My finishing purchases included an assortment of wet-and-dry sandpaper grades.
The featured Amazon option is Dura-Gold 400-Grit Sandpaper Sheets.
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 Dura-Gold sheets are 400 grit. The 3M and Dura-Gold alternatives shown here are 320 grit, providing a comparison between two finer sanding stages and two sheet suppliers.
3M Wetordry 320-Grit Sandpaper
These fine-grit abrasive sheets have a waterproof paper backing. The sheet format can be cut or folded for hand sanding and sanding blocks.
