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Old 08-07-2020, 11:56 AM   #1
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Henry's tropicool for everything?

I recently ran across some tropicool for dirt cheap and picked up 10 gallons. I was considering buying some sort of color dye to add to it so I could paint the whole bus with it. Ill be painting the top just the regular white but don't really want a blinding white on the sides. My questions I have are.

1. Should 10 gallons be able to cover the whole 30ft bus?
2. Has anyone painted this on a vertical surface? If so what's the sag like?
3. Any objections why I shouldn't use this stuff to paint everything?

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Old 08-07-2020, 12:45 PM   #2
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Its silicone, not paint. My tropicool roof is no longer white, its got all kinds of little particles stuck in it. Crazy dirty. I wouldn't do it.


For best results, lots of prep work -> automotive grade paint -> clear coat.
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Old 08-07-2020, 12:59 PM   #3
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Its silicone, not paint. My tropicool roof is no longer white, its got all kinds of little particles stuck in it. Crazy dirty. I wouldn't do it.


For best results, lots of prep work -> automotive grade paint -> clear coat.
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Old 08-07-2020, 02:54 PM   #4
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Please do so...and post photos of the sags and orange peel.

As a warning to all the future people that continue to think it's the best product out there for heat blocking and therefore also constantly ask on fb and other online forums, if they can/should use it for their entire rigs.[emoji854]

You'll be doing it for science.

The people thank you.
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Old 08-07-2020, 05:16 PM   #5
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I wouldn’t do that. It will look like crap in no time and stripping it off would extra-suck
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Old 08-08-2020, 12:15 PM   #6
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Nowhere in my post did I make a joking comment. So I don't know why asking me if I'm joking, is you're way of replying to my questions. You're basically calling me an idiot for even considering it.
There are no stupid questions... people just have to be willing to learn.


I find the idea absurd, but that is because I've used the product and know it wouldn't have the desired effect. Your question isn't absurd, its prudence and caution.
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Old 08-08-2020, 12:32 PM   #7
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There are no stupid questions... people just have to be willing to learn.


I find the idea absurd, but that is because I've used the product and know it wouldn't have the desired effect. Your question isn't absurd, its prudence and caution.
More than willing to learn. Yes I had my doubts and that's why I came here to ask for advise. Just don't know why people have to be rude while giving advise to someone who's clearly never used to product and was just looking for someone with experience with the product.
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Old 08-08-2020, 12:48 PM   #8
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White tractor paint is cheap and easy to apply. Would never bother with Tropicool given how it ages and the absurd costs involved.
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:00 PM   #9
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If you paint a bus in silicone and decide you don't like it you'll have the most immense job you could imagine getting it all off and getting actual paint to stick.
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Old 08-08-2020, 01:10 PM   #10
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Quote:
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Please do so...and post photos of the sags and orange peel.

As a warning to all the future people that continue to think it's the best product out there for heat blocking and therefore also constantly ask on fb and other online forums, if they can/should use it for their entire rigs.[emoji854]

You'll be doing it for science.

The people thank you.

Awesome
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Old 08-09-2020, 12:18 PM   #11
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Just to get past the childish bickering......

Has anyone ever used ANY paint, WITH the magic powder, or beads, on the interior of their ceiling? Seems to me that if it was applied inside and then the interior ( fill in the blank) used for your final interior ceiling, may work. Not as well as on the exterior application, but with some good.

Carry on!
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Old 08-09-2020, 12:54 PM   #12
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Just to get past the childish bickering......

Has anyone ever used ANY paint, WITH the magic powder, or beads, on the interior of their ceiling? Seems to me that if it was applied inside and then the interior ( fill in the blank) used for your final interior ceiling, may work. Not as well as on the exterior application, but with some good.

Carry on!
Those magic beads will work just as well on the inside of the bus as on the outside.
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Old 08-10-2020, 12:43 PM   #13
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So, just to pile on here...what brands of paint ARE best for the exterior? Especially if I want to use uncommon colors like green or purple ?
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Old 08-10-2020, 12:52 PM   #14
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Any oil based enamel should do. Avoid stuff like latex water based house paints.
Rustoleum does a decent job for cheap. You can get the valspar equivalent at Lowes and its tintable.
If you're going to spend a lot of time on body work and prep its worth considering an automotive grade paint.
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Old 08-10-2020, 02:11 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
Any oil based enamel should do. Avoid stuff like latex water based house paints.
Rustoleum does a decent job for cheap. You can get the valspar equivalent at Lowes and its tintable.
If you're going to spend a lot of time on body work and prep its worth considering an automotive grade paint.
I'll second this.

You can tint the rustoleum to whatever color you would like.

I used rustoleum, and it looked great for a year or two. But sitting out in the weather the entire time, it's definitely aged.

I think the next time I try, I'll either use a hardener with the enamel, or I'll use an implement paint of some sort.

Truthfully, if you want your bus to look good, and look good for a long time, put in the prep work and use some sort of automotive finish, be it single or multi-multistage.
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Old 08-12-2020, 04:18 PM   #16
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We used it on our whole bus. It dripped all down the sides all over. It bubbled on the roof and created pockets for the water to get underneath like a water balloon. It looked terrible. We sanded down the worst spots and repainted with rustoleum. It still looks bad, but we decided to leave it. After not too long, it began to peel up in corners and stuff. It is like a sheet of thin plastic. It peels like a bad sunburn. Also, it did nothing to stop the bus from getting super hot. We put a roof-deck on the whole thing, which helped quite a bit to protect us from the heat of the sun. But the Tropicool did nothing.
In the end, we'll end up re-painting someday. Or maybe we won't. But right now it's ugly.
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Old 08-12-2020, 06:44 PM   #17
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Keep it civil folks. Useful contributions are always welcome.
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Old 08-13-2020, 06:29 AM   #18
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My tropicool roof looks fine if I just cleaned it by hand with a cloth but as soon as it rains there it is full of dirt again. What’s the best way to remove it all - scraping by hand?
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Old 08-13-2020, 08:32 AM   #19
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Those magic beads will work just as well on the inside of the bus as on the outside.
Wasn’t there a thread a few years back that Tango( damn I miss that guy) used some kind of beads in his paint, and it dropped the temp significantly?
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Old 08-13-2020, 10:26 AM   #20
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"Bead" additives have pretty much been panned by professionals (like architects) and the FTC. Here are a couple of sites worth looking at before you cough up the $$$ for beads:

https://www.treehugger.com/ceramic-p...t-work-4858027.

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/insulating-paint/.

Jack
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