Recommend a paint shop - Northwest USA?

I Fly Low 'n Slow

I Fly Low 'n Slow

Filing Flight Plan
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Jun 14, 2019
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Jo Mama
My plane needs paint. I'm looking for recommendations (or anti-recommendations) for paint shops in the Pacific Northwest or nearby - preferably Washington or Oregon, hoping I don't have to fly it to California or Arizona. Won't be doing the job until next year, but this is a major project (and major expense) for me (and only want to do it once...) so I'm starting to think about the particulars now so I have a good plan in place when the time comes in 2021.

I'm looking for a good, high quality result, done by professionals who know what they're doing (so that leaves me and my buddies out). Airplane is a mere Cessna 150, but it's my baby and I want the job done right. Looking for a complete (careful) strip, appropriate prep (so it lasts) and all-new repaint. I know it won't be cheap (nothing in this game is), I'm not looking for gold-plating, but want quality results that last.

Thanks for any recs (and places to avoid).
 
I Fly Low 'n Slow said:
My plane needs paint. I'm looking for recommendations (or anti-recommendations) for paint shops in the Pacific Northwest or nearby - preferably Washington or Oregon, hoping I don't have to fly it to California or Arizona. Won't be doing the job until next year, but this is a major project (and major expense) for me (and only want to do it once...) so I'm starting to think about the particulars now so I have a good plan in place when the time comes in 2021.

I'm looking for a good, high quality result, done by professionals who know what they're doing (so that leaves me and my buddies out). Airplane is a mere Cessna 150, but it's my baby and I want the job done right. Looking for a complete (careful) strip, appropriate prep (so it lasts) and all-new repaint. I know it won't be cheap (nothing in this game is), I'm not looking for gold-plating, but want quality results that last.

Thanks for any recs (and places to avoid).
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I am completely retired as a professional automotive and aircraft painter so all I can offer is a personal rant that may help you. Best wishes.

ps: the link in post #2 by Tom-D looks to me like a shop with excellent standards , especially if they use IMRON paint , Which to me is the best , true polyurethane (think plastic coating) , tough , resists chemicals in fuels , de-icing fluids etc , retains high gloss , I have 30 year old Imron paint jobs that shine today like new. Easy to clean , shrugs off dirt and bugs.

Make sure they chemically clean and treat the aluminum and apply the proper aluminum type primers , this is probably the most important step , when paint fails it is nearly always attributed to improper prep and primer .

Off the top I would say avoid California because (as far as I know) all (modern day) painting must be done with waterborne paints .... absolutely avoid them (see link below)

Painting aircraft is expensive but when you see how much work it takes you will think you did not pay them enough . Try spend a day using paint stripper on a lower wing or fuselage , make it impeccably clean , without using scrapers or sanders or anything that will scratch the alclad , always some pesky bits of paint around rivets or joints. To paint one Cessna the surface area is equivalent to painting 3 or 4 cars. Lots of work , and like I said half the surface is upside down. I would have to rest for 2 days to recover.

Good news is a proper job will look like a brand new aircraft and you will never regret the expense .

Here is a picture of failure using water based paint as mandated by California law , and applied by a California manufacturer.

https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/632490-robinson-service-sense-responsibility-lack.html
 
gacoon said:
+1 for these guys. They do a great job, but they aren't cheap.
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ya got to remember some of the paints today are $400.00 per gallon. plus hardener, reducer.
I'm told the major expense is the stripper and the disposal.
 
The major expense is the labor. It's awful work, and those who have the time, patience, and expertise are worth every penny.
 
I got my PPL at Regal, which at the time was right next to Sunquest.

Everything I saw coming out of there looked outstanding, from smaller piston singles to kerosene burners. At least one was a complex multicolored job and looked amazing.
 
Thanks, all, for your suggestions.

Sunquest isn't terribly far from me, I'll swing by there and take a look, chat about options and WAGs. Yeah, in any paint job (whether painting your house or a plane or really anything), I think it's the prep work is what makes or breaks the job. Unfortunately, the prep work is the painful, labor-intensive part (that's easy to cut corners on). Any idiot (even me) can pull the trigger on a spray gun and point it, and it's not hard to make things look nice (or at least better). But the passage of time shows who did/didn't get the prep work done well (but after the fact, once you learn that they cut corners on the prep, it's too late to do anything about it).

As I said, I know it won't be cheap. I'm not looking to set a pile of money on fire, but as pointed out by others, this is not easy work, and I want good results, so that means some $$$. If I can get it done reasonable close to home, that's a big plus.

Thanks for the recs so far, please keep them coming...I won't be getting the paint done for months so am in no big hurry to pick a shop immediately, and have time to consider options.
 
A Martin said:
especially if they use IMRON paint , Which to me is the best , true polyurethane (think plastic coating) , tough , resists chemicals in fuels , de-icing fluids etc , retains high gloss , I have 30 year old Imron paint jobs that shine today like new.
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My father exclusively uses Imron and it’s by far the best (no bias). He used to spray PPG years ago and after switching over to Axalta and using Imron, it’s clear PPG doesn’t hold a candle. It’s also gives a better match on existing base coats. He was able to match the color of a radome on a CJ1 a few weeks ago to OEM specs. It’s a very solid product.
 
I Fly Low 'n Slow said:
I think it's the prep work is what makes or breaks the job. Unfortunately, the prep work is the painful, labor-intensive part (that's easy to cut corners on).
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Prep work is big and takes more time than the spray out itself. Anyone who’s worth their weight will take proper measures to tape everything up to prevent overspray from reaching the wrong surface. You’d be surprised how many jobs will leave the shop with runs in the paint and base coats that don’t match. The untrained eye won’t catch it and the customer will think they got off with a good deal.
 
Ryanb said:
My father exclusively uses Imron and it’s by far the best (no bias). He used to spray PPG years ago and after switching over to Axalta and using Imron, it’s clear PPG doesn’t hold a candle. It’s also gives a better match on existing base coats. He was able to match the color of a radome on a CJ1 a few weeks ago to OEM specs. It’s a very solid product.
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Paint chemistry has changed a lot, (EPA) so I have pretty give up trying what is good and what's not.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Interesting. Do all R44s have this issue?
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No , fairly rare so far , but if RH is using water based paints over conventional primers they do not "marry" properly and we may see more. It is akin to painting latex (water based) house paint over oil based paint .... never recommended unless you thoroughly sand the old surface to give tooth to the latex.

Ironically the peeling R44 blades were sent back to the factory , repainted , and now the new paint is peeling.
 
A Martin said:
No , fairly rare so far , but if RH is using water based paints over conventional primers they do not "marry" properly and we may see more. It is akin to painting latex (water based) house paint over oil based paint .... never recommended unless you thoroughly sand the old surface to give tooth to the latex.

Ironically the peeling R44 blades were sent back to the factory , repainted , and now the new paint is peeling.
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Given that they make many helicopters, using the same processes, I'd think it would be more common.
 
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