Always the question on paint or anything else we do for that matter is “how much”? Of course it’s one of those important points and you at least need to know how many shoe boxes of the stuff it’s going to take.
An paint work is a factor of how much time it takes and how much material…. it’s really that simple. There are different stages of paint:
break down— getting all the things off (grill, bezels, vents, lights, molding, etc.) 
RC’s first pic)
Body repair— Every coach will be different 
(Ron K. coach)
DA sanding— sand to a good bite surface, some will take more than others. Deep scratches will need body filler with some paint and primer needing to come completely off as in the case of “Rock the Alps” 
The end goal is a surface that paint will stick to 
(RC’s coach)
Priming — You must block out the old paint from reacting to the new paint solvents plus offer a smooth, single color surface for the colors to cover well 
(Mark H. Duramax flare kit).
Layout — OK, this is where we can effect the cost of the project. Pick a paint layout that takes less time. I mean it sure takes less time to do this 
(Rock the Alps)
Than this 
.(Mark & Lillians Bling-bling)
The more complicated they layout and the number of colors the more time it takes to lay it out. It’s just simple.
Yesterday we finally felt good about a swoop line on JD’s layout Here is the final drawing of the job (lower one) Lisenby Perspective 
and here is that dreaded first free hand line that everything works off of 
Now that does not mean change what you want…. brother if you want it we’ll do it but just appreciate the labor that goes into free hand work.
Shoot base — And each color gets shot then bagged off. 
Mark H. Duramax flares)
Clear — All the different color bags are removed, the colored body is prepped for the clear and tac rags get off any small dust or whatever 
(26′ Duramax) Lay on enough high solids clear and this is what you get 
(Scott S., “Mighty fine from behind”)
Assembly — And now we put it back together…. grill, lights, molding, vents, etc. 
(Cal’s “Cal Tan”
Finals — And if you’re real good and goes together the way you want it the outcome can be nice 
Scott S. with his drawing of what he wanted)
DON’T cut corners and DO get what you want. This is a one time thing and you should get what you want. Do it right and you will. Here is Scott’s “Mighty fine from behind after I think 10 years, still looking good 
You can see the “namesake”
So that’s the steps in painting a coach, each one takes time and each one will effect the end cost of the project. Paint falls off like “Rock the Alps” and even the primer that would not stick has to come off. Excessive body work means more work as in the case of Ron K. front end. DA snding and primer depends on what needs to be done to get the surface flat and ready to accept paint. Layout.. Oh my free hand work takes time cause when you clear it there’s no going back. Then the clear has to be thick and smooth. Assembly is always a labor pig because that’s the finial look of the project but if it all works out the finish can be more than nice 
(Sport Billy)
I invite you to visit our “Gallery” page and see some of the coaches we have done over the years. We’re updating the page so go take a looksee. This is not all and the one for you hasn’t yet been done…. hey, what are you waiting on anyway! Do it well and you add value to your coach, do it cheap and that’s what you have
See ya tomorrow…….
