Painting a bus

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by LisaRiel

How bout the exterior?

Nevermind, no delete.

[firebuild]

Originally Posted by davido

I'm also curious as to sources on the Rustoleum. We looked all over the place for it here and in Houston. No dice. Any national chains carry it locally for you? Home Depot. Sherwin Williams. Lowe's. WalMart. etc.

I am in California and could get Rustoleum only in certain colors because of VOC compliance issues in the state.

I just bought Behr Direct to Metal paint at Home Depot, tinted to my color of choice. Have not painted yet but I will report back once I do.

[firebuild]

I realized that I never reported back on the success level with the Behr direct-to-metal. My answer is... it's OK. The plus, an infinite range of colors and a really nice sheen. The minus, now that I'm in MA there are a couple of peeling spots. I would love to have had the time and money and/or skill level to clear coat on top. I love how it looks, but am a little bit worried i'll be painting again after the winter.

[Tanker Pilot]

I really really dislike sanding. REALLY. I want to make this chore as much of a non-chore as possible. Has anyone used or entertained using a sandblaster? I have two friends who each own machines.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Tanker Pilot

I really really dislike sanding. REALLY. I want to make this chore as much of a non-chore as possible. Has anyone used or entertained using a sandblaster? I have two friends who each own machines.

Sandblasting is ok for taking ALL the finish off. Most of us are just surface prepping for the paint. The school bus paint isn't bad paint. Its just the wrong color for 98% of us.

[Tanker Pilot]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Sandblasting is ok for taking ALL the finish off. Most of us are just surface prepping for the paint. The school bus paint isn't bad paint. Its just the wrong color for 98% of us.

I hear ya. I want to do mine camo. Is there such a thing as just doing a "light" sandblasting - without going down to bare metal all over? I'd rather spray the whole buswith primer after a good sandblasting than sand it by hand. With hand sanding I think I'd most likely miss spots around drip rails and other crannies.

[Tango]

If the original finish is in reasonable shape (i.e., well bonded, not peeling) then all that is needed is a little surface prep before laying down new paint. No need to go to bare metal unless you are dealing with rusty areas or paint that is lifting (much of mine was falling off in huge flakes).



It must be clean and have a little "tooth" in order to achieve a good bond. A scrub down with TSP or even paint thinner (flammable!) will remove any thing oily. Knocking down the surface sheen can be done with a coarse "scuff" pad or chemically using a de-glossing prep such as "Liquid Sandpaper".


Just remember...getting even a "decent" paint job is still 98% prep.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Sandblasting is ok for taking ALL the finish off. Most of us are just surface prepping for the paint. The school bus paint isn't bad paint. Its just the wrong color for 98% of us.

as long as you arent looking at paint on Bluebirds and freightliners from thye early 00;s. im guessing about the time the EPA really started cracking down on paint sludge in vehicle factories forcing them to go to much inferior paints to the good stuff used previously.. ive seen a LOT of bluebird vision Gen 1's. with paint peeling in sheets (remember GM of the 80s and 90s?).. your fiberglass hood is the most vulnerable it seems and takes the most prep-work to get paint to stick..



the older busses definitely for the most part had solid paint.. unless of course you have rust creeping up. then no paint job is going to stick.. it just has to be fixed or encapsulated / converted before paint..



-Christopher

[Tanker Pilot]

Originally Posted by Tango

...It must be clean and have a little "tooth" in order to achieve a good bond. A scrub down with TSP or even paint thinner (flammable!) will remove any thing oily. Knocking down the surface sheen can be done with a coarse "scuff" pad or chemically using a de-glossing prep such as "Liquid Sandpaper".


Just remember...getting even a "decent" paint job is still 98% prep.

I suppose I could start with sanding and see how it goes, then resort to other methods if I find the job overly distasteful. I am looking forward to every other part of this conversion. I know I will find it therapeutic and rewarding . . . but not sanding . . .

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Tanker Pilot

I suppose I could start with sanding and see how it goes, then resort to other methods if I find the job overly distasteful. I am looking forward to every other part of this conversion. I know I will find it therapeutic and rewarding . . . but not sanding . . .

Sanding is going to be "distasteful". Its why you see so many horrible paint jobs on old buses.

[siloguy]

The sanding isn't very hard per square foot. Only problem is there is about an acre of bus to prep! I spent more time getting the pesky decals off than I did prepping the rest of the bus. I tried heat and chemicals and nothing worked very good. You are not trying to remove paint at all, just scuff it up. I missed a few spots around the crash rails and the cowl right behind the hood and my nice paint peeled off after about a year in those spots. My roof was white already and felt coarse from oxidation. I didn't prep it at all and tried to mist some more white paint up there standing on a stepladder. It seems to be staying on OK.

