Interior - what to paint

[prkaye]

For those of you who painted your interior/cabins... what parts did you paint? Specifically I'm wondering about the aft side of the firewall (the side visible from the cabin) and the white powdercoated weldments. Will paint/primer stick to a powder coated surface? what about hte stainless steel of the firewall?

[rv6rick]

Hi Phil,
I see you haven't got a reply on this so I'll give it shot .

Yes...some folk do paint the firewall but you'll need to prep it first. Many builders choose to install some kind of insulation and/or sound barrier. This can be purchased from various sources including Vans and ACS and also comes in quite a few varieties.

I've had good luck with the black lightweight soundproofing 'foam' type that you've seen on many RV's. I don't use the 'foil' backing simply because I don't care to see shiney foil from the inside of the cockpit. As I understand it....the purpose of the foil backing is to help reflect the sound forward and away from the cabin....there could be other benefits as well. When installing the foam you'll need to cut out the various sections and glue them into place. Most folks use a Super 77 type spray glue and I've read a LOT of posts where folks have had adhesion problems. I typically give the inside of the firewall a GOOD rubdown with a couple scotchbrite pads then go over it with some cleaner...I then apply the Super 77 to BOTH surfaces and allow it to get nice and tacky prior to the final install. Also....be sure to put the 'smooth side' of the foam against the firewall. Some folks may be putting the 'sponge' side against the firewall....there are a lot of voids on the 'sponge' side and you won't get the same amount of surface to surface area as you will by using the smooth side. Anyway....that's my experience.

On the powdercoating......I don't care to see Van's white powdercoating on a 'finished' plane unless the rest of the interior was completed to match.....but....that's just me . Many builders have sanded over the powdercoat and repainted with good results. You can always blast off the powdercoat and re-powdercoat to suit your interior colors.

Hope this helps....Good Luck,

Originally Posted by prkaye

For those of you who painted your interior/cabins... what parts did you paint? Specifically I'm wondering about the aft side of the firewall (the side visible from the cabin) and the white powdercoated weldments. Will paint/primer stick to a powder coated surface? what about hte stainless steel of the firewall?

[szicree]

Painting the stainless firewall seems like a bad idea for several reasons. It already looks nice and will stay that way, it's hard to get paint to stay stuck to stainless, if you have a fire that paint will be one more source of fumes.

[Sid Lambert]

I bought Imron to paint with but have not painted yet.

I don't plan on painting the firewall but I will paint the rudder assembly and pedals black. My wife wigs out when she sees them down there. Scared she will touch them and cause us to crash.