Paint and Body
Custom Paint and Graphics in Southern California
Typical range
$2,500 to $20,000+
Shop hours
20 to 120+
Labor rate
$210/hr
The short answer
Custom paint and graphics covers designed multi-color schemes, sprayed graphics, fades, candies, pearls, and reproduction of discontinued factory artwork. Work runs $2,500 to $20,000 and up, or 20 to 120 plus hours at $210 per hour plus $55 per paint hour in materials.
01
What this work actually involves
Most custom work we do is not somebody wanting flames. It is a 2011 coach whose factory graphics scheme was discontinued as a decal set eight years ago, and the only path back to original appearance is spraying it. Reproducing a factory scheme means measuring the surviving artwork on the undamaged side, plotting masks, and matching four or five colors including the metallic accents, then laying them in the correct order with the correct flash between each. It is exacting work and it is a large share of what happens in our booth.
The rest is genuine custom: fades on a bus conversion, a two-tone on an overland build, candy over a metallic base on a show coach, a designed identity scheme on a food truck or mobile workshop. Candy and pearl work has a specific Southern California problem. Those systems live or die on UV protection, and a candy laid under a clear without a strong absorber package will shift noticeably after two summers parked in Riverside or the low desert. We spec the clear for the environment the vehicle actually lives in, and we say so in writing on the estimate.
Sprayed graphics outlast vinyl by a wide margin here. A printed and laminated decal on a west-facing sidewall in Palm Springs is typically showing edge lift and color shift in three to five years. Sprayed graphics under a good clear are still correct at ten. The tradeoff is cost and time, since every color is a separate mask, spray, and flash cycle.
Systems and brands we work on: House of Kolor, PPG, Axalta, Matthews Paint, Gerber.
Location: All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside, or fleet route service.
02
What the job includes
- Reproduction of discontinued factory graphics schemes in paint
- Measured plotting and mask cutting from surviving original artwork
- Multi-color designed schemes, two-tones, and fades
- Candy, pearl, and tri-coat systems with UV-appropriate clear specification
- Airbrushed detail, shadowing, and gradient work
- Sprayed pinstriping and accent lines
- Custom color development where no formula exists
- Fleet identity and livery schemes sprayed rather than wrapped
- Design proof and layout approval before any color is mixed
- Full clear over the finished scheme, color sanded and buffed
03
When you need this service
- A factory decal scheme that has cracked, lifted, or faded and is no longer available to buy
- A repair that crossed a graphics element and cannot be put back with a decal
- A coach with mismatched graphics after a prior cap replacement
- A build-out or conversion that needs an original identity scheme
- A show or rally unit where sprayed work is expected over vinyl
- A previous custom job whose candy or pearl has shifted color in the sun
04
How we do it, step by step
- 01
Design and proof
For reproduction we measure and photograph the surviving artwork. For new work we produce a rendered proof to scale on your unit. Nothing is mixed until you sign off.
- 02
Surface and base preparation
The entire scheme area is prepped and based as one field. Graphics laid over inconsistent substrate telegraph every transition once the clear goes on.
- 03
Mask plotting and cutting
Masks plotted from the measured layout and cut, then applied and checked for line quality on the vehicle before spray. Line accuracy is decided here, not at the gun.
- 04
Color sequence
Colors sprayed in the correct order with full flash between each, lightest to darkest as the design allows, so masks lift clean without pulling the previous layer.
- 05
Detail and airbrush work
Gradients, shadowing, and fine detail applied by hand where the design calls for it, and checked at viewing distance rather than at arm length.
- 06
Clear and UV specification
Cleared with a system specified for the climate the vehicle lives in. Candy and pearl schemes get the heaviest absorber package we carry.
- 07
Level, buff, and document
Clear color sanded flat and buffed so no graphic edge is detectable by touch, then the full color formula set is documented to your file.
05
Pricing and posted rates
| Item | Rate or range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical job range | $2,500 to $20,000+ | Varies with extent of damage and parts availability |
| Shop hours | 20 to 120+ | Quoted after teardown, not before |
| Body and paint labor | $210 per hour | 2026 posted rate |
| Paint supplies | $55 per paint hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Body supplies | $5 per body hour | Calculated automatically on every estimate |
| Parts | 100% markup under $100, 35% over | Special order parts require a non refundable deposit at order |
| Deposit | 50% at authorization over $2,000 | Additional 25% when parts arrive on jobs over $10,000 |
| Sales tax | 7.75% on parts and materials | Labor is not taxed |
Insurance billed jobs may be billed at carrier negotiated labor rates that differ from the posted retail rates above. See all posted rates.
07
Vehicles we do this work on
Vehicle
Class A Diesel Pusher Motorhomes
A diesel pusher carries a rear-mounted diesel on a raised-rail air ride chassis, usually 34 to 45 feet with full-body paint and pa
Vehicle
Bus Conversions, Prevost and Marathon
A Prevost, MCI, or Van Hool conversion is a commercial motorcoach shell finished by a second-stage builder such as Marathon, Feath
Vehicle
Food Trucks
Food trucks combine cooking heat, grease, water, propane, and a generator inside a box that also has to survive freeway travel. Fl
Vehicle
Off-Road and Expedition RVs
Expedition RVs mount a composite habitat box on a four wheel drive truck chassis, usually through a torsion-free three or four poi
Vehicle
Camper Van Conversions
Camper van conversions are Sprinter, Transit, or ProMaster chassis with windows cut into the sidewalls, a roof full of penetration
Vehicle
Vintage and Classic RVs
Vintage coaches, from riveted aluminum Airstreams and Avions to GMC motorhomes and 1970s Class A units, use construction and parts
Vehicle
Mobile Workshops
Mobile workshops carry benches, vises, compressors, welders, and dense tool inventory, which makes weight and mounting the definin
08
Questions about custom paint and graphics
Frequently asked questions
My RV graphics are discontinued. Can you reproduce them?
Yes, and this is one of the most common reasons units come to us. Most factory schemes stop being available as decal sets within five to eight years. We measure the surviving artwork on the undamaged side, plot masks from those measurements, match every color, and spray it. Sprayed reproduction also holds up far better than the original vinyl did in this climate.
How much does a custom paint job cost?
$2,500 to $20,000 and up, or 20 to 120 plus hours at $210 per hour plus paint materials at $55 per paint hour. A two-color accent scheme on a camper van sits near the low end. A full multi-color reproduction across both sides and both caps of a forty-foot coach, or a candy over metallic show finish, sits at the high end.
Is sprayed graphics better than a vinyl wrap?
For longevity in Southern California, yes, by a wide margin. Printed and laminated vinyl on a sun-facing sidewall in the inland valleys or low desert typically shows edge lift and color shift in three to five years. Sprayed graphics under a properly specified clear are still correct at ten. Vinyl wins on cost, turnaround, and reversibility, which matters on leased fleet units.
Will insurance cover graphics reproduction after a collision?
Generally yes, when the graphics were damaged as part of a covered loss and no replacement decal exists. The path is documentation: we photograph the original scheme, show the carrier that the part is discontinued, and price the sprayed reproduction as the only available restoration to pre-loss condition. Carriers accept that argument routinely when it is evidenced properly.
Will a candy or pearl finish hold up in the desert?
It will if the clear is specified for it. Candy systems carry their color in the clear layer itself, so UV degradation of that layer is a direct color change, not just a gloss loss. On a unit that lives in Palm Springs, Indio, or Victorville we spec the highest absorber package available and we recommend covered storage. We will say so on the estimate rather than after.
09
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More paint and body work
Ready to move on custom paint and graphics? Bring it to Yorba Linda.