[ladybird_bus]

Hi there! If you're still on the forum I'd love to hear how your paint job held up. We're about to start on a first conversion and it looks like painting the exterior is a job we should do sooner rather than later.
(This was actually meant for one specific poster - thought I was replying directly to him - but actually I would like to hear back from anyone who painted their bus themselves a while back and how it's held up)

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by ladybird_bus

Hi there! If you're still on the forum I'd love to hear how your paint job held up. We're about to start on a first conversion and it looks like painting the exterior is a job we should do sooner rather than later.
(This was actually meant for one specific poster - thought I was replying directly to him - but actually I would like to hear back from anyone who painted their bus themselves a while back and how it's held up)

If replying to a specific post you are referring to use the "quote" link, like I did here.

[ladybird_bus]

Thanks. I thought I had. It didn't work though. Perhaps the quotee is no longer active or something.

Originally Posted by o1marc

If replying to a specific post you are referring to use the "quote" link, like I did here.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by ladybird_bus

Thanks. I thought I had. It didn't work though. Perhaps the quotee is no longer active or something.

wouldn't matter if they are active or not, the posts stay active.

[firebuild]

Originally Posted by firebuild

I realized that I never reported back on the success level with the Behr direct-to-metal. My answer is... it's OK. The plus, an infinite range of colors and a really nice sheen. The minus, now that I'm in MA there are a couple of peeling spots. I would love to have had the time and money and/or skill level to clear coat on top. I love how it looks, but am a little bit worried i'll be painting again after the winter.

Well, here is the latest. I don't think I was who you were actually talking to, but I never miss an opportunity to talk about Buster!

I don't think I detailed the actual painting process. It was the most basic you can get, a roller job. As someone else mentioned, the hardest part was getting the decals off. Other than that, I did a little light sanding, Bondo-ed a couple of spots that needed evening out, and went for it.

As I mentioned I used the Behr Direct to Metal. No primer because I couldn't afford it. No clear coat, either, for the same reason. The Behr is less than $40 a gallon. It took me a gallon and change to pain my 4-window shorty. Total cost to paint including the elastomeric roof stuff (mentioned below) was $130, and I still have 3/4 of a gallon at least for touch ups.

When I bought it, it was available in only one finish, which was described as being basically semi-gloss. I notice it seems to be available in gloss now, but anyway, it turns out it had a beautiful sheen. Not necessarily a glossy sheen, but an almost iridescent quality in the right light. There have been a few significant snows so far this winter, and a LOT of rain, and nothing has dulled that. I still LOVE the sheen on Buster, especially as the sun is going down, when the paint just about glows. Of course, it's only been 9 months.

I would use this paint again if I were in the same financial situation, but I would try to find a way to clear coat it. There are a few scratches, the product of de-icing that was a bit too vigorous, where you see the original school bus yellow. I kept some of the trim in that color so it's not super jarring when you see it, but of course I would prefer not to have the scratches. Without the financial limitation, I'd do bona fide two stage automotive paint, I think.

Now, what I WOULDN'T do, probably, is choose this color. Though I do love it, I have now heard it described as "converted school bus blue" and it seems every other bus is a variant on the robin's-egg-to-light-teal palate. I would stick with the overall concept but go much darker, I think. Or else I'd paint it red, or orange, or white with some kind of pattern. I don't know. I thought I was being original. Guess the Zeitgeist got me on that one.

FOR THE INTERIOR: I kept my original metal ceiling because I like it - it has a woodgrain pattern embossed into it. I painted it with Rustoleum Protective Enamel gloss in white. It came out great, and the paint was very forgiving, even rolling on smoothly over a bit of packing tape nothing in the world would remove. I even ended up using it on the naugahyde headers in some places - it stuck fine though took much longer to dry, but is probably a little too shiny for this purpose. I'll post a picture at some point.

FOR THE ROOF: I was able to score some Henry Elastomeric roof coating from an RVer who had leftovers. I highly recommend this. Not only does it LOOK great, it also lowers the interior temperature. On my cross-country drive, in 126 degree weather (Death Valley) with no AC, the driver's seat area was roasting (all that windshield), but the back remained livable with curtains drawn. I can't say for sure it was the paint, but really, what else could it have been? That sun, beating down on a metal box, could have been unbearable but it wasn't. The Henry coating is much less glossy than the paint job and that gives a nice contrast, I think.

So that is my long winded review of my paint situation. I might repaint for the fun of it (and to rethink the color) sometime in 2019 but it won't be because I HAVE to. Once the winter ends it should be pretty easy to touch up my little scratchy spots.

[siloguy]

I painted my bus 2 1/2 years ago. I used tractor paint and primer from TSC, IH red and white. I can see every place that I didn't hit with sandpaper, as my paint has peeled badly and the yellow is trying to come back. I sanded the hood well and it bonded well, also the back and flat panels along the side are good. The black crash rails I did not sand, I think I just rubbed them with steel wool, and they are the worst, but they looked good for about 1 year before peeling. For some reason, I neglected to sand the cowl area between the hood and windshield and it has reverted to mostly yellow as well. Also I used red IH paint, and I park outside, and the color has faded a lot, maybe a clear coat would have helped there and maybe better paint as well. I sprayed it all with an automotive type HVLP sprayer.

