Painting - inside and out

[Charris]

What is the best paint to use inside for ceiling, window frames etc?
And for the outside? Paint that will stand up to travel, heat, rain etc?
I would like to add some custom images to the outside. What's the best paint to use for that?
I didn't see a discussion on this in the forums. If there is one, could someone point me in that direction?
Thanks!

[Velocipedic]

For my floor and any metal surface on the interior of the bus, I've used Rustoleum High Performance Metal Primer. Oil based paints adhere the best to metal and especially in areas that are rusty or prone to rust, I'm happy to spend the money and time to do it right and never worry about it again. I did extensive pre-treating too. On the floor I'm also going to put down an enamel topcoat.

As far as exterior paint for artsy stuff goes, I don't know. I'm planning on doing some minimal vinyls on the exterior.

[Twigg]

Oil-based enamels.

Rustoleum makes a whole range of colors for tractors and other heavy equipment. They can be sprayed, brushed or rolled on.

[Robin97396]

Agreed, Rustoleum is pretty much the go to paint for most of us. Car paints are crazy expensive but adhere well. They say it's all in the prep.

[EastCoastCB]

Rustoleum. With a hardener. And thinned a bit.

[Ronnie]

If garage kept rustoleum will work well. Of course most of us keep them outside. From my experience painting railroad cars rustoleum lasts about two years before fading. Buffing and waxing will help. I have been using Interlux topside polyurethane (boat paint) lately and this gives a very nice finish, and is longer lasting by a good bit over rustoleum. I have been using this paint on boats for some time now,as I am a boat builder by trade. Figure about $120 a gallon.I know not cheap, but with all the prep work for me it is worth it not to repaint every few years. It can be rolled or brushed on.

[Ronnie]

For graphics, my wife does all her sign painting in "One Shot" sign paint, really great stuff, and lots of colors to choose from. Brush or roll on.

[Twigg]

Here in Oklahoma, new buses from the factory are fading in two years.

[cadillackid]

a tale of 2 busses!! prep work is everything!! my DEV bus was painted with a single stage urethane paint... the dealer did a huge amount of prep work to it... ive had that bus 19 months now and its paint is holding up very well.. ..

my red bus was painted by a bus painter.. that did clean and go over the original paint with block sanding and some chemicals.. it is base / clear.. and it likes to chip off.. esp the fiberglass hood.. these guys are super cool and never charge me to fix it back up.. however the base / clear doesnt seem to be holding up near as well as the single stage. it does shine fantastic though..
-Christopher

[Oddball]

Originally Posted by Ronnie

If garage kept rustoleum will work well. Of course most of us keep them outside. From my experience painting railroad cars rustoleum lasts about two years before fading. Buffing and waxing will help. I have been using Interlux topside polyurethane (boat paint) lately and this gives a very nice finish, and is longer lasting by a good bit over rustoleum. I have been using this paint on boats for some time now,as I am a boat builder by trade. Figure about $120 a gallon.I know not cheap, but with all the prep work for me it is worth it not to repaint every few years. It can be rolled or brushed on.

That's a great idea! I don't mind paying the extra price. I figure I'm already saving over a couple thousand dollars doing it myself and having a blast in the process. Besides, I need the added exercise with my arms.

A couple hundred additional dollars spent in paint that will last longer will be worth it by not having to paint the bus as often.

[EastCoastCB]

You can make rustoleum last a lot longer by adding a hardener.

[kidhack]

My dad restores classic cars, so I'm hoping he would be willing to help me with automotive paint for the bus, but I know that bill is going to be hefty. A big vehicle like a bus will take a LOT of paint and Dad is a perfectionist and will want to do a million coats until it's glossy and perfect.

Rustoleum sounds like the way to go until we're super sure about investing in something as expensive as automotive paint.

[thrifty1]

Why have i not seen tractor paint mentioned as an exterior coating? I probably missed it but i think it is worth mentioning. I plan on using tractor paint thinned down and hardened applied with a sprayer for exterior and maybe even interior. Tractor supply has it very cheap and tractor paint gets VERY hard.

[Tango]

Tractor paint is indeed good stuff. And one of my favorite colors is only avail as such...pre-1960's Minneapolis Moline Prarie Gold.

Check out the very cool Coupe tractor...

https://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/th...ed&setCookie=1

The later color is just safety (Skoolie) yellow.

[Twigg]

So you may have simply seen it called something else.

The Rustoleum range of oil-based enamels, which are very popular, are pretty much the same thing as their implement paints.