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Many people have a love/hate relationship when it comes to painting. Thrilled by the end result, haunted by the prep and labor. Below, I've provided my go-to materials as well as tips/tricks when painting in an RV.
PAINT / PRIMER:
Walls: Sherwin Williams Superpaint in Satin
Cabinets: Sherwin Williams ProClassic in Semi-Gloss
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PAINT / PREP:
Remove all cabinet doors and drawers.
Use a DA orbital sander with 220 grit to sand every inch you’re going to paint. Put some muscle in it & wear a mask!
Use TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) mixed with warm water per the instructions on the box to wipe down everything you sanded with a sponge. Wear gloves!
Go back over the same areas with plain warm water and a sponge.
I use an industrial spray gun (Graco Magnum 262805 X7 Cart Airless Paint Sprayer) to prime & paint but you can use a roller if you don’t have access to a sprayer.
If using a sprayer, cover the windows with kraft paper or plastic and tape up with frog tape. If using a roller, tape the window frames. If you’re not the best at taping, you can tape and use a razor blade to cut the tape to the exact edge of the window frame.
Apply primer.
Wait 24 hours and tape off the section you want to paint. I typically do the walls first so I tape off the ceiling and cabinets.
If you’re using a sprayer, you will need to cover the ceiling 18” in from the wall with kraft paper or plastic and frog tape. If you’re not installing a new floor, you will need to cover the entire floor and tape along the edges by the wall.
If you’re using a roller, you will only need to tape off the ceiling but I still recommend taping 18” of kraft paper along the edge of the floor to stop any paint drips or splatter from the roller if you’re not installing a new floor.
If using an industrial sprayer, you will most likely only need one coat. If you are using a roller, it will probably take 2-3 coats for full coverage.
Remove the frog tape immediately after you finish painting.
Let the area you painted dry for a few days before taping off for the next area.
Tape off your next area the same as before depending on if you’re using a sprayer or a roller and repeat the process. Remember to remove the tape as soon as you’re done!
I prime & paint the fronts and backs of my cabinet doors and drawer faces in my shop or outside depending on the weather. I recommend using some sort of riser (solo cups work great) to keep them off the ground while painting.
I always wait to install the cabinet doors and drawers at the end of the renovation to keep them from getting banged up through the rest of the remodel.
Paint typically takes up to 14 days to fully cure so be careful not to scratch or bump it for 2 weeks.
Stay tuned for additional tips/tricks when it comes to remodeling recreational vehicles.