Need to get my caravan painted

Hylda&Jon · Guru

Need to get my caravan painted

mezza56 · Senior Member

Hi H&J , the prep on a caravan would be fairly intensive , but if you could rub it all back ready to spray and mask it all , it should save you considerably . But then you have to find someone willing to spray it , an automotive spray paint would give the best result It would be a big job even on a van the size you have .

Possum3 · Guru

Jon,
Don't know of any in Grafton area. Here is a good place in SW Sydney www.philjohnsonsmashrepairs.com.au/caravan-trailer-repairs

Colin Young at Caravan Council may be able to point you in the direction of a reputable guy in Grafton. http://www.caravancouncil.com.au/

-- Edited by Possum3 on Monday 12th of March 2018 08:24:09 PM

hako · Guru

I'm guessing but I figure you want sell an older van as paint is bad so you do not want to spend a lot of $$$.
Cheapest way is first to find a panel beater/spraypainter locally. You don't need a specialist - a caravan is not special, just another vehicle.
Tell the spraypainter that you have a caravan you want painted, tell them you will mask all windows etc and remove all door catches, handles etc so he just have to spray. Ask about what you need to do to prepare the surface which normally on an aluminium acrylic coated surface will probably be just go over with a product like prepsol or just turps. Remember you are selling the van not a RollsRoyce! They can also order and apply any decals etc.
I'd reckon $600 to $1000 as long as you do all the preparation which is easy but time consuming.

Good Luck.

dogbox · Guru

hako wrote:

I'm guessing but I figure you want sell an older van as paint is bad so you do not want to spend a lot of $$$.

Cheapest way is first to find a panel beater/spraypainter locally. You don't need a specialist - a caravan is not special, just another vehicle.

Tell the spraypainter that you have a caravan you want painted, tell them you will mask all windows etc and remove all door catches, handles etc so he just have to spray. Ask about what you need to do to prepare the surface which normally on an aluminium acrylic coated surface will probably be just go over with a product like prepsol or just turps. Remember you are selling the van not a RollsRoyce! They can also order and apply any decals etc.

I'd reckon $600 to $1000 as long as you do all the preparation which is easy but time consuming.

Good Luck.

the finish will be a direct reflection on the quality of the preparation an it is reasonably easy but time consuming for someone with some experience !!

blaze · Guru

I would drop the price and let new owner worry about paint, I would think you will up for $5000 to paint. Trouble with doing prep yourself, if there is a problem with the finish where does the fault lay. Is it poor prep (painter excuse) poor application of paint(prep persons excuse), get the picture.
cheers
blaze

hako · Guru

Some of the tricks when preparing "any" vehicle is to hide or otherwise disguise any damage, for example if something has punched a hole through a side or rear wall outer sheeting you do not necessarily have to replace the whole side/wall - one suggestion is to just add a ventilation louvre up to 300mm square/oblong depending on how big the hole is - this then become a bonus...ventilation and no damage.
Similarly if there is a long scrape maybe 2-3 metres long down the side then you can cover it with a long decal to disguise it. Hail damage to the roof is disguised by filling the dents with bog then coating the entire roof with a textured paint which can be said to be "insulating paint" You can also cover the hail marked roof entirely with vinyl which covers all the dents and can be a feature. On an older van the possibilities are endless and really, you are not trying to rip-off a buyer, merely presenting the vehicle in a more attractive fashion than being presented in a damaged condition.

As I mentioned before, by doing all the prep yourself it would take a spray painter about 2 hours labour and about $200 for acrylic paint and thinners.

Of course it's not for everyone but it can be rewarding.

Good Luck.

the rocket · Guru

Wonder if you could find a landscape painter to do a mural. Now that would b a talking point.

hako · Guru

the rocket wrote:
Wonder if you could find a landscape painter to do a mural. Now that would b a talking point.

Reminds me of Pro Harts Rolls Royce at Broken Hill.

Regards

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

What is it worth ? Go on YouTube and check ways of painting a van ? Air gun , roller and brush method all do an ok job .

Hylda&Jon · Guru

Thanks for the advice people.

Due to health reasons the prep work would probably be too much for me. 10 Years ago maybe but now days no. Health reasons also is why I'm selling it as my back is too delicate now days to go through the process of setup etc. Once sold I'll get a campervan, maybe an old winnabago(if I ever find one cheap enough) or maybe a slide on.

The van is a 96 model with ensuite and king size bed plus a 230w duel battery solar setup plus a brand new 3way fridge. Because it is home made (though it is much better made than bought ones) it's hard to value it by comparing to others. I have looked online and can't find many 17" vans with solar setup & ensuite to compare it to which makes it difficult also.

The paint work isn't too bad at a glance but looking more carefully it shows it's age with slight fading etc. The decals are all peeling so maybe I'll just get the decals and pin striping done.

I have been debating whether to sell it as is or fix it up for a while now.Thanks again for all your help.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Approximately where do you live ? Is paint completely stuffed ? I had an old van on site . I cleaned it with JIFF . Slight cutting agent . Cleaned all the alge etc . Could swear it had been pained . Yes someone on here maybe able to help you out ?? Itâs not the hard job you think . If your not hell fussy .