DryDex was among the surface-preparation compounds I bought for the project.
The featured Amazon option is DAP DryDex Spackling.
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.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
The featured DryDex compound and the Red Devil and DAP alternatives are supplied as small containers of patching material. Their product formulations and container formats offer three approaches to minor surface filling.
Red Devil ONETIME Lightweight Spackling
Red Devil ONETIME is a ready-mixed lightweight spackling compound. The small tub provides material for filling localized surface marks and holes.