[firebuild]

Originally Posted by siloguy

IAlso I used red IH paint, and I park outside, and the color has faded a lot, maybe a clear coat would have helped there and maybe better paint as well. I sprayed it all with an automotive type HVLP sprayer.

When I was researching sign colors for my business, which was in Southern California in a spot that got sun all day, I discovered that red is the fastest fading color.

[chiggins]

Originally Posted by firebuild

Well, here is the latest. I don't think I was who you were actually talking to, but I never miss an opportunity to talk about Buster!

I don't think I detailed the actual painting process. It was the most basic you can get, a roller job. As someone else mentioned, the hardest part was getting the decals off. Other than that, I did a little light sanding, Bondo-ed a couple of spots that needed evening out, and went for it.

As I mentioned I used the Behr Direct to Metal. No primer because I couldn't afford it. No clear coat, either, for the same reason. The Behr is less than $40 a gallon. It took me a gallon and change to pain my 4-window shorty. Total cost to paint including the elastomeric roof stuff (mentioned below) was $130, and I still have 3/4 of a gallon at least for touch ups.

When I bought it, it was available in only one finish, which was described as being basically semi-gloss. I notice it seems to be available in gloss now, but anyway, it turns out it had a beautiful sheen. Not necessarily a glossy sheen, but an almost iridescent quality in the right light. There have been a few significant snows so far this winter, and a LOT of rain, and nothing has dulled that. I still LOVE the sheen on Buster, especially as the sun is going down, when the paint just about glows. Of course, it's only been 9 months.

I would use this paint again if I were in the same financial situation, but I would try to find a way to clear coat it. There are a few scratches, the product of de-icing that was a bit too vigorous, where you see the original school bus yellow. I kept some of the trim in that color so it's not super jarring when you see it, but of course I would prefer not to have the scratches. Without the financial limitation, I'd do bona fide two stage automotive paint, I think.

Now, what I WOULDN'T do, probably, is choose this color. Though I do love it, I have now heard it described as "converted school bus blue" and it seems every other bus is a variant on the robin's-egg-to-light-teal palate. I would stick with the overall concept but go much darker, I think. Or else I'd paint it red, or orange, or white with some kind of pattern. I don't know. I thought I was being original. Guess the Zeitgeist got me on that one.

FOR THE INTERIOR: I kept my original metal ceiling because I like it - it has a woodgrain pattern embossed into it. I painted it with Rustoleum Protective Enamel gloss in white. It came out great, and the paint was very forgiving, even rolling on smoothly over a bit of packing tape nothing in the world would remove. I even ended up using it on the naugahyde headers in some places - it stuck fine though took much longer to dry, but is probably a little too shiny for this purpose. I'll post a picture at some point.

FOR THE ROOF: I was able to score some Henry Elastomeric roof coating from an RVer who had leftovers. I highly recommend this. Not only does it LOOK great, it also lowers the interior temperature. On my cross-country drive, in 126 degree weather (Death Valley) with no AC, the driver's seat area was roasting (all that windshield), but the back remained livable with curtains drawn. I can't say for sure it was the paint, but really, what else could it have been? That sun, beating down on a metal box, could have been unbearable but it wasn't. The Henry coating is much less glossy than the paint job and that gives a nice contrast, I think.

So that is my long winded review of my paint situation. I might repaint for the fun of it (and to rethink the color) sometime in 2019 but it won't be because I HAVE to. Once the winter ends it should be pretty easy to touch up my little scratchy spots.

Hate to bring a thread back from the dead after such a long period of time, but I wanted to check back in with you and see how this has gone since your last update. I was talking to a Behr rep at Home Depot and they were recommending the direct to metal paint. I'd be using a primer with it since it'd be in the budget. Clear coat would be an interesting idea, I didn't think about that before. I'd like the finish to be durable so I don't have to go back in a few years and do a repaint. Thanks!

[bus-bro]

Are you grinding down to bare metal? If not: the best paint job on the bus is the one it came with. So if you don't have a coating failure, just scrub with TSP, rinse and let dry, then paint, no primer needed. "Just scrub" is a vigorous Scotch-Brite scrub of every surface, and then a thorough fresh water rinse. And it takes several warm days for all that water to dribble out of the rub rails.

I've got 12 years on an airless sprayed industrial acrylic paint job. It still looks good and industrial, though it's time has come.

The thing is that when you paint on the top of that school bus yellow is that if you scratch the paint you'll see that accursed school bus yellow again. I guess you just can't escape your roots.