interior paint

[Jody]

We have the seats stripped, and pretty much hav the interior all cleaned out... now we're ready to start on flooring and paint. My wife wants to paint the light green ceiling/walls with another color. Any recommendations on type of paint/technique?

[bdavis441]

I used white rustoleum, rolled on. Looks nice. Wal-Mart sells an oil-base similar to rustoleum under their Color-Place brand that is cheaper. True-Value has X-Orust (sp?) that is similar. I recommend any good oil base for durability due to the heat cycles the interior sheet metal will see when your bus isn't in use. I don't know how well a latex would last, I did however paint my bathroom with Wal-Mart latex, Time will tell how well it holds up.

Brad

[Jody]

That XO Rust is great paint. I used it on the inside, and it turned out real glossy... more like I want the outside to look. How did you apply it to the exterior?

[Eric von Kleist]

I used BPS Tractor and Implement paint for the exterior. Gloss white. It makes a HUGE difference in the heat rejection, HUGE.

Last week I just washed the bus for the first time in about 5 months. It had been sitting under oak and pine trees, and the top was very...gray...dark gray... As I was washing it, I would go inside and feel the ceiling where I had washed the roof and where I had not yet washed it. The temperature difference between the two areas was at least 10 degrees F, maybe 15.

Now my bus is parked more or less in the open, and it sits in the sun all day. With the windows closed, at the end of the day yesterday it was 82 degrees F in the bus. Outside temp was 75 degrees. The ceiling doesn't even feel warm. Most of the heat is from sun coming in the few windows that aren't covered by shades (which have white linings to reject heat).

Gotta paint that top white, at least in warm locations.

[Jody]

The interior paint is all finished, and soon we'll be looking at the outside.

The art teacher at my kids school told me that she has commercial painting equipment (sprayer etc) and an indoor riding arena where I can park it while we paint it. If we can get that scheduled I may take her up on that.

Can you use XO Rust in a sprayer, or would I be better off using a tractor paint?

[the_experience03]

Either one works fine in a sprayer. You just have to thin them appropriately, but that's going to be an issue with just about any paint I can think of. I helped spray a bus with black rusoleum and it worked GREAT as long as it was thinned right (and the guy painting is a pro so it was). Interestinly enough they covered an entire 59 passenger Wayne with 1 gallon of rustoleum and about a gallon of thinner between thinning, cleaning the gun, etc. That was only one coat, but it was a good coat.

[davido]

Originally Posted by pjespers

Foam rollers worked the best, except for the roof. The XO_Rust on the roof had a ceramic additive to insulate from the sun so foam rollers didn't work; we used regular nap rollers on the roof. Because of the ceramics, the roof is not glossy but a velvety satin finish instead.

This may be an odd question (because I don't know anything about ceramic additives), but does it make the paint brittle? i.e. Can you walk on it without it cracking?

[davido]

Sure does. Thanks.

There is a lot of info on this board about paint, but I haven't found much as far as long term reviews from people who have done it. The pros & cons of their choice. How it came out. How it held up. What they would do different. I'm not sure if this is the appropriate thread for all of that, but I'm certainly curious as there are years of experience on this board.