The RV DIY video by Mark Polk demonstrates the process of repairing an RV’s exterior, which can be affected by sun and other elements. To prevent sun damage, it is essential to use high-quality UV-resistant covers, regular UV-protectant solutions, and frequent inspections. The first step in any RV DIY project is to inspect the RV surface thoroughly. The Keystone Bullet owner’s manual recommends using Poli Glow to remove oxidation damage. If fiberglass-walled RVs are unsellable, they can be left in the sun unprotected. A rotary polisher and rubbing compound can be used to remove oxidation, or rotary polisher and rubbing compound can be used. For a more affordable solution, rotary polisher and rubbing compound can be used. The RV’s exterior can be resealed using RV grade caulk or sealant. Waxing the RV is also essential, as it has UV-resistant qualities and can dull the sun’s impact on the surface. Proper exterior finishing products, such as waxes, cleaners, and polishes, are essential for keeping the RV shiny and ready for the open road.
📹 How to remove fiberglass oxidation from your RV exterior
Your RV’s fiberglass exterior can quickly lose its luster, especially if your RV is often parked outdoors in the bright sun.
Can you redo the exterior of an RV?
In order to install a new RV skin, it is essential to proceed in a methodical manner, addressing any issues that may arise, such as interior wall damage, in order to create optimal layers for a durable and long-lasting exterior. It is advisable to undertake RV repairs and remodelling in phases. By discussing and addressing issues at each stage, it is possible to ensure that the project remains on track and that every part is completed carefully and correctly.
How to protect RV from sun damage?
Owning an RV offers freedom and joy, but it also presents potential challenges and risks. One of the main challenges is protecting your recreational car from UV harm. To maintain its durability and aesthetic appeal for many years, RV owners should take proactive steps such as keeping it in a shaded area, buying an RV cover, applying a UV Protection Film, waxing and cleaning regularly, inspecting the seams and sealing the roof, and using tire covers.
Understanding the damaging impact of UV rays on your RV is crucial. Continuous exposure to the sun’s rays can cause serious damage to your RV’s ceramic coating, including chapping of seals, paint fading, tire worsening, and roof injury. By taking proactive steps to protect your investment, you can ensure your RV’s longevity and aesthetic appeal.
How to make an old RV look new?
Twenty-one strategies for renovating recreational vehicles (RVs) are presented, including painting the interior, modifying the exterior walls, enhancing the space with camper furnishings, installing shelving, incorporating wooden accents, hanging window treatments, replacing flooring, and upgrading lighting.
What does oxidation look like on a RV?
Over time, the gel coat on your RV can become cloudy, chalky, and yellow, making it appear old. This is due to the natural process of oxidation, which occurs when the gel coat reacts with oxygen in the air. Factors such as excessive sunlight, heat, air pollutants, and too much water accelerate this process. Regularly covering the fiberglass gel coating with wax can slow down the oxidation process, but this protection is temporary.
To restore the luster and shine of your RV, All RV Custom Coach and Collision offers extensive care to remove the impact of oxidation on the fiberglass. Their skilled experts focus on restoring the oxidation effect, polishing, and waxing, restoring the shiny look of your vehicle at cost-effective prices.
What is the best UV protection for RV?
303 Aerospace Protectant RV wax is a highly recommended product with over 1, 000 positive Amazon reviews, offering UV protection to prevent fading, yellowing, and cracking while keeping dirt and debris off the vehicle’s surface. It is also rinse-free and can be purchased with or without a sprayer.
Gel-Gloss RV Wash and Wax is a one-step solution for washing and waxing RVs, allowing for easy cleaning with a hose. Owners praise this wax for its ease of use and shine. However, it is important to dry the wax off to avoid stains.
CorrosionX Rejex wax, with a thin-film polymer coating, provides excellent protection against normal wear and tear, as well as nuisances like bird droppings, sap, dust, and grime. It provides a brilliant shine to the car and prevents headlight glare, making it an ideal choice for night or low light driving.
The main goal of applying RV polish and wax is to create a protective layer, repelling dirt and water, allowing longer periods between washing and waxing. This ensures the entire setup is protected, increasing the value of the RV and keeping it looking great for longer.
How do I weatherproof my RV?
