How to Remove Factory grade Decals from Your Pop-up Camper Exterior
Do you have decals peeling off your camper? Do you want to repaint your pop-up camper but notice the decals need to come off first?
Depending on the age of your decals will be the defining note on how hard it will be to remove. For me, I have a 1994 Starcraft pop-up camper and several of the lettering and edges were already falling off. The factory-grade decals have started to change in color and significantly faded. I decided the outside needed a fresh look, but painting over the decals would be a timely and costly mistake. So, I decided to do this in the springtime and devoted hours of my time to doing it right the first time! Here’s what I did!
Steps:
Step 1: Clean the camper’s shell with non-abrasive soap.
Step 2: (The most important) grabbed a comfortable chair and my earbuds!!!
Step 3: Gathered my hairdryer, heating gun, and some scraping tools. I tried a plastic putty knife, metal putty knife, large flat head screwdriver, and butter knife.
Step 4: Start at one end and make your way down. I started with the heating gun, this was way too hot and melted the plastic sheeting. I stopped and did my best to smooth it down. I then tried my hairdryer. For me, this worked better and didn’t warp the plastic underneath the decals. I let the hot air sit over 2ins at a time scraping with all the tools. I slowly found that the medal scraper worked best but with I got in tricky spots the butterknife was there to help. Do not leave the air dryer on too long, just enough to peel the sticker away. If it is too hot, let it cool and try again but for shorter periods of time.
Sometimes my arms got tired, and I had to walk around a bit but slowly and surely I melted and peeled away the decals. I moved from side to side getting every piece of the decal. This process took 2 hours to do. But once I was finished, I could see the end result was worth it. My daughter even came out to join me. It was kind of satisfying not going to lie.
Step 4: Cleaning the camper’s shell again.
Once I removed all the decals, I gave the camper a good scrub down with some soap and alcohol. Making sure I went over where all the old decals were. This was a big step for me. The residue from the glue looked horrible when it was dirty.
Final steps I took: Optional
Once I ensured it was dried, I went around with waterproof caulking and filling any old seams that were cracking or peeling on the camper. After it dried, I painted the entire camper with Elastomeric Roof Coating in white. I went over the rooftop again to ensure I got around the vent and seams. Once finished it looked amazing! I couldn’t see that they were even any decals originally on the camper. Now I don’t claim to be an expert, but my method worked.
All in all, this was a great DIY to make the camper more up-to-date and attractive to the eye. My method didn’t take too long and was a very satisfying process. You don’t need help, but it would be sure appreciated depending on how hard the decals are taking to come off. I’ve noticed flatter, smoothed surfaces were easier to do. If you have a new camper sometimes the glue is so stuck on there it does want to come off but be patient.
Side note:
My camper’s shell was made from embossed fiberglass reinforced plastic paneling. The kind you see in restaurant kitchens or bathrooms. This was standard for Starcraft’s campers at that time period. If your pop-up camper is made with a different material, do a test run before you continue, let it cool. Look for warping or cracking in the material. My heat gun was way too hot and that is why I choose the hairdryer. I could see warping in front of my eyes.