I bought Diablo 120-Grit Sanding Discs as part of my camper van equipment.
My disc purchases included a middle sanding grit for the preparation stages between rough shaping and finer finishing.
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 3M Xtract alternative uses an open net backing. Dura-Gold's assortment includes 120 grit alongside four other grits, giving a broader progression in one pack.
3M Xtract 120-Plus Net Discs
These five-inch sanding discs use an open net backing. Their hook-and-loop attachment connects the abrasive to the sander pad.
This assortment contains five-inch hook-and-loop sanding discs in five grits. The eight-hole discs cover coarse through finer sanding stages in one pack.
