How to get that quality paint job without breaking the bank!
This is a big question for RV Builders
While at Sun & Fun, one of the
things to accomplish was finalizing the paint scheme and finding a painter. This is a
decision all builders will agonize over for many days. Do I paint it myself ? I thought
so, till I painted the panel, then stripped the panel and repainted it 2 more times. At
that point I knew, there was no way I could paint the whole plane and be satisfied with
the results. I also have found that most people painting it themselves spend anywhere from
$700 to $1,200 or more just on paint and supplies. And they end up working on it for 4-6
weeks. So the hunt was on.
We got real lucky at Sun & Fun and met RV-8A builder John
NYS. His paint job was more than acceptable and the price was definitely reasonable. If
you are anywhere in the Midwest, definitely think about giving this painter a call.
Calvin Gillis just southwest of Oklahoma City, Home Phone 405-381-3701
Cell Phone 405-326-0689
Based at a grass strip called Low Pass.
It's on the sectional and the coordinates are:
N 35º 17.417' W097° 39.891'
His standard price for an RV is $3,000 to $3,500 depending on how
intricate the scheme. Calvin paints the plane assembled so you can drop it off and walk
away. My plane was done in 8 days. He will even give you a ride to the OKC airport if you
need to catch the next Southwest Airlines flight back home. I had a local RV-4 follow me
down and bring me home. If you do use Calvin and are anywhere near Kansas City, MO, feel
free to give me a call or email me, I would be glad to follow you down and give you a ride
home. Calvin prefers to paint new RV's because there is no stripping of old paint.
Calvin also repaints other planes, but charges a little more because of the stripping
before the paint job.
Are we happy with the results? Absolutely! I was able to import a
photo of the plane into the computer and paint it with the scheme we decided on, then
print out the photo. I handed it to Calvin when dropping the plane off. He took one glance
at it and said, "No problem". The plane turned out exactly as we had pictured
it. Yes, there are some very minor imperfections, but every paint job has those. I sure
won't be pointing them out, and you sure won't find them.
Calvin shoots the Jet Glow product by Sherwin Williams. It has a
real wet look to it and never needs waxing. As a matter of fact, he pulled out a Cessna
172 from his hanger when I showed up. He had painted it 9 years ago and had just finished
a touch up on the cowling. The rest of the plane with 9yr old paint looked great.
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