To ensure a comfortable winter camping experience, consider sealing windows and doors, installing window coverings, heavy drapes, providing extra insulation, installing an RV skirt, using heat tape on pipes and hoses, improving interior plumbing, and using the internal freshwater tank. Winter camping offers good deals, fewer tourists, and stunning views, but also presents challenges such as pests and bugs being asleep, and the need for running water and warmth. To maintain a safe and enjoyable winter camping experience, follow these tips:
- Install window coverings, heavy drapes, floor insulation, an RV skirt, heat tape on pipes and hoses, and provide insulation for pipes and hoses.
- Install an RV skirt, heat tape on pipes and hoses, and help with interior plumbing.
- Use the internal freshwater tank for water storage and use it as a water source.
How many years will an RV last?
The life expectancy of an RV or Travel Trailer depends on its frequent use, proper maintenance, and adequate protection from the elements. With proper care, an RV can last 10 to 30 years or 200, 000-300, 000 miles. However, ignoring proper care and maintenance, such as oil changes and tire pressure checks, can significantly impact its lifespan. It is crucial to prioritize proper care and attention to prevent the death of your RV’s life expectancy and ensure its longevity.
Can you clear coat an RV exterior?
Nyalic is an environmentally friendly, no-wax, no-polish, and no-brushing RV clear coat that protects RVs and campers from corrosion and harsh weather conditions. It forms a clear seal, preventing water, dirt, and corrosive chemicals from reaching the underlying metal or painted surface. The Nyalic RV Kit includes 2 qts of Nyalic, 1 Nyalic aerosol, 1 qts of Simple Prep™ degreaser, 2 qts of Right Rinse™ cleanser, 1 qts of Tuff Prep™ 3. 5 Pound Gel, 3 scrub pads, and a hand brush.
📹 How to fix Cracked & Faded RV graphics. Easy DIY job
How to fix cracked & faded RV graphics. We have a 2012 Winnebago Vista 35F RV Motorhome and it had a few cracked and …
Wow, I love this guy. My husband and I are in the middle of re-doing all the decals on our 2005 HitchHiker 5th wheel. After getting several ‘not in our price range’ quotes, we found this article and decided to do them ourselves. The instructions were excellent and we haven’t run into any issues. Thank you so very much.
i want to compliment you . I have been looking for ways to fix my graphics, on a budget, and you have nailed it! I have a 1991 sunbus and its not really allowed in some parks due to its age, but after i do this how youve done it i dont see it being a problem anymore.. Thank you so much for this article. WELL DONE bravo!
A fast way to make cracks disappear is to clean them out with a mini-sandblaster, and fill them with auto body glaze. Just like you were patching drywall, sand it smooth with some 400 while you are prepping the rest of the decal for paint. A hopper gun is $20 at Harbor Freight, use baking soda instead of sand.
Home Depot also sells a clamp on “pistol grip” by Rust-oleum called Comfort Grip that fits all spray cans! They cost about $9! So much easier on the old index finger! Great job on the graphics. I am in the process of stripping the thin tape stripes off of our Bounder. Then I am going to use your ideas and just paint flat black paint and primer over the black vinyl graphics and then go back over with a reflective yellow 3/8 inch tape!
Excellent article and fantastic results using off the shelf consumer products. Just one piece of advice to add – I would use a cleaner/degreaser or denatured alcohol to wipe down the area to be repaired BEFORE you begin sanding. This will remove any waxes, polishes or other potential contaminants that can interfere with the new paint being used.
Good article. To protect the vinyl graphics, I prefer a UV blocker/inhibitor vs wax. I used 303 Aerospace on our Cougar and the graphics were still decent after 14 years of Colorado sun. With the new crop of ceramic coatings, I plan to use one of those on the new RV even though I will not do the whole coach ceramic cotaing. I like Gtechnic C4 vinyl trim restorer as I’ve had great results on black trim on the truck. The RV will then be “waxed” with Turtle Wax Hybrid Ceramic wax.
Prep is the key to a good paint job as you have proven here. One tip on rattle cans, warm paint sprays smoother (better atomization of the paint). When I rattle can, I will stand the can up in a bucket of warm water, about 3/4 of the way up the can for a minute or 2, dry the can thoroughly, shake well. Makes a world of difference, virtually eliminating the dreaded orange peel.
