ABS faux painting...

[Auretrvr]

A while back I ran across a post from someone who watched an ABS faux painting demo done by Arlene Fowler at a (Florida?) rally. IIRC, it said she thoroughly cleans, then sands, then paints. Apparently, she gave a handout with instructions. Does anyone have this? I want to know what paint she used that would adhere adequately. (Krylon is great stuff, but definitely not good for faux technique.)

[CanoeStream]

Hi again! It's good to be thinking about our Airstreams, even in wild weather like today's! There are a large number of hits when I search on 'Fowler Interiors.' It looks like Kevin Allen (overlander64) is one of the principle posters. That led me to Google and Fowler RV Interiors. The technique? Sounds like a good question.... any snowbound Airstreamers know this?

[Blu_Hwy_Lady]

Auretrvr: I faux-painted my entire interior and got a lot of compliments at the FDU rally. It was a lot of work but I really, really like the way it turned out. I don't know about the Arlene Fowler instructions, but I can tell you that faux painting takes some practice. I had already done a lot of it in my house before I did the Airstream so I had the sponge technique down.
Here's what I did:
1. Lightly wiped down the walls with 409 or similiar cleaner to make sure there is no grease.

2. Paint on Sherwin Williams Bonding Primer. This is the key to success. It can be tinted and I highly recommend it because it comes out very bright white which can impact the colors you put on over it. Since I used really dark colors on the vinyl, they could only tint it sort of a dark peach, but that still helps.

3. The secret to faux-painting is multiple light layers of paint that are in the same color family. What works best is choosing 2 or even 3 colors that are next to each other on the swatch. I used 2 colors of terracotta mixed 1 part paint with one part glaze. Be sure to let each layer dry completely before you do the next one. That was really hard for me because I'm impatient and want to get things done. I finished with 2 layers of a metallic glaze. As you'll see from the picture below, I painted not only the vinyl, but also the fake wood on the back wall and bottoms of the cabinets. The light colors are in the same color family (opposite end of the swatch) as the terracotta colors.

[JimGolden]

OK, I'll ask the dumb question....what is faux painting?

I was considering painting the vinyl coated insides of my trailer. I was thinking of a silver metallic like you see on bass boats. Kinda loud but kinda cool. I take it faux is a sponge/stroke technique? As long as you clean and degrease the vinyl well, then prime, couldn't you also spray the interor? I'm stripping it completely to the shell....


Thanks,

[Blu_Hwy_Lady]

Faux painting is kind of a general term that I take to mean just about anything but painting a solid color with a roller. Faux painting adds depth and texture that regular painting just can't match. You can use a sponge or rag to dab the paint on, or, you can paint and use the sponge or rag to wipe paint off. There are all kinds of glazes and faux paint products to add more depth or texture to the finish. There are special brushes for making streaks and sea sponge rollers. So, yeah, faux painting is a pretty broad description. As I said in my previous post, the primer is the key to getting the paint to stick. I guess I would worry about spraying in such a confined space even with a respirator. Plus, I've always found that it's really hard to get an even surface with a spray. Guess, I've just not had enough practice. I would definately do a small test area in a place that will have something over it, like a cabinet, later on. The vinyl, even with the primer, seems to do weird things to the paint so the color doesn't come out exactly like it's supposed to. Plus, the light in a small space like that effects the way the color actually turns out. So, your silver might look more like gunmetal gray.

[rickandsandi]

Question-

After completing the wonderful paint job you did, did you coat it with anything to protect it?

[Auretrvr]

You did a very nice job! Thanks for the photos.

I won't have to worry about the vinyl since I am only going after the yellowed ABS. Several years ago I used a "Woolie" faux painting system that gave a very nice, soft blend. It was pretty fast, too, because you dab 2-3 colors of the glaze onto the wool pad and they blend as they press. The blend was softened even more by applying a coat of lightly tinted glaze over the whole job.

Is there a particular bonding primer just for plastic?

[Blu_Hwy_Lady]

The Sherwin williams bonding primer worked great on the plastic/fiberglass/whatever the heck it is end cap. I even used it on the formica insert on the front of the fridge so I could paint it the same light colors as the fake wood. As for protection after it's all painted. It's very durable, but, because I don't know what to do with myself on the weekends now that it's finally done, I'm going to put on a final coat of faux finish protector by American Traditions.

[JimGolden]

Thanks for the explanation. I've actually seen many examples of this, but never knew what it was actually called. My buddy's house actually has the walls done in this. It's really awesome looking. I just didn't know what the term was. I just called it "textured", but it really had patterns in it.

Cool. Good job!