Repaint Roof Cost

Has anyone had their roof sanded down to bare metal and repainted recently? I keep going back and forth on whether to do this myself or just suck it up and pay to have it done. I had one estimate at $840. Is that reasonable, or a little high?

 

Share a pic. On an 05' I'd just sand it down, tape it off, and put on 2-3 coats call it a day.

 

Location, shop quality (prep, material, labor) all vary enough regionally to make this not the best place to ask.

Depending on the overall condition of the truck there are options to preserve the metal in a DIY manner for much less than your current quote.

Just remember, today its the roof. To.orrow it will be the hood.

 

Not that it's super relevant, but I vinyl wrapped my roof for less than $100. I did it myself vs paying the $600 quote I got from a local shop.
If the quality and workmanship is top notch, I wouldn't see an issue paying that price for repainting. If your hood is also a concern, you may get a deal doing both one time.

 

Get a quote from MAACO as I did,$350 for a best Basecoat plus Clearcoat Glossy ! Sand Prime,Sealer and Paint all for only$350 on my wifes Rav4,my Tacoma a Total Repaint,Sand,Primer Sealer,Basecoat Clearcoat Glossy was only $1300.

 

It depends on how the rest of the truck looks like. If the paint on your truck is in excellent condition and it’s only the roof then get it professionally painted. If not, I would just DYI it and be done with it. I don’t think the $840 estimate is unreasonable.

 

Is the paint issue just between the roof rails? 840 sounds reasonable. I know my paint guy would be more but he’d pull the windshield, rear glass and roof moldings so there are no tape lines or edges. If there are issue outside the drip rails, that’s a whole other story cause you have to take into consideration painting into the door jams, a pillars and c pillars.

 

I sanded down to bare metal, used 2 cans of spray max 2K etch primer, 2 cans base, 2 cans Spraymax clear.
Came out pretty good, has lasted for 4 years no problems.
If it was the hood not the roof it wouldn’t look as good. Bit of orange peel but way better than how bad it was rusting before.

Takes LOTS of prep. Cost about $180 for all materials. Learned lots about painting

 

How long did it take you once you started on it? Can this be done in a day?

 

Yeah, its just in between the roof moldings.

 

It was just a side project for me, and it took a total of maybe 20hrs start to finish as I recall. Definitely longer than a day. Sanding down to bare metal took the longest. Then you have to allow for proper flash times between coats of paint.
And a good respirator is KEY. That 2K paint is dangerous.

 

$840 is definitely reasonable for a reputable shop.

 

I went the professional route. Looks like new. Parking outside had the paint peeling bad. Cost about $550.

 

I was in Montana at the time i painted mine. One shop quoted me $1200 another more than that.
That led me to DIY

 

O.P. you have a nice truck,get it painted by a Pro. shop,nothing is worse than half ass crap on your truck.

 

Just remember a pro shop with a lifetime guarantee pulls the bed back to paint the roof and wrap around the rear window. Quote for hood and roof was $2000. But on Tacomas the top rail above the doors will do the clearcoat fade/peel also, followed by under the door windows, and of course the hood or all horizontal surfaces. I painted my hood and roof for about $200 4 coats of paint and 4 coats clear came out OK but first time for me. If I had to do it over I'd do Maaco - as its a pain in the butt and took several days with sanding, priming, painting, and buffing to save what $300. Yours is an 05 so rest of paint must be well worn also so up to you. Wraps will not work well over peeling clearcoat as the material may lift. You also need a smooth surface or it shows under the wrap. A quick sand down and prime then a wrap is an option and cheap if you DIY.

 

That's the preferred method (also, pulling the windshield may lead to needed a replacement if it doesn't survive the removal). Places like Maaco usually tape things off which keeps estimates low and lets them crank out more work. Not uncommon to see their work with overspray on moldings/trim and hard lines on the edges. A true "get what you pay for" company.

 

Not to be argumentative, but they won’t pull the windshield or the bed. Possibly pull the molding but still doubt it and tape off around the front and rear windows. There’s no need to pull the bed.

Op, I assume you don’t have a good size compressor or paint gun. DIY, would then be spray can. If that’s the route, SprayMax 2K is a way to go or see if a local auto paint jobber can mix and put into aerosol cans. Sand to bare metal, epoxy prime, paint, clear. Follow the tech sheets to a T. Paint is applied only to coverage, then about 3 good coats of clear. After a week, carefully color sand with 1500 grit, followed by compound, glaze, wax. Cost of quality automotive paint is expensive. The last quart I purchased of Tacoma black was about 250.00. That quart was enough for a full color change on a short bed cap.

Another option, have a vocational technical high school nearby? They are looking for work and you’ll get a good paint job. I had my old 96 Cummins painted at a high school as it was just too big for my low ceiling garage. Turned out very nice. My opinion, better than a low cost body shop like a Macco as the teacher is teaching how to apply paint properly. Downside, be prepared to wait. It took a couple of months for my truck to be entirely stripped and painted. Cost was $1300 complete.