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You're The Paint To My Brush: Painting In An RV

Updated: Jun 20

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:

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Painting Supplies For An RV

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.


Post RV painting
Alice Zealy, Owner of rain2shine ventures









Stay tuned for additional tips/tricks when it comes to remodeling recreational vehicles.


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