Taping the van and covering the areas I was not painting took about eight hours. The masking film belonged to a preparation stage that took far longer than I expected.
My van with masking around the exterior areas prepared for coating.
Why I bought it
MyLifeUNIT Tape and Drape Masking Film appears in my build materials and equipment for this work.
Taping the van and covering the areas I was not painting took about eight hours. The masking film belonged to a preparation stage that took far longer than I expected.
How I used it in my camper van
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.
The side of the van during the white-bedliner project.
My review
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 3M Hand-Masker combines a dispenser with masking materials. Scotch 2060 is a tape-only alternative for setting the edge before adding separate covering film.
3M Hand-Masker Film and Tape Kit
This kit combines a hand-held masking dispenser with film and tape. The dispenser joins the covering material to its taped edge during application.