First, b4 sanding, wipe it all down with a wax remover or mineral spirits to make sure no contaminants or silicone is present. Otherwise you’ll sand it into your surface & have problems later. Also, spray paint on big box stores have lot codes on them. Make sure you buy spray cans with the same lot codes or the color might vary..
Great job on the instructional part of the presentation. Great results too the finished product looks amazing. I am a “hobby” painter myself but my grandfather was a paint specialist. He started his training apprenticing in about 1915 doing hand brushed laquer paint on Horse drawn carriges, then transitioned into automotive paint and body work as his career progressed. He always told me that 95% of a great paint job is in the prep. He always wanted to teach me how to paint but all I wanted to do was make things go fast. However I did mange to learn a litle bit and most of that was learning the prep. My paint looks decent because of that prep work. Thank you for doing this!
On March 25th, 2021, we were notified by one of our website viewers that a company named coolizzy.com is using this article to promote their product “EZShine™ RV Decals Restorer”. We are in no way affiliated with coolizzy.com which sells this product, or any other products they market, nor use or endorse any of their products. We have immediately issued a cease and desist request to that company to remove any use of our article in promoting their products which to date they have ignored. ALSO: Because so many people have been asking, I thought you might like to know that I added all the tools and products I used/and still use to restore and keep our coach looking like new in the description text. Just click “SHOW MORE” and scroll down. My reply: Good question: 1) Eraser best method and cheaper (a couple of wheels, then compound, polish and RejeXed) lots of labor, have to have a high power electric drill but will never have to be dealt with again. I myself would only use this method if the existing graphics are really gone and beyond repair. As I explained in the article, I did this to one of my graphics that was beyond repair. 2) Going over existing decal with todays high UV resistant vinyl decal material is a good alternative and easier, but expensive and if you make a mistake your screwed and have to do it again. Then it’s more money again. 3) Painting is the cheapest, takes longer, but results are pretty darn good. I was totally satisfied with the outcome. Not perfect but a whole lot better than it was.
Hello, I just came across your article regarding painting the graphics. This is an idea I haven’t thought of and doesn’t look very difficult. You make it look so easy. You were very attentive to the details and that is how you got the result you got. Last week I replaced the factory logos on our travel trailer and then noticed the curved stripes on one side were cracked such as yours. I may be taking on this project. The stripes on one side are in really great shape so I would only have to do one side. I think I can match the color pretty easily, and since you can’t see both sides at the same time, it should be okay if the color is off a little bit. I believe you explained everything very well and in terms I could understand, and plus you used materials that are easily found. Thank you for your help and stay safe.
A faster way to mask the decal is to run a 2″ strip of tape overlapping the decal so you can see the decal edge protuding up through the masking tape. Then you slice the edge with a new razor blade, and peel off the overlapped section of tape to expose the decal. It’s much faster and leaves a cleaner radius on the curved sections. This is how many installers apply sectional decals or wallpaper.
Look at other masking products at Home Depot…pretaped paper, pretaped plastic, brush-on clear protectant… Around 15:00; I’ve found exact color-match for vehicles by maker at auto parts stores and the paint is specifically for vehicles. I got a perfect 1990 HR on Chevy P30 chassis dark blue there. I had 3 @ 1 inch tape stripes running all around the HR, one red, one white, one blue, that were too far gone to fix and I wore out 2 of those rubber wheels removing them…they really work. (Amazon.) Thanks for the Re-jex tip. Mypilotstore.com has the best price until you add the $7 shipping charge. Amazon has it too.
Spray paint mists better when it is warmed. I put very hot water into a cut up 2 liter bottle and place the spray paint into it. A towel around the 2 liter will keep the water warmer longer. Wait 3-5 minutes for heat to transfer. Shake for 30-60 seconds.. Reheat as required between layers. The can shouldn’t be too hot to comfortably use it.
Thank you for this article….there a couple things I have learned over the years…1st….you can pull the tape just after painting….when the paint is wet it will not peel the edge…2nd always pull your tape at about a 45° angle away from the painted edge. Give these a try practicing on something…I would be interested in hearing how this works for you. I hope this didn’t sound like a critique of your work. I really enjoy your articles & have learned a lot from them. I am a newbie & have a lot to learn & you have helped me greatly. Hope to see you on the road when this pandemic is over & I am able to finally get moving.
