How much for a PA 28 aircraft respray.
 

Hi All,

Can anyone advise as the cost of a respray for a PA28 aircraft,(back to bare metal) and recommend a company in the Sydney/NSW area.

Thanks
PV

have a look into a vinyl wrap, seams popular in the USA. lighter than paint apparently. though dont know if anyone here will do it.. could be cheaper flying some guys from the USA here to do it.

Vinyl wrap in Australia! lol under what approval?

A repaint requires a C of A a vinyl wrap in Oz a CAR 35 as well, so plan $70K.

A strip and paint with normal plastics and repairs will be $15-20K for a good job inc reweigh, windows and all.

Vinyl wrap or paint
 

Vinyl wrap cannot be used to replace paint, it is a porus covering which provides NO corrosion protection. The vinyl wrap needs to be applied over a clean coat of paint or epoxy primer, application over bare metal will result in increased corrosion and application over poor quality paint will create a poor finish on the wrap.

Pa28 paint job should be in the 10-20k range depending on the shop. I suggest the OP ring around for a few quotes and ask exactly what they get for the money. In my experience a bad paint job will end up costing more than a good one in the long run.

dont know about that, i have seen many polished or bare aluminium aircraft have vinyl removed after many years and show no evidence of corrosion at all under it, water also gets under paint and primer through cracks and faults in the paint, usually around rivets and skin joins. if the metal is treated properly and the alclad in undamaged, then water shouldn't worry it. also, have a look into why you Don't paint aluminium boats.

Add on the cost of having the controls removed and put back on by a LAME and all the new hardware that will go with that.
I know it's really expensive here but by the time it's all finished I wouldn't expect much change for $30G.

Thanks for the above comments.Could anyone recommend a a/c spray company in YSBK, so I can at least start the "quote" process.
Thanks
PV

I would look a lot further than YSBK.

Vinyl wrap or paint
 

Ultralights,
I was not suggesting that vinyl wrap will cause corrosion in the substrate, simply that it will not provide any additional protection to the bare metal in the way paint does. Although the 2024 alclad used in PA28 series has a pure aluminium coating to provide the oxidisation layer this has most likely been eroded on an old aircraft. Without the oxidisation layer or a sealed paint layer the old 2024 is very prone to corrosion unlike the 5/6000 series used in boats.

Band A Lot, they are hitting you hard on labour for $111 an hour!

I'll bet they barely lay the guy $40-$50 per hour for the bulk of that work bar perhaps the guy spraying.

You own a Aeroplane that FLIES. Do not just look in the YSBK area. Some of the best paint jobs I've seen are in Melbourne area (AeroPaint or something like that at Horsham), and some in southern queensland, but can't think of the name of the company. The latest aviation trader will have them all listed.
It's a pity that the EPA regs shut down quite a few of the good ones many years ago

I recently had my PA28 Arrow painted in Yarrawonga ( 12 months ago ) after another mate had his done there previously. I did my homework, after much effort I obtained 3 quotes from "reputable" shops. I had a bare metal strip, new glass all round, new fasteners all round ( screws ) ect ect, new front screens, was quoted 15 - 17k depending on what was under the stripped paint. It came in just under the 17k quoted all up no more to pay and the job was excellent, couldn't speak highly enough of them. And just a foot note, they actually delivered what they promised.

Squawk7700, I actually did the job and think I charge $126 per hour + gst.

It mostly was me and a LAME that can paint well (very well) he got $66 per hour at work.

I think there was about $10K required repairs but another 10ish to meet the new look in owner request like door handles and window latches.

So to confirm it was a repaint done by LAME's in an approved shop

A guy I think now in SA, Stuart James was a aircraft painter come LAME does paint again.


He certainly can throw a paint gun around and honest as they come.

It's actually $110 per hour...but whats a dollar.

You seem to be suggesting that this is an exorbitant hourly rate?
Had your car dealer serviced recently?????

Without laying out the maths in detail (which i can if needed), to pay a tradesman $1500 per week, comes out as a direct cost to the business of $68.21 per hour.
After that we take out rent/mortgage, power, insurances, admin costs, compliance costs........

$110 ph is fuggen cheap mate.

Give microflite a call in Melbourne to see where they get their helicopters done. The finish and attention to detail on their aircraft are the best I've seen and apparently reasonably priced.

Your panel beating shop is not a LAME shop. The paint shops I've seen use the lowest apprentice level of labour for strip and prep and then the clever (more expensive) guys for the stuff that matters as I detailed my my short post above.

My mistake - the default is $110 (old rate) was $126 p/h, still too cheap.

Microflite use Pacific Crown Helicopters in Caloundra. But they only do helicopters as they are situated off the airfield now. In an old very large bus workshop that works very well