Paint or wrap

[NctryBen]

I bought an older 2008 camper through a friend. When I bought it he was like painting it would be no big deal. Now he’s saying I should look into a wrap as painting would be expensive... anyone have experience with a wrap. Would it hold up in the Arizona sun??

 

[Carla618]

I bought an older 2008 camper through a friend. When I bought it he was like painting it would be no big deal. Now he’s saying I should look into a wrap as painting would be expensive... anyone have experience with a wrap. Would it hold up in the Arizona sun??

Bob had his ambulance wrapped. Here is the video about it:

Wrapping is common among off-roaders & most are out west. Might want to check out those forums.

 

[bullfrog !]

We had a container installed as a building at work and it was wrapped with messaging. It lasted about 3 years before it started to crack in the harsh Utah weather here at Lake Powell. Most decals I believe on campers are vinyl, that should give you some idea. I just usually paint it myself on older trailers with a roller and a brush for less than $500 and just redo it every few years if it starts looking bad.

 

[Carla618]

I bought an older 2008 camper through a friend. When I bought it he was like painting it would be no big deal. Now he’s saying I should look into a wrap as painting would be expensive... anyone have experience with a wrap. Would it hold up in the Arizona sun??

There are videos on YT showing vehicles painted (sprayed and rolled) with truck bed liner. That's pretty popular. I want to do that to my topper, if I ever get the windows resealed.

 

[tradesman]

I have a friend that has painted his old chevy van multiple times, by hand with a brush. Up close you can see brush marks but from 5' away it looks great. Plus wraps use poly vinyl chloride (pvc) which as we all know is bad for the environment.

 

[maki2]

Go to YouTube and do a search on “roll and tip method for painting boats”. It creates a very smooth paint job. It does take two people working as a team.

 

[NctryBen]

Thanks all... great ideas. Thanks.

 

[maki2]

Here is a good YouTube video on rolling and tipping method.



You can help me put another coat of paint on my little travel trailer if you want to get some practice in with a painting partner (who has experience with this method) before you tackle your big trailer. My tiny trailer needs another coat of red on the upper half.

 

[BelgianPup]

I understand the "rolling" part, but I wonder why they call the follow-up "tipping"?

 

[eDJ_]

I was a little kid the first time I saw this older neighbor painting his old (mid 30's) Dodge car using this system. I had seen spray painting by that time but never what he was doing. But he told us kids that this is how cars used to be painted before spray painting began in the mid 20's.

He showed us this little cup with a hole in it that he dipped into the paint bucket. The paint had to drain out by the count of 10 to be the right consistency to apply so that it would "settle" as he described it. (meaning to flow together to make a nearly smooth finish. He was doing all of this in small areas all by himself. When he was done the next day some of our fathers were over there talking to him and admiring his work. I remember the roller he used had this fine fuzzy like covering on it and the brush was a large standard house painting type.

The old gentleman made a good job of it although the finish looked a bit flat. I'm sure if he had rubbed it out with rubbing compound and waxed it would have looked like a factory finish.

 

[maki2]

I understand the "rolling" part, but I wonder why they call the follow-up "tipping"?

Because only the tip of the brush is used in a light feathering action
Following right behind the newly rolled on paint. It is done to break the air bubbles that rolling paint on creates. That tipping action leaves a very smooth surface without brush or roller marks or an orange peel surface on the paint.

This is all done with very controlled movements and no overloading of the paint on the roller. These paints are much thinner than applying acrylic or oil based house paints you might have done to the walls of your home. You do not want that slight orange peel effect you get when rolling paint on the wallboard of your home. This method requires a delicate touch and a rapid but very much controlled pace of action. The result can look as good as a spray paint job. But once you begin you cannot stop or pause.

Kind of handy to have a third person around to fill up the roller tray and fetch stuff or take over from one of the workers if needed. On a big trailer such as NrthcntryBens a third person as a helper might be very handy to have working with the team of two to keep the paint tray filled, etc.

The type of marine paint the person in the video was using is perfect for this application, just the right thickness to flow out onto the surface without a lot of drips and sags. That is a tricky part, getting the paint thinned just right for preventing sags.

 

[BelgianPup]

Thank you, Maki2!

 

[NctryBen]

Wow, thanks... I may give it a shot. With help of course.