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Old 06-30-2018, 09:34 PM   #1
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Tried rolling paint; next time we spray

Quick note: next time I'll spray rather than roll/brush paint my bus.

Problems: too hot and I used acetone as a thinner, so the rolled paint was often dry before I was able to tip it (draw a paintbrush lightly over the orange peel texture). So we have an odd combination of rolled orange peel texture, brush marks, and sags. Sigh.

BUT... the bus is blue, which was the main task. Won't get popped by the State Police in IA, IL, ID, CA, and possibly other states. And from 50' away it will do fine.

The remaining yellow will soon be painted white.

And for anyone curious, two gallons covered both sides up the windows, the back, and should cover the nose, and with perhaps a pint left over. This was Tractor Supply's "Majic" version of Rustoleum. I used hardener (small bottle for one gallon), and thinned somewhat with acetone (yesterday) and mineral spirits (today).


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Old 07-02-2018, 02:30 PM   #2
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Not sure why you would thin that with Acetone. That stuff evaporates almost instantly...
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Old 07-02-2018, 02:43 PM   #3
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Like the vibrant blue! You'll be safe now in WI too (no yellow buses).
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Old 07-02-2018, 05:53 PM   #4
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Not sure why you would thin that with Acetone. That stuff evaporates almost instantly...
Somebody here said to. I'm guessing they were spraying, though - I would chalk it up to my not paying proper attention before I would call it bad advice.
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Old 07-03-2018, 03:16 PM   #5
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Somebody here said to. I'm guessing they were spraying, though - I would chalk it up to my not paying proper attention before I would call it bad advice.
Yes, you would thin / reduce for spraying. Acetone still seems a bit voliatile for even that. Depending on the paint, and the ratio should be adjusted for the temperature....

FWIW, I have seen very few Skoolies with what I would call a good paint job.... That reminds me, I think I am supposed to do some photoshop for a member here on a paint scheme idea...
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Old 07-03-2018, 04:20 PM   #6
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...FWIW, I have seen very few Skoolies with what I would call a good paint job....
To be honest, it's a fairly decent 50-foot paint job, which was the goal. I want the State Trooper 50' away to say, "Welp, it ain't a schoolbus. Let 'im through..."
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Old 07-03-2018, 04:51 PM   #7
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To be honest, it's a fairly decent 50-foot paint job, which was the goal. I want the State Trooper 50' away to say, "Welp, it ain't a schoolbus. Let 'im through..."
Most I have seen look like they have been painted alongside a barn being painted too. Some look far better. The issue usually is a lot of folks converting busses don't really bother with any sort of paint prep... And it shows in the end results.
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Old 07-03-2018, 08:52 PM   #8
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Most I have seen look like they have been painted alongside a barn being painted too. Some look far better. The issue usually is a lot of folks converting busses don't really bother with any sort of paint prep... And it shows in the end results.
Improper prep and letting the person at Lowes recommend the paint are the two biggest reasons folks don't get better results most of the time.
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Old 07-14-2018, 04:18 PM   #9
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First off you use mineral spirits to thin that type of paint.
Secondly if you roll or brush it on, you do not thin it. Even if you spray... you thin it very little.
The other bad thing about using these walmart type oil base paints is they fade very fast & easy in the sun.

Think what you will, but after painting quite a few buses........ using a roller ( with correct nap) and a "premium" 100% pure acrylic house paint ( such as Pittsburg "Sun Proof") will yield excellent results. Easy to apply, Easy to clean up, dries fast and covers good, is UV protected so it does not easily fade ( takes years)..is anti mold-mildew-moss. Coverage is great.

I mean...think about it.... what is house paint designed to do?

If you believe you must spray... use a quality PPG auto paint...or a good implement type paint...prepare it correctly... be prepared to do a huge amount of sanding & rubbing... spray in a clean enviroment because bugs and dirt are your enemy. Be ready for a lot of work to get it right.

Or pay a professional painter a load of cash to properly paint your bus.

Myself............ I use the above mentioned house paint and am never disappointed in the results or stressed with applying it.

But to each their own.
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Old 07-14-2018, 04:37 PM   #10
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Thank you!
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Old 07-14-2018, 05:20 PM   #11
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Think what you will, but after painting quite a few buses........ using a roller ( with correct nap) and a "premium" 100% pure acrylic house paint ( such as Pittsburg "Sun Proof") will yield excellent results. Easy to apply, Easy to clean up, dries fast and covers good, is UV protected so it does not easily fade ( takes years)..is anti mold-mildew-moss. Coverage is great.
I'm curious as to what nap you consider "correct"? Also, what kind of prep do you do before painting like this?
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Old 07-14-2018, 06:01 PM   #12
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I'm curious as to what nap you consider "correct"? Also, what kind of prep do you do before painting like this?
Too thick a nap leaves a rougher finish........too thin a nap rolls it too thin and doesn't cover as well.
It becomes obvious when you roll it on. Buy a few different roller naps and give it a go on a small area first.

