Posted by If your car needs a good coat of paint, we will explain the process so that you can paint it yourself
If the paint on your car is not what it was, you are restoring an old car, or you simply want to change the color of it, you can paint it yourself. Although it seems a cumbersome process, it is not so much, and as long as you have the necessary materials and are a little ‘handyman’ the result will be quite acceptable and you will save money.
Even if you carry out good daily maintenance of your car , you cannot prevent external agents from damaging its paint over time, so below we are going to explain how a car is painted step by step and we will also explain what options you have in in case you don’t want to do it yourself.
Steps to paint a car
Before getting to work, you will need to find a good place to do it and gather the necessary materials to carry out the process: air compressor, paint, primer, sandpaper, paint sprayer, polish, gas mask, putties, solvent to clean the surface, paint thinner … Once you have everything you need, you can start painting your car by following these steps:
- Cover the areas that you are not going to paint: before starting the process, you should cover well with paper and tape all the areas that do not correspond to the car’s sheet metal, that is, wheels, lights, windows and any other element that you do not go to paint.
- Sanding – Sand the car paint down to the metal so the new paint will adhere better.
- Repair: if the sheet has any bumps, you can fill it with putty and smooth it so that when you paint over it will look like new.
- Clean the surface: use white spirit or alcohol to clean the surface and remove oils so that the paint finish is better afterwards. Next, prepare the surface with an automotive primer.
- Paint: when you apply the corrosion-resistant base on the entire surface, let it dry and once it is dry, sand gently and clean the surface again. Next, it’s time to start painting with the special car body paint. Prepare the paint following the manufacturer’s instructions and start painting the car with a special spray for it. Let dry and give a new coat of paint. You can use a dryer to speed up the process.
- Lacquer: After the last painting, you must wait at least one hour to begin lacquering. Test a part of the vehicle before continuing to verify that you have waited long enough and the sheet is ready for lacquering.
- Dry: When you have lacquered the entire surface, you will have to wait at least a day for the varnish to dry completely. Let it dry in a dust-free area so the particles don’t stick to the new paint.
Once all the steps are completed, you can start showing off your shiny, freshly painted car yourself.
If you don’t dare to carry out this whole process yourself, you always have the option of taking your car to a body shop to have it done for you. Of course, the result will be much more professional, but you will also have to make an outlay of between 1,500 and 2,500 euros plus VAT, depending on the size of your car. Here you can calculate the budget to paint your car depending on its characteristics so that you can assess which option convinces you the most, whether to take it to the workshop or do it yourself.
Detail King, one of the best Car paint protection services providers in New Zealand.
