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Painting my rig
We are getting our RV painted and are going to change the color since I’ve never been fond of this color scheme. I’ve understood that the grays don’t hold up well to our SoCal sun but that is the color scheme I love.  Any thoughts or suggestions before we finalize our decision would be totally appreciated.  Thanks!
'O6 IB Anniversary Model
Sue, My Copilot
Carlie, our canine princess

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #1
The blue and beige paints hold up the best.
The red and grays fade more quickly, sometimes within a couple years, I would not use either color.
The green paint falls in between, not great but better than red or gray.
Be prepare for a large bill, repainting RVs is expensive.
Many leave the stock white alone and just repaint the stripes.

The LD Caravan Club had previous members who repainted their 2006 Anniversary Edition, paying a little over $20,000.
It looked beautiful but so would $20,000 in cash, that's a lot of potential trips.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #2
Well, our gray ‘06 TK lives uncovered in L.A. and its paint on the sun side looks just like your damage, especially where the body flares out behind the cab doors. We like the gray, too, but if I couldn’t store it under cover I’d probably select something else. Where will you have it done?  Please keep us posted on cost and results!  — Jon
(Former) ‘06 TK “Albatross.” And (former) Vespa 250.   Alas, no more; both are gone.😕 Great memories remain! 😄

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #3
My 2003 green still looks pretty good, despite some "minor" fading on the rear of the coach and on the green areas on the front end; the rig sits uncovered with an east-west exposure, so a little fade is not surprising.

The "brown" apparently is LD's least popular color, but since what is "popular" rarely even registers on my scale of what counts, I'd get the brown if I were ordering a new rig. YMMV, as always!  ;)

2003 TK has a new home

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #4
WOW! You have never been fond of the best color scheme LD ever used.
I can't recall the name of the Caravan lady who came up with them.
Don & Dorothy
Sold our LD in June of 2023

Our boring always non-PC travel blog
Traveling Dorothy

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #5
We did some paint work done on our previous ‘91.  We had the paint matched and it came out perfect. But, the biggest problem was finding the striping. The mothership didn’t have it and said they were not going to order anymore. We finally mixed and matched some striping from 3M.
Dale from Downey 27’ 2012 RB,”Casa Verde”, 2000 Jeep Wrangler. Formerly1991 RB & 1990 Jeep Wrangler.

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #6
Personally, I'm not fond of gray (too many years on Navy ships, I guess). When we purchased our current house in 2010, it was gray. It is now green.  :)

My vote is for brown, blue or green.
Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #7
We are getting our RV painted and are going to change the color since I’ve never been fond of this color scheme. I’ve understood that the grays don’t hold up well to our SoCal sun but that is the color scheme I love.  Any thoughts or suggestions before we finalize our decision would be totally appreciated.  Thanks!
Jules, please let us know what colors you decide on and where you have it done. Mothership? If you are up to sharing the cost, that would be nice, too.

Chris
Formerly: 2002 30' IB

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #8
“grays don't hold up well to our SoCal sun but that is the color scheme I love.”

Go with the color you love 💕💕and not with what others think you should do. It’s your LD; not theirs.
Let them be practical, let you go where your heart is.

We have the totally impractical, but beautiful, red and just love it.

Ed

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #9
I'm with Ed: get the color you love!

For what it's worth, I had my faded red 2003 midbath painted by Lazy Daze a couple of years ago--just the stripes, not the white parts--at a cost of about $7,500. It looked better than new (if that's possible!) when finished (see photos below).
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #10
...and one more photo that somehow didn't get attached to that last message.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #11
Nothing against red here but am reluctant to have a red RV that sits outside all the time due to the fading issue.  Now, if it was going to be stored indoors most of the time like our Subaru, I might think differently!
Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264


Re: Painting my rig
Reply #13
"That's some nice-looking, and pricey, paint!"

Pricey... yes and no. Seven grand is a lot of dough, no question! That's why I put it off so long. (Other than my natural procrastinatory proclivities. ;-) On the other hand, when I queried several well-known RV repainting outfits that had been recommended by other RVers, I was quoted $10,000-$20,000. Lazy Daze was inexpensive by comparison, and I knew they'd do the job right. (Which they did... and took care of a few other things such as an aging escape hatch and shower skylight while they were at it.)

So I can't complain. As has already been said here, getting an RV repainted isn't cheap. (Unless you take it to Mexico and trust someone there to do it.) But if you decide to spend the money, the Lazy Daze factory looks like the best and least expensive bet, at least based on my experience.
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #14
As to the grey fading, I have been fulltiming for 9 1/2 years now.  Summer months I am in the northwest, and winter months in southern New Mexico.  I have been using the factory-recommended poly sealant 3 times a year.  The charcoal and the white are fine.  The grey has just a hint of fading, nothing severe.

Ed said, "go with what you love".  I agree.  If you are going to have it outside in southern California sun all year, I would target waxing at least 4 times a year. 

