[Land Yacht]

I need my roof repainted, any suggestions on process, paint, and shop? It seems the current paint was the same color as the sides but "flat" or without clear coat. What reflects the heat, does not hold dirt, and holds up,the best on the roof?

[Brad Townsend]

Thanks for the input Hoosier Daddy. I wondered about the fact of just scuffing the old paint and using it as a primer because if it's been there almost 30 years it may last many more. But what about the areas that are bare aluminum if they are not etched or maybe just a rough sanding finish to give the paint something to grab on to. You would think that if these guys have been in business  for years they must be doing something right. It is confusing to see the huge difference between prices and quoted time to do the job.

[HoosierDaddy]

If it were mine I would hand sand with 600 grit, If there are any areas where I sanded through to aluminum I would hit it with metal-prep, 1 coat of sealer, 1 -2 coats of sand-able primer, color coat and 3 coats of clear. Wet sand with 1000 grit and buff.
If I could offer a warning.....Once this side is done and looking good you may want to do the rest of the coach!!!!
I don't understand the price difference either. Star Jet in Columbus , Ohio quoted $10k to paint my whole coach with 2 colors. It may depend on how much work they already have. I know the two places in Bremen do a lot of OEM work and have been busy. Some shops just figure so many dollars per foot of coach length. Extreme may have done that not realizing that there is no scaffold work required if you only want the bottom 36" painted.
Mike, my roof is white gloss. I like that because it is reflective and easy to clean.
One thing to watch for on coaches with aluminum sides such as Newell is the places where the sides overlap. If the paint and clear are too thick there and "bridge" the gap you will have problems as the coach experiences temperature changes and the aluminum expands and contracts. I'm not sure what the solution is to that and would be interested in any ideas. I'm thinking of running a 1/8'" wide piece of striping tape down that edge after the color coats and before the clear coat then remove just before the clear fully cures. My Newell has almost no paint at that overlap from the factory.

[Brad Townsend]

Re: Roof coating Mike.
Check this stuff out. http://tuffcoat.net
It is expensive but I have used it on a deck and it is great stuff. You can get it in different textures. Easy to clean probably would self clean with the rain and not slippery to walk on. It is all about the preparation as in many cases.

[77newell]

I don't know if this applies to the aluminum on our coaches, but way back in my aircraft days it was absolutely necessary to etch the skin prior to priming and painting. Failure to etch would result in poor paint adhesion. That was decades ago and technology has changed so maybe this too has changed. I would want to know a shop has experience with aluminum.

[qcj]

Mike, my coach's top is done with white truck bed spray.  It is tough and seals great.  It was on there when I bought the coach 5 years ago and still looks the same now as it did then.  It was done professionally.

[encantotom]

in redoing the top of the coach, would you take everything off up there?

tom

[Brad Townsend]

Emailed Precision again and he said they do use etching on bare aluminum.

[Brad Townsend]

Brian I called Chris an left message and its been a while. So i have made a decision to go with Mikes Custom Painting on Oct 30.  Being 3 hours from Rockford Ill. where the wife's family are located we will take a motel for a few days in Rockford while the coach is being painted. Won't have to drive the coach through Chicago and rough roads of Rockford.

Stay tuned for the results.