Getting your car painted by a professional car painting service can be expensive for many of us. One always has an option of painting their cars himself. For this, one needs to have preparation – because, the better the preparation, the better the results. You need to keep a few things in mind before painting your car:
Sanding
Sanding your car is the first thing you should do before painting even begins. Sanding gets rid of the old and existing layer of paint, which can be then covered with primer. Without sanding, the surface will not let the primer adhere. Sanding should always be done from top to down. Use 180-grit sandpaper placed on dual-action sander for the best results.
Lots of Tape
You need to have lots of automotive masking tape at the ready. You will need them when to cover up the places you don’t want painted or stained by paint. Places like keyholes, window glass, headlights, door handles, trims, grilles, weather stripping, taillights and tires need to be taped. The tape protects these parts from paint yet does no damage or leaves no marks behind.
Wax and Wipe
Get a microfiber towel and wipe the entire surface of the car with grease remover and wax. This help to get rid of and wax, grease and dust that are there on the surface. Be sure to do this as if any such foreign bodies remain behind then they will show up as imperfections on the dried paint. Grease remover evaporates very soon so there is no need to wash it off.
Start Spraying
You can now begin with spraying the first coat of primer on the car. Apply two coats of primer in total. Wait 10 minutes between coats and allow at least 30 minutes for both the coast to dry.
Start Painting
You need to apply at least 3 coats of paint to achieve hiding of the primer. Aim the nozzle roughly 12 inches from the surface of the car and spray in left and right strokes (not up and down). Make sure that the coats are thin – this will ensure that there is run off. Start from the top – roof, then the hood and so on. Be patient for 20 minutes between each coat of paint.
Stay Clear
Now you need to spray clear coat paint as the last step. Use the same technique as spraying paint. Clear coat paint should be applied after an hour of spraying the color coat. Once it’s done, give everything 24 hours to set and dry, for that new and shiny look!
