How to prepare and repaint a caravan exterior?

Question

i am living in an old caravan and would like to paint the outside , it has been sprayed before by owner with house exterior paint  that is starting to wear off . What prep do i need and which steps do i need and appropriate paint type .im a very new d.i.y er and need as much help as possible . Would appreciate all advice and will thank everyone in advance for the help. Sam

LizzieCro · Answer

Hi @Sammii71,

What a lovely idea to paint the van. Just from the way your post is worded I'm thinking you don't actually own the van? If this is the case you might not want to put a huge amount of effort into re-painting it. The cost is a whole other thing, too. I'm currently onto my 6th caravan renovation, so I've learned some stuff. I'm not meaning to be rude, but how you approach the painting will depend entirely on what you feel is an acceptable level of finish/result. Looking at the image you posted, even though the van has previously been sprayed, which should give the best finish, there are trickles in the paintwork. Does that sort of thing bother you, or are you really only wanting to see a better colour? If that sort of thing doesn't bother you then your job is a whole lot easier. If you'd like it to look as perfect as possible, then brace yourself because you'll have a world of hard work. I honestly don't know how it could be done without access to power tools.

I doubt you'd need to strip right back. If the existing paint is overall in pretty good condition, not flaking, not chalky/dusty when you wipe your dry hand over it, you could just sand off any of those runs/trickles in the paint work. Depending on how many areas need sanding you might get away with using a foam sanding block and sandpaper, and do it by hand. Bunnings do have a very good range of sanders though, some are relatively cheap. You will then be limited to buying sandpaper specifically to fit that model.

So let's say you've decided to just get the van looking a new colour and you aren't going to get too fussed about being perfect, so you've sanded back the runs until they're smooth. Your next step would be to give the van a very good wash, using a coarse scourer type cleaning pad, not a foam sponge. The scourer will gently etch into the paintwork so the new paint can get some grip on the cladding. I start with a superior type of truck wash for my first wash, then Sugar Soap as a second wash. Giving the van an overall wipe with metho will remove any residual grease. If you have any bare metal showing through your paint you can use a primer called Zinsser Bullseye 123 (available in a spray can or paint on) and just touch up those bare areas. If the paint is in good condition, you probably don't need to prime it any further. As JacobZ said, everything depends on how well the existing paint has adhered to the original paint. If it's well-adhered, you should be fine to just move straight to top coats. I've had great success with Dulux Weathershield with Maxiflex. This paint is designed for all sorts of applications, one of them being for use on metal fences. Given your aluminium cladding will expand and contract with the heat and cold, this Dulux paint is flexible enough to cope with that. (I'm not receiving any payment for promoting Dulux, but I'm open to offers! :) ). I personally prefer a gloss level finish, but others prefer less gloss, and even low sheen. Personally I think the low sheen holds dirt too much, whereas it washes off gloss more easily. It's your choice. Bunnings have display products in the paint department so you can see the difference between gloss levels

Given the profile/style of your cladding it may be tricky to use a roller. You'll need a good quality sash brush from Bunnings, and the most comfortable ones have short handles. The bristles are sloped. I find the Monarch range to be very good.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/monarch-63mm-cutting-in-and-framing-synthetic-paint-brush_p1660279

Don't buy really wide ones, probably around 38mm wide would be best. You'll only use this to do all the edges and tricky bits (cutting in).  If you do want to also use a roller you'll need a small one for tight spaces, and a wider one for the bigger areas. Roller sleeves have different 'fluffiness' known as nap. You need a short nap of 4mm. It's written on the pack, and might say that it's suitable for doors and architraves, or just might say 4mm nap. For caravans I use a 180mm wide roller in a 4mm nap. Buy a few sleeves, the fluffy tube part, just to have at hand. Your smaller roller will be 100mm wide and 4mm nap. Don't forget the roller trays.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/uni-pro-100mm-4mm-nap-little-ripper-microfibre-mini-roller-set_p0022470

The process is simple enough. If there's any really tricky bits you might get paint on use some Green Frog masking tape (the green one) and cover that up. I would highly recommend having the van out of the sun if possible. Also add a product called Floetrol to the paint (as per directions) and this will stop the paint from drying too quickly. Use your brush and just gently paint in all around the edges of everything. Don't put too much paint on or else it'll run. If you do get too much on just brush it outwards to settle it down. Then pour some paint into the tray, roll the roller into it, then run it back and forth on the roller tray until some of the paint gets off. You don't want too much on it, just get the roller looking covered not smothered. Start at one end of the van, towards the top half and spread the paint out until it's evenly distributed. Then gently follow up by rolling vertical rolls from the top down so there are no obvious brush marks. Then get more paint on your roller and paint the area directly below it. Repeat the process with a second coat and more if needed. Minimally you'll need a 4 litre tin of paint depending on how large the van is.

Sorry this has been so long! I hope it's given you some sort of help. I'm very happy to answer any questions you have (briefer next time!) and I live on the NSW South Coast if you happen to live nearby and you'd be up for a visit and a bit of help. Post some more photos and let's see the scope of what you're doing. Good luck with it!

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @Sammii71,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It is wonderful to have you with us.

We've had quite a few members tackle similar projects, so I'd suggest having a read through How to renovate a caravan - Part 2, What paint for a caravan? and What primer to use for caravan exterior? for some examples and advice.

Do you know what the exterior sheeting of the caravan is made from? Older caravans are commonly clad in aluminium, but it would be good to confirm this before selecting your paint.

Assuming it is aluminium, ideally, you would remove the existing house paint entirely, prepare the bare aluminium and then use a suitable metal primer and topcoat system. This would give you the best opportunity to achieve a durable finish. In saying this, removing all of the existing paint to bring things back to bare aluminium is a lot of work, and I imagine you would like to avoid this if possible.

If you're not looking to remove all the existing paint, you could instead continue with an exterior house paint system. I'd give the caravan a thorough clean with sugar soap, scrape and sand away any loose, flaking or peeling paint, then sand the remaining sound paint to provide a good key. Any areas of exposed aluminium could then be spot-primed with Dulux PRECISION Maximum Strength Adhesion Primer, before applying Dulux Weathershield over the prepared exterior. Remember that the finished coating will only be as well adhered as the existing paint underneath it, so preparation is particularly important.

Spraying would be a great option for a caravan, as you have large areas to cover and it can produce a nice, even finish without brush or roller marks. You'll need to thoroughly mask the windows, lights, vents, trims and anything else you don't want covered in overspray. Have a look at How to choose a paint sprayer and Power painting for some useful guidance on selecting and using a sprayer.

Alternatively, there's nothing wrong with using a brush and roller. I'd use a quality brush for cutting in around windows, trims and other detailed areas, then a short-nap or smooth-surface roller over the larger panels. Work in manageable sections and maintain a wet edge to minimise roller marks. You might like to check out How to paint your exteriors which also has some useful general advice on exterior preparation and application.

Allow me to tag @LizzieCro and @twocutekelpies who have carried out similar work on their caravans to see if they have any advice they can offer.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob