why did I think painting would be fun?

[funkill]

OMG - I am exhausted.... decided to paint Ophelia while on vacation. After reading several posts, I trekked to Sherwin Williams ready to purchase their Bonding Primer, Duration latex paint and then pick-up Krylon spray to do the front endcap. I left SW with a gallon of off-white Duration laytex interior paint and a quart of light blue-ish. And, a gallon of XIM primer. The store manager convinced me this primer would do for both the vinyl clad walls and the ABC plastic endcap.

I washed all the walls with (phosphate-free) TSP and double rinsed. Then I sanded the endcap with 120 and cleaned. This took longer than I expected and I was ready to get the primer on. OMG - the primer was pure hell. It *went off* very fast = gooey mess within about 10 minutes. It was a bit humid and I had all the windows open (as I was warned about the fumes) - but 10 minute working time??? And there was NO WAY to get it smooth on the end cap. I was even using the expensive moe-hair (sp?) smooth rollers. I decided to goop it on and sand afterward. Two days later and I'm still working on the end cap. I thought rolling on the primer would be less time consuming that taping all off for spraying Krylon. Now I wonder

Day two and I'm excited to start getting the Duration semi-gloss paint on the walls (re-address the end caps later). I got the cut-in portion completed. Two coats and worked on the end cap a bit more. Hopefully I'll finish on Day 3! This is really frustrating work. Not at all fun. Dang. But it does look nice and clean - smells fresh - and I am sure that, some day, I'll be really glad for the fresh look.

Laura

[Kevin245]

Originally Posted by funkill

OMG - I am exhausted.... decided to paint Ophelia while on vacation. After reading several posts, I trekked to Sherwin Williams ready to purchase their Bonding Primer, Duration latex paint and then pick-up Krylon spray to do the front endcap. I left SW with a gallon of off-white Duration laytex interior paint and a quart of light blue-ish. And, a gallon of XIM primer. The store manager convinced me this primer would do for both the vinyl clad walls and the ABC plastic endcap.

I washed all the walls with (phosphate-free) TSP and double rinsed. Then I sanded the endcap with 120 and cleaned. This took longer than I expected and I was ready to get the primer on. OMG - the primer was pure hell. It *went off* very fast = gooey mess within about 10 minutes. It was a bit humid and I had all the windows open (as I was warned about the fumes) - but 10 minute working time??? And there was NO WAY to get it smooth on the end cap. I was even using the expensive moe-hair (sp?) smooth rollers. I decided to goop it on and sand afterward. Two days later and I'm still working on the end cap. I thought rolling on the primer would be less time consuming that taping all off for spraying Krylon. Now I wonder

Day two and I'm excited to start getting the Duration semi-gloss paint on the walls (re-address the end caps later). I got the cut-in portion completed. Two coats and worked on the end cap a bit more. Hopefully I'll finish on Day 3! This is really frustrating work. Not at all fun. Dang. But it does look nice and clean - smells fresh - and I am sure that, some day, I'll be really glad for the fresh look.

Laura

I rate painting up there with wallpapering, root canals, and prostate exams. But I bet your work will bring many rewarding hours of enjoyment when it's all complete (not that working on the AS is ever complete).

Good luck...and keep on keeping us updated. Oh...and pictures.

Kevin

[willyd]

Sure would be nice to see pictures. Thanks for sharing.

[funkill]

Oh yes, I should take a few pics of the mess that I have on my hands now! You'll be horrified. And, hopefully, I'll be able to share pics of a much nicer completed project. Tomorrow I'll snap a few before tackling the sanding again. Sigh. What a job.

[danalee]

I have vinyl which someone has painted. I read that I should use the bonding primer but now I'm not sure - can you explain a little more about the problems you had? Thanks.

[87MH]

Krylon Fusion produces an EXTREME amount of off-gas products - really nasty - but the paint really sticks to the plastic.

If you plan to use "Fusion" as a primer on the end caps you may want to top coat with "Rustoleum" or other color.

The can states you do not sand prior to painting, just clean it well with a "powerfull" cleanser - worked for me.

I have found that 3M "Blue" painters masking tape works better than most "off" brands.


Don't spray it too thick, and leave plenty of dry time between coats.

[Excella CM]

Painting is such sweet sorrow.

[Airslide]

Painting.. i feel your pain.

[funkill]

Originally Posted by danalee

I have vinyl which someone has painted. I read that I should use the bonding primer but now I'm not sure - can you explain a little more about the problems you had? Thanks.

I did not end up with the intended SW Bonding Primer, but another type - XIM primer. The XIM was suggested for use in lieu of Fusion (by the SW store manager) for priming my ABS plastic end cap. And he said that XIM was "even better" than their own brand of Bonding Primer - so that was all I needed to do the entire job (vinyl and plastic). I took him at his word and headed home with a gallon of XIM. I was warned to keep the trailer"well ventilated" as the fumes would be quite heavy. It was a nice day - 74F and windy - average humidity. I was also warned that it would "go off" fast so the manager said "get it on and get out". I opened all the windows in the trailer and positioned two small fans at each end. I poured the XIM in a paint tray and started cutting-in the edges. I did not find the fumes too bad (good air movement in the trailer) but noticed the XIM develop a skin on top quite quickly. Maybe 10 minutes max. Then, I would try to stir it in the paint tray and it turned into a gloppy mess. So, the idea of "getting it on fast and getting out" was really impossible. I had to pour only small amounts at a time and try to work in small areas at a time. I had the most trouble on the end caps. Getting in on smooth was very tough. Mostly because the primer gooped up so quickly and the odd angles of the end caps makes it tough to manipulate a roller (even a 6" one). I ended up putting it on pretty poorly - out of frustration - and sanding smooth later.

I'm not certain if I would use it again. It may have been my environment --- too much breeze --- too much humidity--????? But it was a total PITA.

Now that I finished, it seems that the smoothness of the primer at the end caps might not have been as critical as I thought before application of the top coat/laytex. I only hope that XIM is as good as the manager said and pray that I will never be faced with stripping the walls!!!

I will try to post some pics Monday. Today I'm leaving for a quick overnighter in Ophelia to celebrate my B-day! I'm hoping there won't be too many lingering paint fumes.

[Sixty3TW4US]

XIM Primer is an excellent primer however because it is a quick dry coating it performs best when sprayed, then you don't have to worry about lap marks, brush streaks etc. It has great adhesion on difficult substrates like glass, ceramic tiles etc. it is made for non-porous surfaces. Any type of finish paint latex or oil base can be applied over it. The SW bonding primer is a good primer for most applications. I'm sure after all is finished you will have a nice looking paint job!!

[Jim & Susan]

Laura, I used the SW bonding primer and the Duration paint on mine. Now my walls are sticky, almost like the paint doesn't want to fully "cure". Did you have this problem? And how did you deal with it?

Jim

[Sixty3TW4US]

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

Laura, I used the SW bonding primer and the Duration paint on mine. Now my walls are sticky, almost like the paint doesn't want to fully "cure". Did you have this problem? And how did you deal with it?

Jim

Jim; unforunatly latex paints can be sticky (not flat paints) in areas with high humidity. It can take up to 21 days for latex paint to cure. Never clean latex paint with products like 409, fantastic etc. they will make the paint soft and sticky. I like oil base products. Good Luck !!

[bilby05]

My slightly discolored walls are beginning to look better and better after reading your tale of woe. I did use a coat of clear acrylic floor coating on the walls(as recommended by Inland Andy). I think I will do a bit of spray-paint work on the end caps and bathroom and bask in the glow of the more simple path. I tape and mask better than I paint. Although I do have that spot at the accordian(sp?) door area ceiling that has a crack. But maybe I'll just drill a small hole to stop the crack and use some creative decoration in that area. Anything beats extensive painting.
cheers, bill b.

[funkill]

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

Laura, I used the SW bonding primer and the Duration paint on mine. Now my walls are sticky, almost like the paint doesn't want to fully "cure". Did you have this problem? And how did you deal with it?

Jim

Sorry for the late response --- out camping to celebrate my B-day. I did not, thankfully, have any problems like this. I found Sixty3TW4US's reply interesting. I had no idea that it could take 21 days for latex to cure!