Our project was always planned to be two tone in finish. Lou had set her heart on white and Fiat smooth mint (paint code 166/B, as used on the modern Fiat 500). White is a standard colour in the Tekaloid 318 enamel range, but the mint is not. It’s not even available in aerosol paints at Halfords. Tools-paint.com can mix paint to any colour, but they need a sample to scan. We didn’t have a spare Fiat 500 lying around from which to borrow a part and send to them. We managed to source a bottle of touch up paint which I applied to a small offcut of aluminium. The suppliers put it in their spectrophotometer and mixed us five litres of Tekaloid T318 single pack coach enamel.
First to be applied was the white on the roof and bottom. The aluminium panels were masked. After wiping over the surface to be painted with a tack cloth, the paint was applied with a 4” foam glossing roller, then laid off with a Purdy laying off brush. We accessed the roof through the skylight from a ladder in the caravan. Having painted as far as could be reached from here, we then moved outside and placed a scaffold board between two step ladders from where we could work along one side of the roof. Then, the ladders were moved to each end of the caravan and the front and back of the roof were painted. Finally, the scaffold board was erected between the ladders on the remaining side of the ‘van to paint that side of the roof. We started in the centre of the first side, working away from each other. Lou moved to the front of the roof while I tackled the back. Then on the second side we started at the ends and worked towards each other. With that routine, we avoided the risk of a dry edge forming. This was the point when we regretted using white undercoat, as it was difficult to see where we had painted and where we had not. In hindsight, grey undercoat would have been easier, although we only missed a few small patches.
Obviously, the bottom was much simpler as there are no access issues.
Our first coat was not too shabby. There were only a few runs and sags, and a couple of missed spots. After allowing the paint to cure for a week, we sanded off the faults with 800 grit wet and dry paper. We also went over the whole lot with 1000 grit wet and dry, used wet, to give a key for the second coat, although we had not done this with the test piece and my “stone chip test” gave no adverse results. The second coat of white went on using the same method and routine as the first. This enamel paint flows out well and the lines from the laying off brush can be seen to diminish. The end result is smooth and of a high gloss. Faint lines from laying off are visible in certain light levels, and the dimples in the undercoat can still be seen close up. It will never look like a spray job, but for two people with no experience in this field, the finish is far better than some hand painted projects we have seen.
Obviously, the bottom was much simpler as there are no access issues.
Our first coat was not too shabby. There were only a few runs and sags, and a couple of missed spots. After allowing the paint to cure for a week, we sanded off the faults with 800 grit wet and dry paper. We also went over the whole lot with 1000 grit wet and dry, used wet, to give a key for the second coat, although we had not done this with the test piece and my “stone chip test” gave no adverse results. The second coat of white went on using the same method and routine as the first. This enamel paint flows out well and the lines from the laying off brush can be seen to diminish. The end result is smooth and of a high gloss. Faint lines from laying off are visible in certain light levels, and the dimples in the undercoat can still be seen close up. It will never look like a spray job, but for two people with no experience in this field, the finish is far better than some hand painted projects we have seen.
Time moved on. The excessively hot weather prevented us from painting in the summer. Now, in the autumn, the weather was turning cold. Leaving seven days between coats for the paint to fully cure meant it was November when we wanted to apply the mint paint. The white gloss areas were masked off, as were the door and window apertures. We had to wait for a day with the right weather; above 10°c and dry. A tack cloth was used again to remove any dust. This time, we didn’t have to worry about keeping a wet edge as the seams in the bodywork provided natural start and finish points. We found it was easier to brush the paint on around the front and rear windows. Initially, we applied it too thick and a few runs appeared. We soon got our eye in and things improved. Moving on to the larger panels, I applied the paint with a roller and Lou followed behind me with the laying off brush. She found a successful technique in supporting the brush from below, so only its own weight was against the paint and the bodywork, and starting at the top, she drew the brush slowly down to the bottom.
One week later, we removed the couple of runs from the first coat, then added the second coat of mint and after a further week of drying, on the 17th November, we removed the masking paper to reveal our two tone paint job. Unfortunately, as it is winter and the sun is low in the sky, the garden is permanently in shade and we can't get a decent photo. At least we finished painting before the really cold weather set in.
At this point, I will mention a word of warning about Sikaflex 512 Caravan. In their advertising and on the tube, it claims to be paintable. However, deep down in the small print on their product data sheet, they say it's not compatible with alkyd resin paint. Guess what enamel coach paint is? We found out the hard way. We had applied Sikaflex on all the seams and around the awning rail and gutter prior to painting. The primers went on without a hitch. Unfortunately, the gloss coat didn't fare so well. Three months after applying the paint, it still hadn't dried where the paint covers the sealant. More mess to sort out!
By April 2019, the mint paint over Sikaflex was finally dry, but some of the white was still tacky. The wet paint was wiped off with Wonder Wipes (ironically, this, like Sikaflex, is a Sika product, but is brilliant for cleaning up most things) and a clean layer of Sikaflex applied. It is white so it doesn't notice too much.