Ceramic paint

[Thundarfoot]

I know many people use the cermaic paint either inside or out and report various temp control gains.

But while researching it I read several posts or reports that said breathing protection should be worn while painting it on. Someone said this is because if the little hair sized glass beads got in your lungs (which they would since so light and air born) then the body never processes them. To much crap like that in your lungs and they stop functioning properly....good enough reason to wear a good mask yes?

Now I am considering the paint for inside the bus, but am worried that after it dries it might pose a health hazard. I mean what happens to those little glass balls when the paint chips, flakes or gets knocked off by being bumped into by oblects or use etc...

I am thinking once the paint binding lossens for what ever reason then those glass beads would be free to float in the interior air until either breathed in as dust...

Perhaps I am missing something?

[timbuk]

treat all paints with respect. always wear a resperator with the correct filters and have plenty of fresh air.Not sure about the ceramic paints releasing toxic matters after curing,id do the outside or a test area first and check it out. Me i dont think id use it inside timbuk

[frank-id]

Roof coatings work for a while, a very short while. The reflective ability of a roof coating is good till any dust settles on roof, then the purpose is lost.
To reflect any heat, the roof must be clean, and dirt negates the value of the coating. Driving will not remove enough dirt to make the coating effective. The best coating is a bright white with a very high gloss. Solar panels are not the most effective method of making electricity. Solar panels must be clean and track the sun. A relative short time charging with a gen set does a far quicker better recharge than solar panels. Frank

[Thundarfoot]

Thank for all the feedback, I guess I will not be using ceramic on the inside due to health issues.

I think I will still paint the outside with a thick ceramic additive mixture, orginally was going to use lizard skin, but am thinking that grey primer and ceramic balls will be much much cheaper and hopefully help a bit with temp control.

[Thundarfoot]

I like what I have read about the SUPER THERM but am having trouble finding a source to actually purchase it, or at least get a price on it...

a quick google found several "proof" fact sheets but no dealers...Ill keep looking but if anyone knows id like to price check it compared to diy additive and lizardskin....

thanks

[hmcastle55]

Omg..after reading all of that my head is spinning. Mark (painter by trade), is contemplating this idea as our first real project on Boo-Boo. I can tell you this. There is no insulation in here, and on day one of Boo-Boo being parked in the boiling Key West sun all day..she did indeed become the tuna can of hell. We ghetto rigged 3 window A/C's and it did not touch it..added two fans then just for effect. The roof is white (what kind, i dunno) but Mark's looking at what he wants to do this week. It's actually better to be OUTSIDE than inside during those crucial hours 2pm to 6pm..i'd much rather be at work at this point! So, for actual 'liveability'..i'll let you know how the experiment translates to real life after he actually paints the roof. We're also picking and choosing which windows to say good bye too because that's an issue as well. I've got every single blanket I own over all the windows the entire 40ft..it helps, but not much. Next week, I'm making curtains..thick ones. the prospect of me sitting in the isle of Boo-Boo with a sewing machine is going to make for some very interesting pictures.. LOL

[Thundarfoot]

I look forward to seeing your results, good luck!

[slideforlife]

Hi all,

Longtime reader set to begin renovating my newly acquired schoolie (2nd bus) sans tools, skills, a place to work, a decent budget for materials, etc, etc.

My taste runs in spartan/industrial aesthetic, doing as little as possible, making solutions up to problems as I go along – that kind stuff.

So in an effort to avoid having to raise the roof, I was wondering if using the junk stock insulation in the bus, a thick mill of plastic barrier, foil barrier, whatever else I can fit in there and ceramic paint inside and out ‘sgonna do the insulation job for next winter.

Going for a wood/coal stove to keep the interior warm 24/7 with interior water/waste tanks in very cold, cold weather.

I’d insulate like hell, but I don’t want to lose the inches and be spending my inside time crouching.

The threads about ceramic paint are mostly about keeping the heat out rather than in. Hopefully it'll work in reverse.

GlennC in the thread “There and back again…” just wrote about painting with Bus Kote made by Hy-Tech. The company claims their stuff works pretty well and is non-toxic.

Anyone know anyone who’s used this stuff or care to comment on my sketch of a plan?
Pros and cons all appreciated.

Thanks.

[slideforlife]

thanks for the reply, doc.

is the snow cave effect intended?

i'm going with the hy-tech superfrazzamataz too . they've got some sound-deadening stuff i'll probably use as well.
free carpet seems like it's in no short supply in my neighborhood and with plastic sheeting, i'm hoping to get a heavier effect from the foam wafers i'm sticking in there.

i've been reading the roof raising threads and the second after i discount the possibility, i'm tuned into to my local college station playing some ep trance song "raise the roof." so maybe i'll end up bowing to the winds of fate. The thing is, I want a roof deck and the clearance to lash things up there as wacked as a motorcycle sidecar. Between the interior height and the exterior lashings, i'd be way over the limit.

something crummy happened today: a drop of oil came out of what looks like the rear main seal. I've got a 1985 v-8 gas engine with about 80k miles and the thought of major work makes me very nervous.

maybe something like Lucas oil stop leak?

[slideforlife]

Well that's a splash of enlightenment. Thanks, Smitty.

I got the bus to live at about 8000 ft in the winter so I'm looking to outfit it for extreme cold winter use.

I think saving clearance for the roof deck lashings just got crossed off of my priority list.

I keep pets in the bus and don't want my water & waste tanks to freeze, so it looks like rasing the roof for the insulating inches is my only option.

Before I do that I'm going to strip out the interior roof, walls and floor, raise the roof, insulate and then rewire and do the plumbing. I want as much as possible easy to reach for repair.

I got a small garage, so I might have to rent out a bigger space.

[slideforlife]

Originally Posted by Smitty

If I were going to add anything outside of insulation, it would be foil-paper (reflective site towards interior).

ok, thanks, that makes sense and potentially saves plenty of wasted time.
so your opinion of the ceramic paint for cold weather is ? they tout it as able to keep heat in as well.

Originally Posted by Smitty

Not sure what you're referring to regarding "roof deck lashings"?

the recreational equipment I was going to lash on top of my envisioned roof deck.

Originally Posted by Smitty

Raising the roof is your call...

i'd rather go overboard with insulation than have too little, so raising the roof seems inevitable. And, if I'm going to do it, I'd just as soon take it up to the fed limit as long as that's not going to cause some wiggle on the highway.

I read one of your posts about building insulated bays with heating ducts to house the water & waste tanks. Even though it's more work than simply mounting them inside the bus, I like that the tanks would be in an enclosed and dedicated space. I might go that way if blowing heat from a wood/coal stove to them is an easy design.