The Aircraft Strip and Repaint Process, Step by Step

A full aircraft strip and repaint runs from scheme approval and incoming inspection through flight-control removal, masking, stripping, corrosion repair, conversion coating, primer, topcoat and markings to thickness checks, control-surface balancing, weighing and logbook sign-off. A complete corrosion inspection has two stages: surface clues such as bubbles, filiform lines and bulging joints are noted before the strip, and the bare metal, joints and fasteners are checked after it. Most aviation topcoats are two-part polyurethanes that cure chemically, so cold slows the cure, moisture can leave pinholes or dull patches, and each paint's data sheet sets its own temperature and humidity window. Prep dominates, at roughly 80 to 90% of the job in published accounts.

What are the steps in stripping and repainting an aircraft fuselage?

Sequences vary by shop and airframe, but a typical job runs like this.

1. 1

   Approve the scheme. Colors, stripes, logos and mark placement are settled before arrival, ideally 30 to 60 days ahead (NBAA, 2025).

2. 2

   Inspect on arrival. Shop and owner walk the aircraft together, documenting damage, corrosion and fuel leaks; some shops add a pre-RVSM check on jets and video the walkaround.

3. 3

   Remove flight controls. Ailerons, elevators and rudder come off to be stripped, painted and balanced separately. King Air Magazine (2025) recommends pulling the flaps too, since trapped stripper can corrode flap tracks and bearings.

4. 4

   Mask. Stripper attacks plastic and rubber, so windows, lenses, de-ice boots, seals, tires and antenna bases are sealed off, as are composite winglets and fairings on hybrid airframes.

5. 5

   Strip.Chemical stripper is most common on aluminum, sometimes in repeated rounds; media blasting and sanding are alternatives. Composites are sanded instead, because stripper attacks the resin (Plane & Pilot, 2024).

6. 6

   Wash, sand and reseal. The airframe is washed to neutralize stripper residue and sanded, and old sealant at lap and butt joints is replaced.

7. 7

   Inspect and repair corrosion. Inspectors check the bare joints, faying surfaces (where parts overlap) and fastener areas, and repair findings within manufacturer limits, as detailed below.

8. 8

   Clean, etch and conversion-coat. A water-break test checks for leftover oil or grease, and the metal is etched. Per FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 43-4B, conversion coating goes on until the aluminum turns yellow-gold, usually two to four minutes, then is rinsed without wiping and dried 30 minutes to four hours before painting.

9. 9

   Prime.A corrosion-inhibiting primer typically goes on first, then a surfacer. Chrome-free primers exist; PPG's was the first Boeing qualified for exterior use (2011).

10. 10

    Apply topcoat. Several coats are sprayed and cured, two to six at one provider depending on the paint, with booth temperature and humidity governing each cure.

11. 11

    Add stripes, logos and registration marks. Each stripe color is masked and sprayed in turn. Registration marks on most fixed-wing aircraft must be at least 12 inches high (14 CFR 45.29).

12. 12

    Check thickness and balance control surfaces. Shops measure paint in mils (thousandths of an inch) and stay within maintenance-manual limits, since overly thick paint cracks more easily (AvBuyer, 2022). Each control surface is rebalanced to the manual before reinstallation.

13. 13

    Weigh and update weight and balance.AOPA (1999) called a repaint's weight change usually negligible, but AvWeb (2015) described a repainted Aztec whose center of gravity (CG) sat nearly 3 inches further aft than its 20-year-old paperwork showed.

14. 14

    Reassemble, inspect and sign off. Panels go back on, seams are sealed, and the aircraft is inspected for drips, fish-eye, orange peel and overspray. The logbook entry must include the work, date, signature and certificate number (14 CFR 43.9), and delivery should include a care briefing.

How long does each phase take?

Corrosion repair is the swing factor, since it can't be scoped until the metal is bare. For whole-job ranges by aircraft class, see aircraft paint cost and downtime in Michigan.

What does a complete aircraft paint inspection include to find hidden corrosion?

It works in two stages, because no inspection can fully see through intact paint. AvBuyer (2022) noted that on pre-owned aircraft, wear and corrosion often show up only after stripping, and one large paint provider reports repeatedly finding corrosion under paint that looked fine. AC 43-4B adds that preservative coatings can hide problems, so the pre-strip look is a screening step, not the final word.

Before the strip: what signs show through paint?

• Bubbles or blisters, which NBAA (2025) says may signal corrosion underneath; paint coming off in sheets is another warning
• Filiform corrosion: fine, worm-like trails under the paint (AOPA)
• Checkerboard bubbling on composite panels, a sign of corroded lightning-protection mesh on some business jets; one provider recommends repairing it at a scheduled repaint
• Bulging skin at joints, from corrosion building between faying surfaces
• Bumps over countersunk fastener heads
• Cracked paint at seams, rivets and static wick bases, which lets moisture in and can make static wicks fail resistance checks later

After the strip: what gets inspected on bare metal?

• Lap and butt joints, where old sealant is replaced
• Faying surfaces, with corroded lap joints opened up
• The area around fasteners
• Skin under antennas, where stripper seeped in and corroded a B200's skin (King Air Magazine, 2025)
• Flap tracks and bearings, if stripper was trapped in them
• Removed flight controls, including the aluminum controls on composite aircraft such as Cirrus models (Plane & Pilot, 2024)
• Wheel wells and gear, if in scope; they're often priced separately, so confirm
• Lightning-protection mesh and static wick bases on composite panels

What types of corrosion might turn up?

