of the faux windows, black BBQ/appliance spray paint worked out fine for me.
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #21 – October 08, 2016, 03:02:49 am Joan. We use a painters plank set up between two ladders. Then drive the coach under the plank and between ladders. Plank is clamped down on ladders. Allows us to apply elbow grease on cleaning, waxing and eases checking up on things. Haven't repainted. Yet. Fingers crossed. Lydia 1 Likes
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #22 – October 09, 2016, 11:20:17 am Quote from: Lydia Drake - October 08, 2016, 03:02:49 amJoan. We use a painters plank set up between two ladders. Then drive the coach under the plank and between ladders. Plank is clamped down on ladders. Allows us to apply elbow grease on cleaning, waxing and eases checking up on things. Haven't repainted. Yet. Fingers crossed. LydiaExcellent idea, Lydia. Sure beats my act of one foot on the step ladder and the other on the hood to reach the cab over. I just did that yesterday and was thinking at the time how stupid it was.Chris 1 Likes
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #23 – October 09, 2016, 11:50:37 am "Sure beats my act of one foot on the step ladder and the other on the hood to reach the cab over."Sounds like me but with wife standing by with cell phone to call 911 after I fall. 😱
Re: Faux front window paint Reply #24 – October 09, 2016, 11:56:49 am I love getting up on the roof and puttering around with this and that. Kristine just gives me "the look". Ya know, the "You're crazy as a loon look!!"Hey, that's why they put a ladder on the back, right?! 1 Likes
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