Great article! We gave painting a go and got one of the 20 decals done. I think we will order a decal set ($1800) . The paint method was about four hours and results were good but not great. Our 2007 Coachman we bought last year sat in the sun most of its life and it shows but me have not yet hit 10k on the odometer. We hope to bring the exterior back in line with her low milage
You did a great job. We had several “cabbage” spots that developed shortly after we got our RV. Lucky ours was a Sherwin Williams paint and I went to the Sherwin Williams automotive where they matched my colors. I went ahead and got 6 cans of each color just to have. Anyway they came with regular spray buttons, when you mentioned that about your burgundy I thought I’d let you know there are spray triggers you can buy. They slip over the existing nozzle making your spray easier. Also I found nozzle buttons that would rotate from narrow to fan. Over all great article. Great tip about 1/4 inch tape. Thanks.
400 is not fine sand paper,,,,use a 2000 grit sand paper and see the different,,,,,if you get a spray NOZZEL with a button,,they make a handle that snaps into the top of the can that makes it Easter to spray the paint with your first finger,,,,,about 2,00 dollars a peace and you can reuse them for ever
Thanks so much for your article. It was very helpful and informative. You did a great job of explaining what to do. I would like to try this on my 2004 Minnie that I bought 2 years ago and it has several faded and cracked decals. I will send this to my email for future reference and attempt what you have done. Your RV is so gorgeous!
If you look up automotive paint stores near you, you can usually get all your 3M masking products for the same price as Walmarts or the big chain hardware stores. I like to use Blue fine line pinstripe tape (it will wrap around a dime turning radius without much problem and stay put) that’s the only high dollar tape. Between 12 and 15$ a roll. Your 3/4 inch and 2 inch green 3M tape is around 5 and 6$ a roll. Don’t ever skip on the quality of tape. If for some reason it gets really humid or a low dew point overnight you can have a nightmare experience trying to unmask it the next day. Never leave masking tape on for more than 48hours in outdoor elements. I’ve been in the paint and body business for 35 years and I’m too old and worn out to do àll the masking and prep work. My next paint job is going to be a epoxy four tone camo job with a roller. Especially with today’s political environment. and a black grey and white for the winter months. Great job on a nice home 👍 other than the materials I couldn’t/ wouldn’t have done better myself.🇺🇸 PS if you were to put the blue tape down first and leave a 2mm gap between what you want to paint and the original surface then you can put the fine line down last. That way once the paint is tacky you can unmask the painted surface without having to remove àll the paper first. Makes touch up faster too. Saves time and materials if you do want to repaint a spot for any reason. Blue fine line is a stretchy vinyl tape the pros use for all your flames and graphics.
Very good article, I have graphics that started cracking on my 2015 5th wheel, but they are a multi color graphics so I don’t think your method is going to work on them. I might just have to replace or delete them, I hate the 2nd option but I might not have a choice. Thanks again for the great article. Did a lot of work of my 5th wheels when traveling to McAllen, it’s a bit harder here in Nova Scotia
The best way to fix the graphics is to remove them. They are ugly even when new. Just look up RV’s that had them removed or never had them to begin with. You would never see those ugly tickers on an Airstream for example. There are some examples of class A RV’s that had them removed and a lot of class B RV’s that had them removed. All look much better. (check out “Xplorer Steve DIY” on YouTube for example. His before and after photos are amazing!)
So now that it is a couple years later – how did the paint job hold up? Anything you would have done differently? (Particularly with the type of Rustoleum that you used – I just went to their website to see what colors are available, and geez, never knew there was that many different types of paint!)
It just seems like a hell of a lot of work the taping three or four tape jobs sanding painting sanding yikes why not just get a new tape kit and slap new ones one Or could you get away with putting stripes over the old cracked ones I mean I’m not gonna spend that kind of time fixing up my RV like you did I got better things to do like sitting in the shade drinking cold ones may be a slap in my copilot if you know what I mean she loves to be slapped if you know what I mean lol I got a little fatigued just perusal the article it was too much work to watch the whole thing so how long did that actually take you? And what about those fast and furious cars they cover the whole thing what about just doing that? I just won’t spend days on a few stripes We would rather be in the bedroom slapping blubber with the little lady.or find some hoe in the trailer park while my woman is at Walmart lol ok fourth day? Ate you serious? We fish hike you know fun stuff, am I missing something? This is insane.