Ken F in CA
'08 MB

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #15
Some things are great for “lay-away” plans. I plan on getting the charcoal and gray sections of our RB painted in 15 years (hopefully no sooner) and have been laying away $45 a month since we brought it home from the factory.

Some things are best done a little at a time.

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #16
Perhaps someone can explain why Lazy Daze paint fades out (some colors more than others) even when detailed on a regular basis (washing, waxing, etc.) when "full body paint" on expensive motorhomes and the paint used on motor vehicles doesn't seem to fade as much when detailed regularily? I always always thought Imron paint was superior to others. Imron fails particularily fast on the lower fiberglass sections of the LD.

Chris
Formerly: 2002 30' IB

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #17
First, thanks for all your thoughtful responses.

I, too, wonder why when the majority of cars I see on the road are gray and they don’t fade, Lazy Daze gray fades.  So, I second Chris, why does LD paint fade relative to automobiles?

We are not using the Mothership for painting.  Although their quote was “reasonable,” we’re using a motocoach repair shop closer to home.  When we took our LD in, I was concerned about whether our rig would be safe.  Then I saw the 45 ft. Newell having body work done.  I guess if the $2M Newell is being worked on, I hope our Lazy Daze will receive the same quality of work. 

I’ll keep you posted on our progress. 
'O6 IB Anniversary Model
Sue, My Copilot
Carlie, our canine princess

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #18
I’m not sure but think it is the clear coat that shields the paint from the UV rays. That would be something to ask about at (another) paint shop. 
Currently: 2008 36' Tiffin Open Road
Previously: 2007 Mid Bath

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #19
And I second that...I love my red/Burgundy..it catches peoples eyes all the time...add to that mine is a '98, and has that lovely "minty white" greenish hue--against the red...!! Striking! I wax it regularly, and the color is holding up well, except the slant back end. Cherryotte is racey!! At 04:54 PM 4/23/2018, you wrote:
Quote

"grays don't hold up well to our SoCal sun but

Quote

that is the color scheme I love."  Go with the color you love 💕💕and not with what others think you should do. It's your LD; not theirs.  Let them be practical, let you go where your heart is.   We have the totally impractical, but beautiful, red and just love it.  Ed 2015 TK dragging a 2016

Wrangler.   Drive slow.   Stop often.
Posting

Information: Ed 111 replied to the topic

'Painting my rig' on the 'Lazy Daze General Info & Discussions' Board. You can reply to this

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email and have it posted as a topic reply. LDO Links: index.php?action=notifyboard;board=3.0 Regards, The Lazy Daze Owners Team ¥¶cCCƒFSv#ƒS†S†S3vSS“v##3†##­##s2ÖÓƒcSsUÐ

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gini Free and Junah, canine xtrodinaire "CHERRYOTTE" our litte red home on wheels "Growing old is mandatory. Growing wise is optional."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gini Free and Junah, canine xtrodinaire
"CHERRYOTTE" our little red home on wheels
"Growing old is mandatory. Growing wise is optional."

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #20
I’m not sure but think it is the clear coat that shields the paint from the UV rays

LD has always used solid color paints, without a clear coat.
Clear coats can go bad too, you may have noticed older cars with paint that is turning white or cloudy, the sign of a decaying clear coat.
How a paint fades depends on the type and quantity of the pigments used..
LD has changed paint supplies through the years and some paints seem to be much more resistant to fading while other LDs, painted the same color in different years, seem to fade quickly.
Our 2003 LD's blue paint has held up well considering it has been outside all of its life,  baked by the sun and high temperatures each summer.
It shows minor signs of weathering on lower, fiberglass panels.

Fiberglass does not seem to hold paint as well as the upper aluminum panels, something noticed on dozens of older LDs.
Waxing and polishing does not seem to significantly extend the life of the paint. It does keep the paint looking nice as the top layer is slowly ground down and removed. Wax and clean it for enough years, the paint will eventually wear though.
The polyurethane paint is a long lasting paint, as long as enough paint was originally applied.
Some of the issues with lower panels not holding up can be traced back to a thin original coat of paint.

Interestingly, older LD's stripes were painted with an acrylic paint that is very prone to fading and oxidizing, many times the stripes can be polished back to a shine that is gone the next day. On the same rigs, the white paint can almost always be brought back to a lasting shine.

Larry
Larry
2003 23.5' Front Lounge, since new.  Previously 1983 22' Front Lounge.
Tow vehicles  2020 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2001 Jeep Cherokee
Photo Collection: Lazy Daze

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #21
Well, there's always pink.  Wonder if it fades much?
Greg & Victoria
2017 Mid-Bath  “Nocona” towing a manual 2015 Forester
Previously a 1985 TK
SKP #61264

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #22
Hey, I loving the pink but it might be a bit flamboyant for two seniors!
'O6 IB Anniversary Model
Sue, My Copilot
Carlie, our canine princess

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #23
Say what???

Who doesn’t like pink LD’s?

Kent
2015 27' RB "MissB.Haven"

Re: Painting my rig
Reply #24
My black fake Windows are turning grey. Has anyone repainted theirs?
Susie
2007 MB