I have made many modifications to my trailer before creating this blog and will save documenting those for a rainy day. The inspiration for starting this comes from a project to repaint the fading trim, and I thought I would document the process so it would be useful to others who want to do the same.
I'm not going to do this as one big project as I know it's going to be a big job. Instead, I'm going to do just one or two pieces each weekend. I'll wind up with a Frankenstein monster of a trailer for a while, but it's a lot better than trying to do it all at once. The window trim was the first to go since removing it would be the easiest.
Taking the trim off in this case is a simple matter or removing all the screws. There are two sets, the larger screws on the outside, and a series of smaller screws that are underneath the window, which requires opening to remove them all. These are essentially wood screws going into foam core, so be VERY gentle removing them and don't use any power tools in order to preserve the threading in the wall. Pretend this is Ikea furniture you are taking apart.
Once it's off, clean up the surface underneath. The outline you see in the picture above is not dirt, but abrasions from the plastic to the aluminum skin's clearcoat. So if you're thinking you can just permanently remove some trim from an older trailer, think again - that outline, and the discoloration from being hidden from the sun, will always be there (as well as many open screw holes).
There was a surprising lack of grime on the inside, with only a small amount of mildew at the bottom. Wash thoroughly with whatever you would use to clean your car in preparation for painting.
As a precaution, I covered the screw holes with tape in case it rains. Which it always does here.
There was a chewing gum-like substance between the trim and the holes in the wall. Most likely, this is to create a waterproof seal so no moisture gets in the screw holes and destroys the foam core walls. A Google search of "gooey stuff screw hole rv" revealed this to be butyl tape, Surprisingly, it was still tacky after 15 years but it was too old and too contaminated with mildew to re-use. So I had to order some from Amazon, which means I can't reattach the trim until it arrives.
Once COMPLETELY dry from washing, I suspended the trim on beer healthy, sugar-free sparking water cans for painting.
Whelp, guess I'm committed now. More in a future post when I have the paint completed. Be sure to use plastic-friendly and UV-resistant indoor/outdoor spray paint. I chose a satin finish because I thought it would go well with the finish of the bare aluminum body, but gloss would probably be better if you wanted to match the original manufacturer's look.