Hey RV Street ” (good article ) I watched it twice, my second time with more concentration, as a Painter I have to appreciate your competent job and I especially found you a good easy to follow instructor, recently I purchased some of those same type of spray cans to use on my pick up except they said ” HAMMERED” on them WOW did it come out BEAUTIFUL! Have you ever tried that can ?, they come out looking like a clear coat is on there metallic type look . Blessings hope to meet you out there Timmy L”Lanes
Thanks for the great article! We completely remodeled the interior of our 2009 Keystone Cougar 5th wheel and planned on replacing the exterior graphics with original ones but after perusal your article we will be using the paint over method you accomplished. Sorry to hear of your loss.😥 It’s been 4 years, do you still have the RV and wondering how the paint is holding up?
Not sure if this was asked, I didn’t want to read all 500 previous questions. What did you do at the edges with silicone sealant? Did you paint over the sealant or tape off at the sealant edges? Your DIY job Looks great and you’ve explained it perfectly. I plan on doing this to my entire fifth wheel as all the graphics are horrible. This way I can customize the paint scheme to my preference. A new graphic package for the coach is $1500-$1600 plus the time to remove, prep and re-install. This way gives me greater flexibility. Love your articles!
Hi Martin. Thought this article was best place to post questions regarding some work I need to do on our 2018 Winnabago Vista 29VE. As I understand it from Winnebago service, the trim that runs along the bottom of the sidewalls is aluminum. I’ve noticed along the lip (top edge) of that trim, there’s surface rust. Do you know how that’s secured? I felt on backside of the wall at the bottom, and believe the trim to be U-Channel, and has both screws and some sort of adhesive/sealant that’s holding it on. Rather not take it off if I can avoid it, and just mask off the area all along the trim and sand the lip and face of the trim, and then prime and repaint it. Waiting for body shop that had made a repair on front lower grill area to email me back with type paint and color they used as it was a perfect match. Also, I’ve noticed back of RV has lost its lustre, and I tried McGuire’s Ultimate Compound and tried to polish a small area by hand, but appears I need to follow up with the buffer and other components you mention in one of your other articles. Meanwhile, could you offer suggestion on refinishing the trim mentioned above? Thanks.
We just bought a 96′ Winnebago Vectra 34F RV Motorhome. Graphics have three colors – a mid-range Cyan, and the same Burgondy you use as the primary colors, and a dark blue-ish color for some stripes in the front and black. Thinking about re-doing them this winter in browns and greys. as really not a fan of the color scheme. This article is perfect. Don’t need it to be perfect! I own a building with a garage that I can park this in so won’t need to worry about wind or weather while painting. Would it make sense to remove the old graphics first with the 3M eraser wheel so you don’t have to worry about any sort of bleed thru, and then paint on top of it? Second, I don’t think the previous ever waxed or cleaned the outside of the RV. What’s your suggestion on where to begin with that?? Appreciate it, and nice work!!!
Very good article. I was looking at doing lots and lots of buffing compound to try and bring back the graphics. Phooey on that, I’m gonna repaint them. I’m much better at masking off and using a rattle can than I am at buffing. I may try using a super thin mixture of Bondo to fill the cracks then sand. Good stuff to know. Thanks.
I agree that the prep work takes the most time…. BUT, it is the most important part of the project…. Ive painted many vehicles and trucks, and if the prep work is shoddy, the paint job WONT last and wont look as good… any idiot can press a button on a spray paint can (or, pull the trigger on a paint gun) but intelligent people will put their most effort in to the prep work, as that is where the quality is produced in the paint job…. and instead of sandpaper, i like to use the coarse scotch brite pads, as it doesnt clog, lasts a long time, yet scuffs the surface without damaging any of the masking tape…. although, the best choice for smoothing the cracked peeling edges of the original decal will probably be the coarser sandpaper as shown in the vid… great job!!…..
