Camper Van
Freedom.

Adhesives & Coatings · Build notes & Amazon options

Adhesion Promoter in My Paint-Preparation Supplies

Adhesion promoter appears in my purchases for preparing surfaces before painting.

By Steven Smith · Camper Van Freedom

Read my build notes ↓
Adhesion Promoter in My Paint-Preparation Supplies

My purchase and Amazon option

Adhesion promoter appears in my purchases for preparing surfaces before painting.

The featured Amazon option is Dupli-Color Clear Adhesion Promoter.

Where it fits my build

I taped the boundaries and covered the areas that would not be painted with plastic sheeting. I then sanded the exposed areas with an orbital sander and 60-grit abrasive, blew away the dust with a compressor, and cleaned and degreased the surfaces.

I mixed clear bedliner with white tint and sprayed the van. After it dried, I removed the masking. The tape and sheeting stage alone took around eight hours, and the finished edges still needed some touch-up.

My van with masking around the exterior areas prepared for coating.
My van with masking around the exterior areas prepared for coating.
The side of the van during the white-bedliner project.
The side of the van during the white-bedliner project.

My build notes

The most useful detail in my diary is the result, including the problems. Rust-Oleum pooled and dripped in places, and trying to repair one area with a paintbrush made it worse. I wrote that I would use a foam roller for touch-ups and preferred the more consistent finish I had obtained with RAPTOR.

Masking, preparation and application method each became a substantial part of the exterior-coating job.

Alternative products

Two alternatives to compare

Dupli-Color supplies a clear aerosol. Bulldog offers a quart container and a smaller Single Shot format, so the amount and application setup differ across the three choices.

Bulldog Quart Adhesion Promoter

Bulldog Quart Adhesion Promoter

This adhesion promoter comes in a quart container for paint-preparation work. The liquid format provides a larger supply than a small aerosol can.

View on Amazon
Bulldog Single Shot Adhesion Promoter

Bulldog Single Shot Adhesion Promoter

This five-ounce container supplies adhesion promoter in a small format. It provides a paint-preparation option for projects needing less material than a quart container.

View on Amazon

Questions from my build

What took the longest before painting?

Taping the edges and covering the areas I was not painting took around eight hours.

What problem did I record with the bedliner?

The Rust-Oleum pooled and dripped in some areas, leaving an uneven finish that needed touch-up.

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