AC 43-4B describes these main types:

How is hidden corrosion repaired?

AC 43-4B sets out the basic approach:

• Remove the corrosion and blend the area within the manufacturer's limits.
• If damage exceeds those limits, contact the manufacturer.
• Open corroded lap joints and apply a water-displacing corrosion inhibitor to the faying surfaces.
• Restore conversion coat, primer and topcoat; the repair isn't finished until all three are back.

When repairs go beyond blending, a repair station with airframe maintenance on site can take structural findings straight to the same team.

How should corrosion findings be quoted?

• Disclose what you know, including any preservatives applied; NBAA (2025) advises telling the shop about known corrosion early so it can plan.
• Require written approval. AvWeb (2015) says a shop should give a written estimate for added corrosion work and get your approval first.
• Budget a contingency, since the full picture isn't known until the strip.
• Keep the record: written findings and repairs, filed with your logbook entries.

How do climate and humidity affect the curing of aviation-grade paint?

Most aviation topcoats are two-part polyurethanes: a base resin mixed with an isocyanate hardener, often called the activator. The two react and crosslink into a hard film, so the cure is chemical, not just drying, and temperature and relative humidity (RH) change how fast and how cleanly it runs. Data sheets describe stages: dry to tape (ready to mask for the next color), ready to fly (return to service) and full cure (final film properties).

What temperature and humidity do aviation paints need?

There is no universal window. Three published data sheets show the range:

PPG adds that humidity doesn't affect that product's cure rate, so follow the data sheet for the specific paint, not a rule of thumb.

Why does cold weather slow curing?

The reaction runs slower as temperature drops: CA8000 needs about 90 hours to be ready to fly at 68°F, versus 36 hours at 95°F, and PPG wants components at least 55°F before mixing.

Shops adjust with activators; Alumigrip 4200 offers a warm-and-humid activator rated for 80–96°F and 45–90% RH, and a cool-weather activator for 59–69°F. Forced curing is the other tool: after a flash period for solvents to evaporate, the coating is baked. PPG's Desothane HS clearcoat reaches full cure in 7 days at 73°F, or in 2 to 3 hours at 140°F.

What do high humidity and very dry air do to fresh paint?

Water also reacts with isocyanate, releasing carbon dioxide that can leave pinholes, and moisture reaching a curing polyurethane can leave dull patches that need sanding and recoating. A humidity-control supplier adds that high humidity risks blistering and poor adhesion, and cites 40–60% RH as ideal.

Very dry air speeds solvent evaporation, which can cause surface defects, and it builds static. A related defect is solvent pop: solvent trapped under a surface that skinned over, usually because the coat was too thick or the wrong solvent was used.

Why does full cure matter if the aircraft can already fly?

Ready to fly is not fully cured. The AkzoNobel sheets and PPG's HS clearcoat sheet put full cure at about 7 days under their listed conditions, and 3M advises waiting at least 24 hours at 72°F before applying its protective tape to fresh paint.

A 2012 Helicopter Maintenance article went further, saying polyurethane can take 30 to 90 days to fully cure; it advised waiting 90 days before polishing and not washing a surface still hot from flight.

What about Southeast Michigan?

Southeast Michigan brings humid summers, corrosive winter road salt and repeated freeze-thaw cycles, as covered in our post on Southeast Michigan weather and aircraft storage. With filiform corrosion most likely at 78 to 90 percent relative humidity (AC 43-4B), a Michigan airframe deserves a careful look at joints and fasteners once it's stripped.

Seasons shape the cure, too: summer jobs must respect upper humidity limits and may need a warm-weather activator, while winter jobs need the booth and materials kept in range and longer cures. NBAA (2025) says shops should control humidity and temperature, which is why a heated, climate-controlled booth matters; heated hangar storage then keeps the aircraft out of the cold while the finish cures. A 2026 Twin & Turbine account describes a winter storm adding weeks to a TBM 700 repaint, so build in weather margin.

Why does control-surface balance matter?

An out-of-balance control surface can flutter. The NTSB cited failure to rebalance flight controls after a repaint in a fatal 1996 Grob G115D breakup; the surviving aileron, weighed after the accident, was 0.75 lb heavier than when it was installed, and while its weight was still within range, its balance was outside the manufacturer's limits. AvWeb (2015) also described a Cessna 421 with elevator flutter on its first flight after paint.

An FAA airworthiness directive (AD) requires V-tail Bonanza ruddervators to be balanced off the aircraft whenever they're painted, and another sets paint-thickness limits on Gulfstream G-IV and GV control surfaces.

What should you verify at handover?

• Control-surface balance records and paint-thickness readings, within manual or AD limits and checked by a mechanic
• Updated weight and balance, ideally from an actual weighing
• Written corrosion findings, repairs and approvals, with conversion coat, primer and topcoat restored over every repair
• Logbook entries meeting 14 CFR 43.9, for the records you keep under 14 CFR 91.417
• Registration marks with correct size and placement
• Ready-to-fly and full-cure times, cure restrictions (washing, taping, polishing), care instructions and warranty terms, in writing
• Your own walkaround for drips, fish-eye, orange peel and overspray, allowing at least half a day

Twin & Turbine (2026) also suggests considering a third-party post-paint inspection.