Question re: 3M Strip Off Wheel. I ordered one (you should see your US$0.03 in the next check! LOL) As I inspected the decal to be removed, I realized it’s a decal on top of a decal. I “assume” (everyone knows what happens when one “assumes”) stripping off the top decal may/will damage the bottom decal? It seems a set of plastic razor blades might be the best route but I await your sage advice. BTW, in all honesty, without being snarky, I enjoy your articles not only for your knowledge and ability to explain things but also because you speak standard English using proper grammar w/o a thick regional accent. However, I sometimes wonder if you’re not a bit OCD about RV maintenance and upkeep! (just kidding…)
Great article and I enjoy your enthusiasm to do it yourself. But, a couple of comments. Never ever recommend Rustoleum products for exterior painting and painting on composite materials. Next year, that paint will be delaminated badly. Next, use wet sandpaper to prevent build up on the sandpaper that will cause more scratches in the surface. Absolutely do not paint on the surface without using an automotive paint degreaser to remove contaminates like finger grease and paint residue from sanding, then do not touch the surface again prior to paint. While painting, never ever allow your wrist to bend, twist or turn. Bending your wrist will cause uneven paint coating. Use a stiff wrist straight and smooth even spray application so that your coats are even. Pull the trigger in one even continuous movement. I like your article and hate making these comments but never ever use anything but automotive paints and primers used for in this case composite materials.
I used to do this prep work for a body shop when I was going to college. Didn’t paint, just prepped. I have an RV that gets stored where the sun hits the back and the decals are failing. Wax doesn’t stop it. Now I know I can fix it. And I will find that UV protector. REJECTS IT?. Nice job. Excellent work. Thanks.
I know this is over 4 years since having done the article, so I’m going to assume you may not reply… but I’m going to take a chance that you will still be receiving notices whenever anyone comments. My question is why you didn’t remove the masking tape as soon as the paint had started to cure a bit (approximately 30 minutes after the final coat had been sprayed on) rather than waiting until it had dried overnight?
A previous article you made on checking the wires on the transfer switch box saved me a headache during my first year as a FT RVer. Made a donation to your website! My Cameo succumbed to a terrible IOTA recalled switch box this winter and her previous owner obviously never waxed the exterior! I’ll be trying this technique come summer when I get a forecast of no wind and sunny days for four consecutive days! Many thanks for your website 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
FABULOUS INSTRUCTIONS!! Thank you for showing step by step details, thank you for showing every product, I’ve ordered everything off Amazon to do mine now! I just have faded ones.I purchased a polisher along with every products in the Driven line to try to polish out the dull and faded sheen. Then if it needs it I will follow your Awesome instructions and paint my trailer decals. I’m thrilled to have found you! Thank you so much!! Your fantastic
You must have been a painter in a past life. As a camper, and retired automotive custom painter, I have done this same thing to my former class A four winds. I also had a set of graphics printed, but after removing, buffing and re applying new graphics, I painted the rest. One suggestion, the Rustolium clear, while it makes it shine, does not offer any U.V. Protection. I like to use an automotive 2-k clear . Then use the restore for over all protection, should easily get 5-10 years before needing any touch ups. Love your articles, keep-em coming.
Great article! I’m glad I found your website. Looks like this Covid era is going to force me to to take early Soc Sec at 63 and I’m eyeing a Travel Trailer lifestyle. Your website is amazing . Btw, you mentioned R.G.V. in this article. Do you mean the Rio Grande Valley? If so, what city. My wife’s family live in Harlingen, Mcallen, and Weslaco. Right now I’m in San Antonio and just bought a 1/3 acre on Matagorda Bay, in Fisherman’s Village, set up for both homes and RV’s.. Be safe!
Hey Martin, Martin Jr here! Another awesome article…I have been maintaining my RV as I go through your informative article library, saving me big buck$ most of these things are simpler than I thought. Also helps give me things to pass the time instead of just hanging out eating 🙂 if you ever pass the Denver I’d like to buy you lunch! Keep on rolling…
Thank you for sharing this article. It was very informative. I did happen to see some areas that were sprayed a bit heavy and some orange peel as well in the graphics. Nothing to worry about if you do not look for it or anything or even care about it. Anyway, I thought I share with you a tip to solve that issue if you like. Start off sanding gently using 1000 grit stand paper then move on to 2k then 3k sandpaper then reaply the clear top that you had used. This will help make the serface more presentable for you and to others as well. Question with the Rejex. Is that to use on Fiberglass or gelcoat? I have never heard of this product, so I thought I give it a shot.
