| Gray paint for metal parts of the Westy interior - which is it? |
| Dove Gray |
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16% |
[ 1 ] |
| Stone Gray |
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50% |
[ 3 ] |
| Smoke Gray |
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16% |
[ 1 ] |
| Granite |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| Dark Machine Gray |
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16% |
[ 1 ] |
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| Total Votes : 6 |
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| Author |
Message |
VicVan
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2015
Posts: 1840
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
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 Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 11:39 am Post subject: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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Hi,
I've been browsing the forum for tips on repainting some metal in my Westy (1990, so gray): grille under the fridge, front table leg, etc. I've found several paint tones. So... which is it?
I understand none won't be a perfect match. But if you've used one of these, what's your experience? How does the colour compare to the stock Westfalia grey?
1/ DOVE GREY
Brands and references mentioned:
Krylon 1605,
Valspar 165816,
Plasti-kote 364
https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/PAINT-AEROSOL-DOVE-GREY-15OZ/p/RLMV2184-838
2/ STONE GREY - SATIN
Rustoleum Painter's Touch
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer...one%20Gray
3/ SMOKE GREY - SATIN - result: sometimes darker, sometimes lighter than stock
Rustoleum 7786
(Apparently hard to find in spray cans)
https://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-K7786-402-RUST-OLEUM-K7786402-Enamel/dp/B001CESK8C
4/ GRANITE - SATIN
Rustoleum Painter's Touch 249855
https://www.homedepot.ca/product/rust-oleum-painte...1000777568
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer...one%20Gray
5/ DARK MACHINE GRAY - ENAMEL - result: darker than stock
Rustoleum
https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/PAINT-AEROSOL-DK-MACHINE-GREY-15OZ/p/RLMV2187-838
6/ WARM GRAY
SEM 15183
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PKX0GG
Reference posts or threads:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=257439
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=528786
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9627239#9627239
_________________
'90 Little Blue Truck, 2WD auto, FAS GenV 2.0 NA (AVH)
Last edited by VicVan on Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:53 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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space
Samba Member
Joined: November 19, 2017
Posts: 673
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 12:00 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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Stone Gray to my eye
_________________
82 westy
w:
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Rear discs |
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dabaron
Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2018
Posts: 2559
Location: Philly, mang
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 12:18 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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not #5 - i went with that and it is much darker...
_________________
1991 Vanagon GL Camper
i had no idea i wanted to be a mechanic
"burnin oil and cookin coils" -- Destructo
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dobryan
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kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7916
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 12:40 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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Smoke Stone Gray is too light to be a match for the metal components, which are about the color of the rubber trim:
I used Krylon's River Rock on the skylight plastic, which is a good match for the poptop components, but is a touch grayer than the original color.
_________________
~Kamz 
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
 1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子
Last edited by kamzcab86 on Sat May 01, 2021 10:38 am; edited 1 time in total |
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DeLvxe
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2019
Posts: 106
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 1:00 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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I used the Dark Machine Gray for the stove front and trim on my truckfridge. It looks good to my eye, but darker than the gray used on the table legs. The OEM stove front color always looked kind of dingy to me, so pleased with the new color.
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1991 manual camper with EJ25 |
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kourt
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Joined: August 13, 2013
Posts: 1940
Location: Austin, TX
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VicVan
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2015
Posts: 1840
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 3:11 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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Kourt, you're not supposed to add to the confusion by throwing in yet another color... 
I'll update the list!
I like the dark machine grey, even though it's a bit darker. Is the enamel going to be more scratch-resistant than usual spray paint?
_________________
'90 Little Blue Truck, 2WD auto, FAS GenV 2.0 NA (AVH) |
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jimf909 
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 5:16 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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Rustoleum Gloss Smoke Grey but it looks darker to me, not lighter than stock. Regardless, I like it a lot.
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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SyncroHead
Samba Member
Joined: May 23, 2005
Posts: 1141
Location: Northern Nevada
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 8:23 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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I've noticed several different gray colors in Westies, so it depends on which gray one is trying to match. Personally, I've been using the Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Stone Gray Satin for at least a couple years now. (They may win the award for longest paint name!)
I've also noticed what seems to be color-changing paint in Westies. Particularly the stove front (where the knobs are) and the table legs look almost olive-green under the right light or at least have a touch of green apparent. I really don't care for that gray hue and have used the Stone Gray Satin on the table legs, the skylight cover and other things. Eventually the stove front too...
Jim Davis
_________________
"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"
Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org
| sphet wrote: |
| I have *no* idea what the previous owner carried in his Westy... angry donkeys? |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:40 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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| kamzcab86 wrote: |
Smoke Gray is too light to be a match for the metal components, which are about the color of the rubber trim:
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kamz, you say Smoke Grey is too light but your annotated photo shows a light gray that is named Stone Gray. I only point this out because I found Smoke Grey to be relatively dark.
| jimf909 wrote: |
Rustoleum Gloss Smoke Grey but it looks darker to me, not lighter than stock. Regardless, I like it a lot.