Prep??? That depends on condition of surface. Sometimes all it needs is a wash and rinse. Or it could need some light sanding. Maybe it needs rust removal or even body repairs Each case is unique.

Regardless, you always want to apply paint to a clean surface to get the best adherence.

I like to do all my "cut in" with a brush before I roll. Seems to come out best that way.
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Old 07-14-2018, 08:40 PM   #13
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That Magic Tractor Paint from Tractor Supply is good stuff.
We have tractors that have been painted with it for years and sits outside continually with no fading or chalking.

It might have been me that suggested thinning it.
We used a Harbor freight $15 HVLP spray gun and had to thin it to work for us.

It worked so well, we now spray our race car tube frames with the stuff and it is very durable on dirt track cars.

A nice addition is they also sell matching paint in rattlecans so you can do touchup later.
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Old 07-14-2018, 10:57 PM   #14
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I'd have to disagree with the comments about house paint being the best. Having seen a ton of buses with house paint and buses painted with oil based enamel there's no comparison. The oil based enamel looks GREAT compared to house paint.

YMMV.
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Old 07-14-2018, 11:22 PM   #15
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I'd have to disagree with the comments about house paint being the best. Having seen a ton of buses with house paint and buses painted with oil based enamel there's no comparison. The oil based enamel looks GREAT compared to house paint.

YMMV.
Not once did i claim house paint "was best".

I said IMHO it worked well, was easy, cost effective and was long lasting.

Of course not all house paints or house painters are equal.

Cheap latex house paint on a dirty bus applied by an newbie painter will surely yield inferior results.

Oil base paints like Rust-Oleum not only are harder to apply but also fade badly in the sun and do not prevent or kill rust as some imagine.

I have applied and have seen others buses painted with "HIGH QUALITY" 100% acrylic house paint that looked gorgeous and holds up great for years.

But in reality...the point I was trying to make was to illustrate that there are "EASY" - "COST EFFECTIVE" alternatives that most any human can do that will yield very good results and without braking the bank or getting overly stressed or over worked to accomplish this.


THE RIGHT OIL PAINTS...will also yield a nice paint job... KEY PHRASE BEING "RIGHT". Just harder, more prep work, slower dry time etc, etc, etc.......

Then lets factor in the fact that 90% or more folks out there do not own compressors, spray guns or the abilities to use them if they did.

The majority of skoolie folks out there just want a nice pain free, cost effective way to color their buses and have them come out looking good and lasting a long time.

It's all what ya want and to each their own.

I wish you and yours many fine times applying oil paint to your buses.

CHEERS.
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Old 07-14-2018, 11:34 PM   #16
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BTW - Here is the last bus I painted with "house paint".......

About anyone I ever met said it looked pretty darn good to them. Many were surprised when told it was house paint applied with a roller and brush.

Oh, I free hand painted the flames too.
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Old 07-15-2018, 12:21 AM   #17
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Oil base paints like Rust-Oleum not only are harder to apply but also fade badly in the sun and do not prevent or kill rust as some imagine.

I have applied and have seen others buses painted with "HIGH QUALITY" 100% acrylic house paint that looked gorgeous and holds up great for years.

I have two questions:

1) Which colors fade more than others? I've had green and red cars which both faded and deteriorated badly after a few years, and was told that those two colors are known for fading badly, especially in hot SoCal sun. I would like to paint my bus either Almond (boring, but has surprisingly high solar reflectivity), or some variation of silver/gray/light blue, but are either of those colors bad for fading?

2) Is acrylic house paint water- or oil-based? Are there issues with it on top of existing bus paint? I know that some different families of paint don't play well together.

John
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Old 07-15-2018, 02:52 AM   #18
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You might try industrial acrylic paint. It's made for painting things like ag equipment. I've got ten years on my bus's paint and it's still good. Just do good prep. It's water soluble. I used an airless sprayer.
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Old 07-15-2018, 03:02 AM   #19
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Oh, I free hand painted the flames too.
Nice job! We went with white over blue, and it looks snappy. But it isn't as cool as yours...
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Old 07-15-2018, 07:03 AM   #20
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BTW - Here is the last bus I painted with "house paint".......

About anyone I ever met said it looked pretty darn good to them. Many were surprised when told it was house paint applied with a roller and brush.

Oh, I free hand painted the flames too.
Glad you elaborated...

I've seen a ton of buses painted with water based latex and it looks really bad.
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