Turned out awesome. What is the rejex product you showed? We use a wash and wax, just had to do the meguiars restore 3-step for some bad fading and we keep a pretty good coat of wax on our fifth wheel. Very interested in that rejex product you showed though. Thanks for the step by step on restoring graphics!
The graphic is vinyl it will come right off with a heat gun or hair dryer. I would tape off and then remove the vinyl, sand the gel coat with 320 to 400 grit sandpaper, primer, then paint it as he did here. Of course base coat clear coat will always work better but most people would need a bodyshop for that. But removing the vinyl is essential, it will keep cracking under the paint and you will be doing this every year…just remove the vinyl folks.
MaryMac So glad I saw your article!! Our class C’s decals look so bad, I’ve threaten to go get sharpies and color in the cracks!! When my husband heard this he flipped out!! I can now show him your article and we can repair them – those are the only things that make our unit show any age!! Thanks again!! 😉
Have you replaced all of the decals with paint since you made this article? I’m in the middle of removing the weather beaten side decals and just wondering, based on your experience, if it would be better to remove all decals and buff and clean the siding, and tape off and paint the graphics. I have some experience but am far from an expert. Thanks, in advance!
You sir, have given a new blow in my sails! Someone told me you can’t paint over Gelcoat (never questioned why since I had never worked with Gelcoat until this year.) My 2005 Coachmen is heavily oxidized, no shine whatsoever. Add to this all the decals scratched, broken and what not. What would you recommend to remove oxidized Gelcoat or might as well just spray clearcoat over it?
Hey Martin. Nice job dude. Just a helpful FYI. If you use vinyl pinsrtipeing tape for the online, you can get super clean lines and bend around tight corners and swoops. Just a thought. In no way am I taking away from what you did. Simply amazing. I know that some day you’ll upgrade or get out of it all together and when you do, the buyer is gonna get one heck of a nice coach. Keep em coming pard.
I can appreciate the tremdous – and I mean TREMENDOUS – amount of work and time you put into taping! With time lapse photography, you made in look easy. But, it was much much easier to remove the decals comepletely by peeling them off with a heat gun and a 3M eraser wheel and install new decals – or dfifferent decals.
Well, you are definitely my go to person for everything RV. Don’t know if you or anyone had this problem. I’ve removed some of the decals off my RV with a heat gun and professional goo gone, scrunge pad and plastic razor blades. These decals are 20 years old, so the adhesive may have been baked on by years of sun. Very difficult to get the adhesive residue off the fiberglass, but got it done. Here’s the problem. The driver’s door is not fiberglass, but regular vehicle metal. The decal was super hard to get off and the adhesive is just impossible. It’s like concrete. I’ve sprayed, scrubbed, used the plastic razor blade over and over and over. Won’t budge. Any ideas? God bless and thank you for everything!
This is a very informative way to do this project. Very concise and easy to understand. We have a 1996 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 36 foot class A motor that we are in the process of renovating. Wondering if you have a article on removing graphics and just painting the exterior? Great article!!! Ralph from California also a Navy Veteran. Thanks.
Great article on repairing your old graphics, thanks. We own a 2002 Itasca that I’ve wanted to do something with for a long time now as the original owner did not take care of the outside of the coach at all. I’ve peeled off a few of the graphics but now would like to get the oxidation off the remainder of the coach and maybe add some new graphics as you did. Is there a product you recommend to clean the oxidation off the fiberglass and bring back the shine?
I did this exact process to our Cyclone Toyhauler about 4 or 5 years ago. Recently the cracks have started to come through the paint because the decal under it still flexes with the temp changes. It’s alot of work. I’m not sure rubber wheeling it off and just painting the bare filon / gelcoat isn’t easier and a better idea. You can lay tape down using the left over shadow from the decal easy enough and then follow all the same processes. Happy trails…