Embedded Files
Why paint the roof white?
Why paint the roof white?
The simple answer is that white reflects UV rays better than other colors. If you think of the roof of the school bus as the top of your head, it's where you lose most of your heat during the winter and what absorbs a lot of heat during the summer. We can't put a hat on Brienne, but we can insulate the ceiling from the inside and paint the roof white.
There are special roof coating paints made just for this job, but just like with everything else, there are a ton of brands and product types. How do you know what to choose?
After reading the labels, product details, and technical specs on a bajillion products, we decided to buy Gardner's Sta-Kool Elastomeric Roof Coating.
It is an "elastomeric paint," which just means that the paint will not tear and crack when the school bus shakes and rattles down the highway. Elastomeric paints expand and contract along with the surface they are painted on to maintain structural integrity.
Additionally, Gardner's Sta-Kool is
white and made of acrylic latex (which helps reflect heat and UV rays),
mold and mildew resistant,
waterproof,
and helps seal tiny cracks and leaks on the roof.
Here are some resources we found helpful when trying to pick which roof coating we wanted:
Having picked what we think is right for us, here's what we did:
Having picked what we think is right for us, here's what we did:
Cleaning the roof
Cleaning the roof
We power washed the roof. Imagine that: driving the bus into a DIY car wash tall enough for the bus, climbing on top of the roof barefoot, and power washing years of dirt and grime off of it. It was very satisfying and scary.
Then we used TSP (Tri-Sodium Phosphate) dissolved in hot water to get any remaining gunk off the roof, especially around the rivets and edges.
We also removed a blocked vent that was full of dirt and dead bugs. We covered the hole with a square of sheet metal, taped down with Gorilla waterproof sealing tape, and sprayed it from the inside of the bus with FlexSeal.
Prepping the bus
Prepping the bus
Prepping for paint works the same with a bus as it does with a house: add blue painters tape and plastic tarp to cover what you don't want painted.
It took a long time to tape around the front windshield and the back of the bus, but we're glad that we took the time to do a good job because it made clean-up much easier.
Elad mentioned that Brienne looked like a bride wearing a veil. What a sight!
Painting the bus
Painting the bus
Our friends Cesar and Alison came by to help paint the bus, and we are so glad they did! We painted all the edges and cracks first, and then rolled the first coat of paint on the roof. That first coat made a small visual difference, but you could still see some yellow poking through.
We took a break for a few hours and did other odd jobs while the first coat of paint dried. The second coat of paint went much faster and made a much bigger visual difference.
We went back the next day and added a third coat of paint, and we still have 2.5 gallons of paint left!
Update:
Update:
So far we're really happy with out white roof. When we were prepping and cleaning the roof, the metal was super hot to the touch. After the paint? When we needed to climb up on the roof to attach the pipes for the roof rack and cut the hole for the roof fan, the roof has been surprisingly cool.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse