Post by: Jim Blackwood. Here's a big question, especially for Skoolie owners. How much paint is required to paint a bus?  How much is the minimum required, and how much does it take to do a really nice job? I can speak to the first; when I bought a Skoolie a few decades ago, we used a spray bomb to blank out a few letters so it no longer said "School Bus" and the school's name.  It then read "No New Hope" and "Cool Bus".  With a few black blanks in between.  This satisfied the letter of the law [in the state we registered it in].  However, I'd suggest going farther than that if you can.  As I recall, the lights might need some attention, and most people would like a change of basic color. Back in the hippie days, this was done with exterior house paint and a roller.

Publisher’s Note: Most states require anyone registering a school bus should read the article

You Just Bought A Yellow School Bus, Now What?

Post by: kyle4501

I have purchased some Interlux marine paint to experiment with. So far, I am impressed! You apply it with a roller and then "tip" it with a brush. It flows so well that it dries smooth and slick. It looks like it was sprayed with new car quality.

Since it is marine paint, the quality is good. I haven't used it on my coach yet, but I now believe that it will look as good as or better than a traditional sprayed job—and for a small fraction of the traditional spray cost. 

Post by: Brassman 

I used two-plus gallons of industrial acrylic paint, applied by an airless sprayer on the body and rolled about two gallons of Henry Tropi-Cool on the roof. This process solved a major school bus problem. 

Post by: Brassman 

This is the bus a couple of years ago. The body paint is now over years old; the roof paint is new.

Post by: peterbylt 

Although my post is not specifically a Skoolie question, it fits this topic. We are not too unhappy with the bus's original paint and can live with it for now.

The sheets of steel that we used to cover the windows—three on the street side and two on the curbside—are currently painted with a primer. I want to apply some simple graphics or paint a simple mural. What type of paint would make a good base coat? It would be a light gray or white. Currently, it would need to be rolled or brushed on.

I would like to use paint that is reasonably sturdy, as the skin would probably be attacked by tree branches and brush.

Post by: Sandra

We painted our Skoolie with Behr House Paint five years ago. We used rollers and paintbrushes. We used two gallons for everything but the roof, which is painted with Henry's Tropi-Cool. The roof took two gallons the first time and another two gallons for a touchup a few years later.

The only blue part that needs touchups are a few places by the rub rails. Only the spots I didn't sand well enough the first time seem flaking. I posted a picture of the paint job five years after applying it.

Post by: Bill Gerrie 

My paint job was done with spray cans from Menards. It looks great and didn't cost a huge amount of money. However, I don't think any paint will stand up to tree branches. The branches attack with such force that they mark any type of paint. Avoid them if possible.    

Post by: somewhereinusa 

I can attest to the fact that Bill's paint job looks great. I thought it was professionally done until he told me differently.  

Post by: somewhereinusa 

Bluebird, or the school system, had sealed EVERY seam with yellow silicone sealant.  I tried to remove the silicone, but now, 10 years later, it looks pretty bad.  I want to repaint the bus, but I don't know how to remove the remaining silicone sealant.  

Post by: Bill Gerrie 

Home Depot sells a silicone remover that might work for you. I've used it on a bathtub, and it removed all the silicone. 

Post by: s2mikon 

When I made the metal plates to fill the windows, I had steel cold rolled 16ga stock sheared, and then I bent the edges in a break to fit as plugs and dipped them in muriatic acid to remove all of the mill scale. Then, I used Pettit Rustlok primer from Jamestown distributors.  After it was cured, I used a Pettit EZPoxy top coat with a hardener.  I installed the window metal plates using polyurethane sealer and then painted the polyurethane sealer after it cured.  I also rolled and tipped the whole bus. 

Post by: BusNit 

I was quoted $20-25k to have my 40' Bluebird professionally sprayed. 

Post by: s2mikon 

I’m not surprised about the cost. Have you priced automotive paint, the required reducers, and other required supplies? 

Post by: BusNit 

I have, and was going to spray it myself.  A buyer propositioned me to sell my bus to her in its incomplete state for everything I had in it. I had completed a roof raise and built an entire underfloor storage area. I lost on labor, but I was made whole financially and as a hobby. It wasn't cheap either and made me realize I would have close to or over $125k in the build when done with solar. I wanted it to look more like an RV so as not to get rejected by the RV parks.