How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help!
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Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Lost in 0town., FL, USA
How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help!
Well ive decided soon that I will be wanting to paint my car. I can get all the supplys and tools needed, so now i just need to know the actual steps in doing so. What I am asking for is the steps such as :
sand
wetsand, etc..
Like once i sand the body down, primer it, then what do i do, wetsand and add a coat of paint, wetsand that, then add another.. etc..
Someone please help me out on this.
Also, what brand of paint would you reccomend being very high quality? And if im going to be painting urethane, what do i need to do in order to prep it correctly?
Thank you.
sand
wetsand, etc..
Like once i sand the body down, primer it, then what do i do, wetsand and add a coat of paint, wetsand that, then add another.. etc..
Someone please help me out on this.
Also, what brand of paint would you reccomend being very high quality? And if im going to be painting urethane, what do i need to do in order to prep it correctly?
Thank you.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,208
Likes: 1
From: Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (GroundZer0)
is the whole car ready for a paint job, as in no body repair needed
Preping:
anyways, you first need to water sand the whole car down,
600 grit 3m wet/dry sandpaper
it took me and my dad a whole hour or so to do my car.
if you dont know how to water sand, you better go ask someone. i would take pictures and show you how it looks, its best doing it on a sunny day or a lit up area, so you can see the surface, and tell if you water sand an area good enough.
after that, you need to tape up area like windows, moldings, etc.
you first need 1/2 inch 3M masking tape, and tape around all the edges of the windows, moldings, etc.
then you take the roll of paper with the tape on the edge of it, (forgot what its called) and you cover up the rest of the open area.
once you do that, wet the ground with water, so the paint doesn't stick to the ground.
then you get laqar thiner i think, and take a 3M non-lint cloth, and wipe down the whole surface of the car.
Painting:
buy your paint, from an automotive paint store like: Paint master in Montclair, CA
the brand they would carry would be PPG, some carry dupont.
PPG is medium quality, and dupont is the better quality.
dont forget your clear coat
hope you got a good gun, and compressor 120psi and up.
if your gun is dirty from a previous paint job, clean it with laquar, put some in the can, and spray it out the nossile.
then fill up the gun with paint, and put on your face mask, and start spraying.
you first want to start from the top down, and from the middle of the car to the ends of the car.
when i paint, i first do the top of the car, then the edges of the windows, then the doors, then go on to the back of the trunk and half way there i move on to the front of the car, and do the same on the other side.
a good quick layer of spray is good for the first layer but most of the time you only need a good first layer, because the gun sprays a good amount of surface area.
once you're done spraying, let it sit for like 10mins, it drys quick.
look at the paint and make sure their are no mistakes. if dust or crap gets on it, get out some 3M non-linted cloth and wipe away, wont hurt the paint much.
Clear coat:
empty out the spray can, clean it out with laquar, fill it up with clear coat, and spray away. same way as you spray the paint on.
once thats finish, it takes about 4-6 hours to dry, but if you have a oven like at my dad's work, the car can dry in like 10-15mins, and the clear coat sits better to the paint. but overnight drying sometimes leave dust in the clera coat
but thats what water sanding is for
if you're koo with your paint job by this point then its all good, but if not, water sanding will fix all the orange peal, and over clearcoat. also gives the paint a good shine for years.
bring out the 600 grit wet/dry sand paper, and start going.
do the whole car. it will look like the car had a fucked up paint job, looks all faded, but it wont be after some polishing.
get yourself some 3m compound polish, its like 25 bucks, and get a good buffer, from Dewelt (sp?). they look like a grinder, but with a pad at one end.
throw some compound on the car, and polish that **** out till it shines.
after you're all done, a good car wash is needed. then you got yourself a finish paint job
if none of these make sence, then i must have been very tired and bored while typing hah.
or take a college class and learn
peace. nite time.. **** its 5am!
Preping:
anyways, you first need to water sand the whole car down,
600 grit 3m wet/dry sandpaper
it took me and my dad a whole hour or so to do my car.
if you dont know how to water sand, you better go ask someone. i would take pictures and show you how it looks, its best doing it on a sunny day or a lit up area, so you can see the surface, and tell if you water sand an area good enough.
after that, you need to tape up area like windows, moldings, etc.
you first need 1/2 inch 3M masking tape, and tape around all the edges of the windows, moldings, etc.
then you take the roll of paper with the tape on the edge of it, (forgot what its called) and you cover up the rest of the open area.
once you do that, wet the ground with water, so the paint doesn't stick to the ground.
then you get laqar thiner i think, and take a 3M non-lint cloth, and wipe down the whole surface of the car.
