It’s safe to say that painting your car and painting a wall are two different things. While they do involve the same action, the painting process differs a lot. Panting your car requires a lot of products from the paint itself to sprayers, primers, and more.
It’s because of those reasons why paint jobs are so expensive. Not to mention that the painting process itself is a lot more complicated than what you might think.
But there is a way you can spray paint your car all by yourself. The process might be even harder, but it beats paying for the expensive paint job.
So in this article, we are going to take a look at the entire DIY process of spray painting your car.
Preparation
Every process starts by preparing first for the task ahead. Once you’ve found a suitable location where the painting will take place, such as your garage, you will need to prepare it. Cleaning the work area is the first step and removing any unnecessary items out of the way is also key. Having a steady flow of water is also important because of the dust. Cover everything important so that it doesn’t get painted as well.
Stripping
You’ve acquired all the painting products and you’ve covered the work area, now it’s time to get to work. Sanding is the first thing you need to do. If you are not familiar with the process of sanding, you can go here to learn more. Next up is to remove the clear coat, top coat, and the base coat. This process is best done if you sand the entire car, or the parts you want to paint, down to the bare metal. Having a clear and smooth surface is important. As soon as you’ve sanded the entire car down to the bare metal it’s time to wipe down the exterior with a clean towel or rag. It’s also important to mention that you will need to remove any dust and residue. You can do this by using paint thinners.
Priming
You won’t be painting the entirety of your car, and you will need to mask off the areas which will not be affected by it. As soon as you’ve done that, take the sprayer and place it approximately 6 inches away from the exterior. Paint the exterior in a side to side sweeping motion and never hold still in one place while holding the trigger down. Always start with the roof and go down from there. Be aware as it can take up to three coats of paint to cover an entire surface. Each coat might take up to 10 minutes per exterior and the primer can take as much as an hour or so.
Painting
As soon as you’ve finished priming the vehicle, it’s now time to paint it. Mix the paint with the thinners using a recommended ratio and start applying the paint. Apply the paint by using the same hand motion as before, and start with the roof. Make sure to notice the recommended drying time before each coat and be careful not to get anything stuck to the surface of your car. As soon as you’ve covered up to three coats of paint to the surface, inspect the finished job and see if there are any parts that differ from the rest. If they do differ, carefully apply another coat of paint to that specific area.
Mastering DIY car painting is tricky and could take you more than once to achieve the desired results, so be prepared to do the same again.
