New Exterior Paint
This is the original Birchaven paint and striping as sold by Coachman:
It was a difficult decision to settle on a paint scheme for our 76 GMC and one put off until funds became available. Meantime, the old fading pinstriping was replaced with more modern colors.
Of course the easy way out would have been to settle on the original white...but, after all the time, money,
effort and expletives invested in this coach, we didn't want to settle for status quo.
And with the help of Photoshop, one can easily play around with various paint designs.
<< The first step was to remove those old stripes.
<< Scheme 1: A neutral base, yet classy. A bright, light, beigey, unoffensive color.
<<
Scheme 2:The "racoon" motif. Hides the windows...
and is certainly different from the old '70's look.
Still, the whole thing
seemed a little "meh".
<< Scheme 3: Add some color. But now it looks like a black top on a tan bottom, with a zip lock in between...
<< Scheme 4: A little more drama...
<< Scheme 4: Always did like Frank Lloyd Wright designs...!
<< Scheme 4: But the Head Wrench was not impressed...even with this modification.
<< Scheme 4: Nice.... But there's already another coach, also a 23 footer with a very similar design.
In the end, our wallet dictated the final choice, as the
more colors chosen and the more intricate design, the more expensive
the painting project becomes.
We eventually settled on 3 colors: black , white (Artic
White, ppg code #4185), and beige (Lt Antelope, ppg code
4809). Later added, a red pinstripe for accent.
The below photo shows the final design and after 26 years, that Imron paint has held up
amazingly well!