Painting:
buy your paint, from an automotive paint store like: Paint master in Montclair, CA
the brand they would carry would be PPG, some carry dupont.
PPG is medium quality, and dupont is the better quality.
dont forget your clear coat
hope you got a good gun, and compressor 120psi and up.
if your gun is dirty from a previous paint job, clean it with laquar, put some in the can, and spray it out the nossile.
then fill up the gun with paint, and put on your face mask, and start spraying.
you first want to start from the top down, and from the middle of the car to the ends of the car.
when i paint, i first do the top of the car, then the edges of the windows, then the doors, then go on to the back of the trunk and half way there i move on to the front of the car, and do the same on the other side.
a good quick layer of spray is good for the first layer but most of the time you only need a good first layer, because the gun sprays a good amount of surface area.
once you're done spraying, let it sit for like 10mins, it drys quick.
look at the paint and make sure their are no mistakes. if dust or crap gets on it, get out some 3M non-linted cloth and wipe away, wont hurt the paint much.
Clear coat:
empty out the spray can, clean it out with laquar, fill it up with clear coat, and spray away. same way as you spray the paint on.
once thats finish, it takes about 4-6 hours to dry, but if you have a oven like at my dad's work, the car can dry in like 10-15mins, and the clear coat sits better to the paint. but overnight drying sometimes leave dust in the clera coat
but thats what water sanding is for
if you're koo with your paint job by this point then its all good, but if not, water sanding will fix all the orange peal, and over clearcoat. also gives the paint a good shine for years.
bring out the 600 grit wet/dry sand paper, and start going.
do the whole car. it will look like the car had a fucked up paint job, looks all faded, but it wont be after some polishing.
get yourself some 3m compound polish, its like 25 bucks, and get a good buffer, from Dewelt (sp?). they look like a grinder, but with a pad at one end.
throw some compound on the car, and polish that **** out till it shines.
after you're all done, a good car wash is needed. then you got yourself a finish paint job
if none of these make sence, then i must have been very tired and bored while typing hah.
or take a college class and learn
peace. nite time.. **** its 5am!
Thread Starter
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,110
Likes: 0
From: Lost in 0town., FL, USA
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (GroundZer0)
Thank you SO much. That was very nice of you to type that whole thing up. Hopefully it will come out good!
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,208
Likes: 1
From: Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (mickey513)
what do you mean primer the car again?
the only reason you use primer is to cover up crap ie: bondo.
if you wanna repaint the whole car, you dont spray primer on the whole car
you watersand down the whole car, and paint over the old paint.
the only reason you use primer is to cover up crap ie: bondo.
if you wanna repaint the whole car, you dont spray primer on the whole car
you watersand down the whole car, and paint over the old paint.
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Joined: Jan 2003
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From: A Mile High
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (NrG)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NrG »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">you watersand down the whole car, and paint over the old paint.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Is that better than stripping it to the bone and laying down a new coat of primer or is it better to use the factory primer?
Is that better than stripping it to the bone and laying down a new coat of primer or is it better to use the factory primer?
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Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,208
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From: Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (GTlvr82)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GTlvr82 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Is that better than stripping it to the bone and laying down a new coat of primer or is it better to use the factory primer?</TD></TR></TABLE>
um. you can do that, but it will still look the same if you do that way or repaint over the old paint.
the only reason you watersand down the original paint, to paint over it, to make the paint stick on the car better, it will stick the same even if you primer it.
Is that better than stripping it to the bone and laying down a new coat of primer or is it better to use the factory primer?</TD></TR></TABLE>
um. you can do that, but it will still look the same if you do that way or repaint over the old paint.
the only reason you watersand down the original paint, to paint over it, to make the paint stick on the car better, it will stick the same even if you primer it.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,419
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From: Unknown Road, nC, us
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (NrG)
After the paint job if you want to get rid of the orange peel pr runs do NOT use 600 grit that is way to abrasive dont go under 1000 grit.
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Bay Area, CA
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (NrG)
So how about wet-sanding? Can you give any advice/instructions on how to properly do this and with what grit sand paper?
I also have another question, you know sometimes shop "supposedly" match paint to your car but it always seem to be a tad off, like the new paint will look darker ir brighter then the original paint or the panel next to it. Why is that? How can you get around this?
I also have another question, you know sometimes shop "supposedly" match paint to your car but it always seem to be a tad off, like the new paint will look darker ir brighter then the original paint or the panel next to it. Why is that? How can you get around this?
