Painting PVC?

[Radio]

A tale of one thing leading to another...

On our last trip out we had no AM/FM radio reception. Crawled up on the roof to figure out why and found the AM/FM broadcast antenna GONE. Only the mount remained. Rigged up a coat hanger.

Found one that uses the same mount at Auto Zone. While replacing the antenna I noticed one of the tank vent covers was damaged. And a bunch of other things needed attention so I crawled back down and spent $100 at Camping World. (After consulting with the friendly tech folks at RVWholesalers)

Since both tank vents are 6 years old and very brittle I replaced both of them. Broke the one that wasn't busted already trying to get it off the roof.

Did real good, since it ain't rocket science, they look factory. DICOR self leveling sealant really does self level. Wow. And fortunately this particular tale of ship fitters disease stops here.

Now a question: In order to make the PVC caps last longer, is there any value in painting them? And with what kind of paint?

[electricflyer]

Since I didn't have an answer to your question about painting PVC I just Googled "UV protection paint" and got lots of hits. In a nut shell most said preparation is important, rough up the surface and use a paint that has flexibility to it. Most suggested a latex but Krylon would work also since it is made for plastics. Silver was suggested to reflect the sun although I'm sure white would work just as well.

You're on your own on this one. As said, do a Google search for ideas.

[NN5I]

!. Rough it up with steel wool or sandpaper, or apply the blue "glue primer" that's sold for use before gluing. Leave no holidays in the roughing-up, if you want any kind of paint to stick.

2. Paint it with any color of Dupli-Color paint from an auto supply store. It works well on PVC; I've done it often. Maybe use Dupli-Color primer first (after step 1).

3. White is not as good as silver for UV protection. Some white pigments absorb UV, and others don't -- and it's always a mystery what pigment is in the paint you like. Also, it's not always easy to tell how well you covered a white object with white paint. Silver is essential; anyone who has ever covered a fabric-covered airplane (as I have, a wing anyway) can tell you how insistent the makers of aircraft finishes are about using silver. Else the fabric rots from UV, and then you die.

4. What I would do is paint it silver first, because it's easy to tell how good the coverage is (important for UV); then apply whatever color coat you like.

5. For the first coverage (primer or silver), and for every colr change, first spray a thin "mist coat" that doesn't cover very well (you can see through it). Then, after about five minutes, spray a color coat, still not too thick. Thick coats (of any kind of paint) don't adhere well. Also, of course, they run.

I recommend Dupli-Color over Krylon because the quality control for Dupli-Color is really superb. It's good stuff, designed for touchup work on cars, and also the sprayhead produces a nice fan rather than a round fog. Much easier to apply evenly.