Fixing worn decals

[Rjpetr65]

Hi all,

I wanted to share a few pics of my decals as I refinish them. I have an 04 Sun Seeker with really badly worn decals. I started working on the decals in the rear of the vehicle, I haven’t done the front ones yet.

The process is to sand the old decals with 320 grit sand paper, mask them off really well (you’ll have to use lots of small pieces around the sharp curves) and then paint them with Rustoleum Plastic Paint. I think they came out pretty good. Let me know what you guys think and if there are any other suggestions to renew them aside from replacing them. I have also changed the color scheme to a red/black instead of the factory colors.


If you have renewed your decals, post a pic of them!

[Rjpetr65]

My wife is a great freehand artist and she will be painting the Sun Seeker logos. Can’t wait!

[Jayhawker]

That 2004 looks like new! I have used the "plastic paint" myself to freshen up the yellowed outdoor shower and 110 volt outlet. Also masked off the skylight on the roof and painted it white to cut down on the solar effect in the bathroom. Post some more pics as you progress. Happy Camping

[Rjpetr65]

Thanks! Great idea about painting the sunroof. The shower is a sauna in the summer. Did you have to sand it? Is it pure white? Any issues with cracking?

[Jayhawker]

I just cleaned the sky light with a 409 type cleaner. The Krylon "FUSION" for plastic paint can says no sanding or priming needed. Did ours three years ago in "Gloss" white and all is good. Happy Camping to You

[18CrewDually]

I will say it looks good from here. I'd not have your luck of that working out. If I tried that the sticker would of shrinky dinked up and fell on the ground.
I also like the red/black contrast.

[Rjpetr65]

Thanks. It really is all in the prep work. I think I did 3-4 hours of sanding and masking. The painting took no time at all. Get the spray can moving before you press the button and keep it moving when you let go. Spray painting 101. Thank goodness for auto shop in High School!!

[A32Deuce]

Originally Posted by Rjpetr65

Hi all,

I wanted to share a few pics of my decals as I refinish them. I have an 04 Sun Seeker with really badly worn decals. I started working on the decals in the rear of the vehicle, I haven’t done the front ones yet.

The process is to sand the old decals with 320 grit sand paper, mask them off really well (you’ll have to use lots of small pieces around the sharp curves) and then paint them with Rustoleum Plastic Paint. I think they came out pretty good. Let me know what you guys think and if there are any other suggestions to renew them aside from replacing them. I have also changed the color scheme to a red/black instead of the factory colors.


If you have renewed your decals, post a pic of them!Attachment 185584

They sell thin pinstriping tape to do outlines rather then cutting small pieces. Then you can use wider over that. Makes a nice clean line when removed.

[dieselguy]

Since decals are vinyl … what's your strategy going forward as the decals continue to shrink and or crack under the paint? Or … did I misunderstand and not get that you totally removed the old decals? Looks nice currently ...

[Rjpetr65]

Thanks. I didn’t remove the old decals. They were not cracking and have not shrunk as far as I can tell. The RV is 14 yrs old so I suspect that if they have shrunken, which they don’t appear to be, they would have shrank to the max already by now. The only issues I had was with a tree branch that gouged the decal in one spot but it’s hardly noticeable.

As far as cracking goes, There are a few reasons why paint cracks. Many cracks are due to poor surface prep work. One is a reaction of the new paint to the old paint. Another can be contaminates, cleaning the surfaces well before painting and after sanding is really important. Another reason is adhesion. There are adhesion promoters that you can spray on first then apply the paint but I opted not doing that. Another is the wrong type of paint. Also I recommend sanding with 320 grit. I tried to use 400 on a small decal but found that the 320 promoted better adhesion. The paint I used was for outdoors so it has some UV resistance. Could it crack? Sure. But if I get a few years out of the work I’ll be happy.

[Paulie1138]

I have used both the pinstripe method, as well as using masking/painters tape. I just cut the tape along the contours with a razor knife. One can usually see the outline or color differences thru the tape. I have found the tape/knife method quicker in most instances. Just be sure to mask off a huge area where you are painting, as it will overspray further than you think.

[007matman]

I've often wondered if it would be better to just remove the decals (using the old ones as a template) and paint them directly on the fiberglass. My worry would be that once I outlined them, I'd have to remove the old ones as well which would likely damage the masking I did.

My decals are cracked and have shrunk quite a bit so I don't think it would be practical to just paint them.

[Paulie1138]

007, My neighbor’s rig was in the same shape as you describe. His required removal. His were actual decals, so they came off with a careful application of a razor scraper and sanding. We photographed his, then used an old overhead projector at dusk, outlined, traced, masked and then spray painted with similar colors. Now, with video projectors as cheap as they are....

I typically use cast off colors available at most automotive paint supply stores you can get on the cheap (10.00 a gallon typically) Then apply a coat of high solids clear if the paint is a 2 stage paint.

I am his new best friend....lol.

[Electra glide]

Perfect timing. My decals on my Vengeance are starting to look bad after just three years and I was wondering how to fix them up.

[Paulie1138]

Depending how faded they are, and the type, a very light wet sanding with 1000 or 2000 grit wet sandpaper may bring them back. Follow up only if needed a coating of the right type of clear.

[Electra glide]

Are you talking a spray paint or a brush type paint? A spray paint would require a lot more taping off for overspray right?

[Paulie1138]

Spray. Yes, with plastic sheeting film. Cheap and covers a lot. You could use a brush, on small areas. Otherwise, you will get brush marks if trying to do a large area. You could try wet sanding and buffing after the brush strokes, but, that super thin film plastic is cheap and goes on quick. It even comes pre-taped in the paint dept at the big box stores. Cover the rest with drop cloth if needed.

[Rjpetr65]

I used plastic sheeting film as well. Worked great. I opted not for brushing it on. Spray is easier and won’t leave brush marks to sand later. I used 1/2 tape around the decals then extended that width of coverage by using a 2” tape. Then I used the plastic film. I tried the 1000 grit but my decals were too faded to bring back. I also had some “orange peel” that had to be sanded down with a coarser grade.

[Rjpetr65]

I contemplated clear coat but the rest of my RV is not clear coated, not that I could tell anyway, so it would have been a mismatch.

[Yakfishingfool]

When my decals went after 8 years on the older rig before Irma I just peeled off the crappy decals and left it white. White reflects the sun well, easy to wash and wax over and no one inside missed looking at them stuck to the outside.