TSPeed Factory
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Renton, WA, Vietnam
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (mickey513)
when u wet sand, basically you wet the area with water and then you sand it. occasionally you would apply more water and then sand again. do this until the desired area is dull.
TSPeed Factory
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Renton, WA, Vietnam
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (AzntaggeR)
oh yeah, i forgot to mention this also that could help you out. i don't kno if you're going to do this after you're done painting...
after you're done painting and you find imperfections such as dust, or whatever on the paint, wet sand it and then you put rubbing compound on it. after buffing it you should apply some meguiars swirl remover and maybe some wax as your finishing touches. then after this is done you do what is called the DOI (Distinction Of Image). this is simply where you take an object and stick right next to your new paint, and if the reflection of the image is crystal clear it means it was done good.
after you're done painting and you find imperfections such as dust, or whatever on the paint, wet sand it and then you put rubbing compound on it. after buffing it you should apply some meguiars swirl remover and maybe some wax as your finishing touches. then after this is done you do what is called the DOI (Distinction Of Image). this is simply where you take an object and stick right next to your new paint, and if the reflection of the image is crystal clear it means it was done good.
Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,254
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From: St. Pete, FL, USA
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (smallttocs)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by smallttocs »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Why Dont We Have A How To Page Yet On Honda-Tech?!?!?! </TD></TR></TABLE>How ironic, I got to this page from a link in the new "How-To" thread.
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,208
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From: Rancho Cucamonga, CA, USA
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (COLORPROS)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by COLORPROS »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">After the paint job if you want to get rid of the orange peel pr runs do NOT use 600 grit that is way to abrasive dont go under 1000 grit.</TD></TR></TABLE>
1200 or 1600 is perfect for gettin rid of orange peel.
600 is only for wet sanding down primer.
1200 or 1600 is perfect for gettin rid of orange peel.
600 is only for wet sanding down primer.
Joined: Apr 2003
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Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (NrG)
you dont have to wet sand the car before primer, you can just sand it dry.
And you never want to use 600grit wet sandpaper for wetsanding. You first need to determine how much orange peel you have, and then choose what sand paper you need, usually 1000-2000 grit. You want to attatch the sandpaper to a sanding block and always keep the sandpaper wet, going in a side to side motion, none of the swirly stuff. Once every part of the car is dull, then u are ready for buffing, and when your buffing, tape of high and low areas to pervent from getting any burns. ALso, go with about 700-800 rpm so it doesnt get to hot and actually melt the paint. After all this, polish with a good polish and ur done. O, and make sure u have enough clear coat to ensure u don't sand right throught the clear. Good luck
And one more tip, acrylic laquer paints are the easiest paints to spray in my opinion, and are usually pretty cheap and good for diy work, and make sure you keep the spray gun perpindicular to the surface you are painting
Good luck
And you never want to use 600grit wet sandpaper for wetsanding. You first need to determine how much orange peel you have, and then choose what sand paper you need, usually 1000-2000 grit. You want to attatch the sandpaper to a sanding block and always keep the sandpaper wet, going in a side to side motion, none of the swirly stuff. Once every part of the car is dull, then u are ready for buffing, and when your buffing, tape of high and low areas to pervent from getting any burns. ALso, go with about 700-800 rpm so it doesnt get to hot and actually melt the paint. After all this, polish with a good polish and ur done. O, and make sure u have enough clear coat to ensure u don't sand right throught the clear. Good luck
And one more tip, acrylic laquer paints are the easiest paints to spray in my opinion, and are usually pretty cheap and good for diy work, and make sure you keep the spray gun perpindicular to the surface you are painting
Good luck
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: San Diego, CA, USA
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (GroundZer0)
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: DAHLONEGA, GEORGIA, USA
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (COLORPROS)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by COLORPROS »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">After the paint job if you want to get rid of the orange peel pr runs do NOT use 600 grit that is way to abrasive dont go under 1000 grit.</TD></TR></TABLE>i would not tell anyone to wet sand there fresh paint who dosent have experince really i would not tell anyone to paint there own car unless they knew enough to do it as a job but thats just my opinion
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 38,620
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From: Baltimore, MD
Re: How to paint a car? Steps needed.. thank you! Please help! (EFMAN)
if you really need to ask this then here are the steps..
1. Call bodyshop and make appointment
2. Pick color
3. Drop car off at body shop
4. come pick car up when done.
1. Call bodyshop and make appointment
2. Pick color
3. Drop car off at body shop
4. come pick car up when done.