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I'm afraid the only answer may be in our pitching in $ to buy six cans of spray paint to see what's what.
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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VicVan
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2015
Posts: 1840
Location: Vancouver Island, BC
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:59 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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| SyncroHead wrote: |
| I've noticed several different gray colors in Westies, so it depends on which gray one is trying to match. |
I hadn't noticed that... For now, it's the grille under the fridge, and the small grille on the upper left side of the fridge cabinet.
| SyncroHead wrote: |
| Personally, I've been using the Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Stone Gray Satin for at least a couple years now. (They may win the award for longest paint name!) |
Can you describe how it compares to the stock color (say the table leg or the stove front?)
| jimf909 wrote: |
I'm afraid the only answer may be in our pitching in $ to buy six cans of spray paint to see what's what. |
Yup.... It looks like the end result depends on the lighting, and 45 other variables. If I accept that I can't have the stock color, I'll just buy the first one I find on my next trip to the grocery store, and call it!
_________________
'90 Little Blue Truck, 2WD auto, FAS GenV 2.0 NA (AVH) |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 10:13 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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| VicVan wrote: |
Yup.... It looks like the end result depends on the lighting, and 45 other variables. If I accept that I can't have the stock color, I'll just buy the first one I find on my next trip to the grocery store, and call it! |
That sounds familiar. These are my notes from probably 3-5 or more years ago. It looks like I copied Kourt's recs exactly as he noted above. When it came time to paint, I didn't want to order paint and the local Ace had Rustoleum 7786(830), and I went with it.
| Quote: |
Resources
- Gray paint: Rustoleum7786 Smoke Grey . . . got it at Lowe's
- SEM 15183 matches the factory grey trim color almost perfectly.
- SEM 13023 is a low luster clear that will make the grey the same sheen as factory
- SEM 38353 is a cleaner that you use to clean/prep the plastic before painting. |
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
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Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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ZsZ
Samba Member
Joined: December 11, 2010
Posts: 1645
Location: Budapest Hungary, Europe
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| Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 1:36 am Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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Is there a RAL or other standardized equivalent?
_________________
Zoltan
1.9 MTdi 2wd Multivan (ex Caravelle)
Van since 2006, engine since 2008 |
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kamzcab86
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008
Posts: 7916
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 10:40 am Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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| jimf909 wrote: |
| kamz, you say Smoke Grey is too light but your annotated photo shows a light gray that is named Stone Gray. I only point this out because I found Smoke Grey to be relatively dark. |
Proofreading fail!🤦🏻♀️
It is Stone Gray.
| ZsZ wrote: |
| Is there a RAL or other standardized equivalent? |
Brown = RAL 8028
Gray = RAL 7037
_________________
~Kamz
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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Californio
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Posts: 1305
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| Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 1:47 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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| Dove Gray has some yellow in it that looks right to my eye. Some of the others are bluish or "battleship". It may be that with time and use the interior yellows a bit, so the blue-grays look too blue. |
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DeLvxe
Samba Member
Joined: January 08, 2019
Posts: 106
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 10:15 pm Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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| VicVan wrote: |
I like the dark machine grey, even though it's a bit darker. Is the enamel going to be more scratch-resistant than usual spray paint? |
The enamel has held up pretty well on the metal stove face. I wish I took the time to do a better job stripping the original paint and prepping the surface. I can see some flecks under the surface and a few bubbles. Pretty sure I used the same enamel on the plastic truckgridge trim and there are a few small chips in it.
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1991 manual camper with EJ25 |
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designer
Samba Member
Joined: November 05, 2009
Posts: 484
Location: Idaho-but just the tip
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 8:44 am Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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Here’s what I used for my fridge project. A bit lighter than the plastic beading but looks great imho.
_________________
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87 Syncro Westy : 2.5l
"It is that annoying, accelerating downhill so I can make it up the next hill in the same gear. Foot to floor hoping I can get out of the way of other cars getting onto the highway." - somebody on here around 2013. |
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derekdrew
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Joined: October 14, 2007
Posts: 246
Location: Far Northwest CT
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| Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:34 am Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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Pending Revision
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Derek Drew
derekdrew - a t - derekmail - dott - com
Last edited by derekdrew on Tue Nov 23, 2021 11:47 am; edited 2 times in total |
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jimf909
Samba Member
Joined: April 03, 2014
Posts: 7466
Location: WA/ID
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| Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:57 am Post subject: Re: Westfalia interior gray paint - which is it? |
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| derekdrew wrote: |
I took pictures. |
Yes, please to pictures.
Thanks for taking the effort to test and share results.
Pics? 
_________________
- Jim
| Abscate wrote: |
Do not get killed, do not kill others.
|
Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.
Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro). |
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