Painting The Faux Windows June 27, 2022, 08:18:53 pm For some time now, Albatross’ overcab faux windows have been steadily deteriorating, with the black being worn off and the underlying white showing through. Long overdue for repainting. I didn’t want to use a spray can, as all my work has to be done on the street with breezes blowing every which way. I didn’t want to risk “drift” onto other parts of the coach or, worse, on neighbors’ or passing cars. I thought a roller would provide a smoother look, but . . . I started by draping the hood area with plastic tarp to catch wayward drips and sanding debris. I used 400 grit sandpaper to remove the old oxidized black paint and smooth things out a bit. Brushed off the resulting fine powder and damp wiped it clean. Next was to tape the edges with 3M blue tape. This was the critical prep step and took quite a while to get straight edges and around the corners. Not having any scaffold setup, I had to do everything from the roof ( which, actually, wasn’t that bad, although Loni kept up a running “careful” commentary every time I changed position). After the edge taping, I added some painter’s paper underneath the “windows.” I used Zinsser 1-2-3 Bull’s Eye primer on the recommendation of a pro who I bumped into at HD. He said it would adhere to anything. He uses it on boats. This went on with a smooth roller and formed a nice, even base. After that dried the requisite 90 minutes, I started rolling black, semi-gloss Rustoleum Extra Cover. This started well, but it is rather thick stuff. The initial rolling on seemed to be going ok, but if I tried to go back over (while freshly wet) to touch up or smooth a spot, it started lifting off and exposing the primer. Augh! I finished the first coat and it looked awful, with white blotches. What to do? Well, stupid, read ALL of the label. Sure enough, at the very end of the fine print instructions was the line: “Use of roller not recommended.” Well, heck (not my exact wording at the time).I searched around my incredibly cluttered garage and found a 3” brush with very fine, soft bristles. Waited out the 4-hour drying period, and had at it again. Success! The Rustoleum went on much more smoothly with the brush. I had to wait until the following day for the third coat. Remarkably, the birds hadn’t bombed me overnight, so the surface was in good shape. The third coat went on smoothly. That was it for me. I live in a “good enough” world, not a perfectionist one. That said, the results came out pretty good from, ah, most sun angles. Had I not engaged in the roller derby, a pure brushwork job would satisfy even the persnickety. I’m particularly pleased with the performance of the 3M blue tape. It permitted no bleed into the surrounding white area, and peeled off perfectly. I didn’t fall off the roof, so I rate this project a success! — Jon 13 Likes
Re: Painting The Faux Windows Reply #1 – June 27, 2022, 11:18:05 pm "roller derby"--I love it! And that's a great looking job, Jon. Looks like new! 1 Likes
Re: Painting The Faux Windows Reply #2 – June 28, 2022, 03:40:01 am I can't believe I did this 6 years ago. My repairs still look good. The bad part is I never got a replacement Lazy Daze logo to replace the one I removed. A link to my pictures: Faux front window paint RonB 1 Likes
Re: Painting The Faux Windows Reply #3 – June 02, 2024, 11:20:20 pm Jon,Wondering how the black paint looks today on your Daze? Thanks much,Chris
Re: Painting The Faux Windows Reply #4 – June 03, 2024, 10:23:37 am QuoteThe bad part is I never got a replacement Lazy Daze logo to replace the one I removed. Todd still had them six or eight months ago. I think I'll paint mine white. This thread is firing me up!jor
Re: Painting The Faux Windows Reply #5 – June 03, 2024, 03:34:46 pm Quote from: ChrisB - June 02, 2024, 11:20:20 pmJon,Wondering how the black paint looks today on your Daze? Thanks much,ChrisI’d like to know too, Chris! We sold our much loved “Albatross” about 18 months ago. ☹️ We still follow the forum daily. Having to do all our maintenance in our narrow street got to be too much for us and our neighbors. — Jon 1 Likes
Re: Painting The Faux Windows Reply #6 – June 03, 2024, 05:48:04 pm Jon, you’ll be happy to know that your windows still look just fine. I’ve put several coats of wax on them and they appear to be holding up well. Off topic the front end (steering) components are being rebuilt as we speak, belts and hoses were done in the fall. Leaving Arizona Saturday hopefully headed to eastern Washington. The Albatross sign is still on the back. Take care. Frank. 1 Likes
Re: Painting The Faux Windows Reply #7 – June 04, 2024, 03:47:10 pm Aw, thank you, Frank! We still think about the rig and are very pleased it is continuing its journey. It couldn’t have found a better home! . Our friends looked for it at Oh Ridge this week but I guess your hosting days are over. We wish you many happy miles! Jon&Loni 1 Likes
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