Painting with a roller

[Raymond smith]

How many gallons to paint my bus, roof included. Has 3 original windows on each side. Its a 102C3. Just planning for summer,another foot of snow this weekend😔. Thanks Raymond

[Dave5Cs]

You have 344 square feet. So look on the can and see what a gallon of your paint choice covers and then how many coats do you need. HTH
Dave

[Iceni John]

There's plenty of good advice on the internet about roller-painting vehicles and boats.   I rollered my roof, and I will also roller the rest later this year.   As with any painting, preparation is still everything  -  a well-prepped roller paint job will be better than a poorly-prepped spray job.   I only need a 20/20 paint job  -  good from 20 feet or 20 MPH, and rollering is plenty good enough for that!

John

[bottomacher]

I expect that the roof alone is more than 344 feet.

[bigred]

If my figuring is correct a roof on a 40ft by 104" equates to 416 square ft ..

[Scott & Heather]

He was correct. 346 sq feet approx. simple math here. Length X Width.

Remember two things:

1. If it's a stock 102C3, the roof isn't 40' long. It is likely less because of the rear slope/cap and the front slopes slightly too so the actual roof length isn't 40 feet.

2. 102" wide coach is about right depending on how far down the side he wants to paint.

[Cary and Don]

The trick to roller painting is the pad. Buy a really good sheep skin short nap pad. Yes they are expensive, probably about $15. They will give a nice smooth roll without shedding little fuzzies into the paint. They also are a lot easier to clean.

Cary

[TomC]

Many very expensive yachts are painted with fine bristle brushes. Just have to have two people doing it. One paints, the other follows with a wet brush to make smooth. Roller, I don't think you could get as smooth as brushing. Good Luck, TomC

[scanzel]

Not sure how it would work on a bus outside but when I do large areas like cabinet doors or interior doors I put a wet coat on using a fine roller small roller and then quickly go over it with a fine brush to give it the fine brush look. Best to get a paint that is not one of those fast drying ones. Benjamin Moore premium I find is very good.

[Jeremy]

I have an extremely thick and technical book about state-of-the-art spray painting (multi-million dollar paint facilities in auto plants), but the last chapter of the book is dedicated to the very top levels of finish as applied to the Queen's state carriage and the like - all achieved by hand using brushes.

As has been said, I think the choice of paint is as important as the technique. I bought some industrial enamel paint quite recently to paint some big doors - proper old-fashioned paint, and the end result was excellent - super smooth and bullet-proof hard. Was a complete b*tch to apply though - had to be heated (thinning didn't work) to make it flow properly, after which it went on beautifully. Slow drying though, which would be a problem if painting a bus outdoors.

Jeremy

[Cary and Don]

I have also used the roll on and smooth out with a brush on doors and cabinets.  Get the best brush. Purdy. I had a customer tell me they only bought cheap brushes because they weren't very good painters anyway. My answer was, I couldn't paint with a broom either. If you aren't a really good painter you need the best brush out there for any hope of a good paint job.

With a large area it would be easier with two people. One rolling and one brushing it out. Loose the wet edge and you're toast.

Cary

[bottomacher]

The trick to making paint flow and level itself is retarder-Floetrol for water based paint, Penetrol  for oil, etc. Automotive paint is almost wholly dependent on the correct reducer for proper results. Do your homework when you choose the paint and your results will be much better. Every paint manufacturer provides the information you need to use their product successfully.

[jackhanow]

Sounds like he wants to paint the sides as well. And don't for get to add for the curve in the slightly arched roof.

[Design Dog]

FWIW I added hi-tech ceramic insulating beads to my paint when I did mine.  Can't remember where I read the suggestion but yes it does work.  Makes a difference even still.  Painted roof sides and yes even insides with it.  Lowered my Temps good for roof and insulates inside.  Glad I did no regrets not too expensive.  Additive goes  a long way.  Easy to test.  Paint a piece of metal put same metal alongside in sun come back and pick them up.  Painted metal is much cooler.  My bus is much cooler during the day because of it.  Put 2 coats inside also.

Wait until you crawl around on the roof you'll have a lot of fun.  Have to go back later to the archives and dig some photos.