I have a 94 Accord and about a $200 budget, a garage an air compressor and a very steady hand. I've been toying with the idea of doing the $50 paint job (with a spraygun) and changing from midnight blue to white. But I'm not just not sold on that option. I would rather keep the Midnight blue but I'm concerned with spraying a metallic paint as a beginner.

So what would you do if you were me.

Would you spray it yourself and do a base coat clear coat? This option is by far the most expensive but overall the best quality. Can it be done for $200 or less? Where would you suggest I buy the paint?

What are your thoughts on single stage paint? Should this even be on the table?

I'm just trying to get the most bang for my buck and since I'll be doing this this spring I'd like to get some ideas and research done first. I have a hood and door I can use to practice on before spraying the whole car.

Help me decide.

 

No, a gallon of good clear (about what it'll take to do a full car, including jams) alone runs $300+, not to mention hardeners, base, tinters, filters, etc. etc.

Keep saving your pennies.

 

^^^ Agreed even with free labor with 200 bucks you cant barely get any materials and if you can manage to get all the materials for under 200 they will be the cheapest materials and would probably look like ****.... I've worked for a few body shops, so i would say save up at least 300-400 to get at least good materials. As far as keeping it midnight blue i would aggree with that going white would take alot of coats to cover the blue. and when your done with your base coats and go to spread the metallic low pressure is your friend.

 

you can get a quart of nason lacquer sealer, a galllon of nason base coat, a gallon of nason clear and a quart of activator for about 140 bucks, granted, its ****ing junk and i would not reccomend you do it, its one of the lowest level paints on the market and just is not a great material line. But its better than the rustoleum paint job b..s... and if done properly and taken care of it can look decent and last a long time.. 200 bucks isnt much of a budget but it can be done. your not gonna get the best stuff but hey, ya get what you pay for.

If it were me, Id spend 10 dollars on a piggy bank, and put 190 bucks directly in it and then just start throwing money in there every time you can, save up for some good material.

 

Hmmm,

Not the responses I was looking for, but thanks for contributing. I guess let me state my intentions. I'm not looking to enter into any shows, I just want the car to be one color and get rid of the flaking clear thats on it now.

That is also why I was considering a single stage paint job, soooooooo back to my original post. If all you had was $200 to make it happen, what would you do.

I completely understand that my options are limited under the budget, but it's not likely that I'll be driving this same car in 2 years so if it last that long I'd be satisfied.

Thoughts?

 

Guess you didn't actually read the replies.

If i had a $200 budget to paint a car, i wouldn't paint the car. It'll do more harm than good.

 

^ What he said. I'm about to paint a driver door from an 05 four door civic. Materials for that one door are costing a little under 200

 

try this
http://www.paintforcars.com/urethane...its_5star.html

 

i know everybody hates on it, but i use NAPA martin senour paint. Cost me $190 to paint a 95 hatch bc/cc Flamenco Black with a ton of leftover. Was painted 3 years ago, still looks the same as when i did it. I also have painted the whole front end of my 96 accord, matches perfect, I can get you a picture if youre really interested, that was done 2 years ago.

I know i know, PPG this, Dupont that, blahblah. Paint is paint IMO as long as the prep work was done properly.

 

Thanks for your opinion but let's try to stick to the topic. I didn't ask if I should paint the car now with a $200 budget or wait until I have saved more money. I asked what direction would you go with a $200 budget.

I'm not trying to be a smart ___. I'm trying to get an idea of where the middle ground is and begin there.

If confined to a given area you have to get creative. You may not get to use the best of the best but there is usually a give and take. Again I appreciate the opinion but I am not buying the "It can't be done" statement.

 

Im not hating on you dude, at all. If you want to do it, go for it. I dont have to look at it so it wont be my problem lol.

Look at it this way, you get what you pay for, and $200 isnt going to be quality. I know, i know; you're not looking for a show quality paint job. But how would you feel about the seller of a car, if you bought a car then found out it had been repainted half-assed? As the old saying goes, do it right the first time so you dont have to do it again. Example: if you had $200 to finish a swap, and you needed mounts. Would you buy some no name, hacked up mounts, just so you could say it was done, and possibly risk dropping the motor on the highway while driving, or would you save that extra couple hundred to do it right? Really, whats $200 these days?

If you MUST spend $200 on painting it, take it to maaco and get rid of the car. I was just stating, personally i wouldn't waste the time trying to paint a car with $200, but i also do it for a living and have an eye for the difference in quality and what not.

Point is:
Find someone that knows how to prep a car the right way, have them help you prep it. Then take it to maaco for paint. Even prepping materials (sand paper, scotch brite, etc.) is going to run you at LEAST $75, that leaves you a $125 window for paint.

 

I hear you. Nice analogy but I think this car's next home is the scrap yard and paint quality is not high on the totem pole as far as priorities go. I actually have about $300 to play with but I'm not going to spend much more than that on a car that's worth about $2K. (at best)

I won this car in my divorce from my first wife and it's done great as a daily driver these last few years, I just would like it to be one color. So to me $200 to drop on paint for a 14 year old car is not a total loss especially since I'll be painting it myself. Neither I nor my wife will be upset if it's not perfect after $200 because (and to your point) you get what you pay for.

 

didn't vote cuz like some of the guys said. $200 wont get you no where for paint. even if it was a cheap maaco. it'll still be around $350 or so after maaco is done. just keep saivng till you have about $500 and then you can decide.

 

Martin Senor Blows plain and simple. *hits thinner than water. You can go shopline from ppg and do it for less than $200. That would be color and clear with all hardeners and reducer. As long as you go blue or white. Reds are alot more

 

Can you show me where to get a good white for that price? Looking to paint my car white here in the next few weeks.

 

ya go to a PPG dealer and ask for a white they carry in the Shopline brand

 

This is what i used, it came with primer, base, and clear. Its even under your budget and i sprayed this with a 21 gallon compressor. You can see for yourself heres the link https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...t=paintforcars

 

I have a friend who got a great deal on EVERYTHING needed to do a paint job... A gallon of paint already mixed of milano red, A gallon of clear with the hardeners and activators etc etc for only 300 Shipped to his door!! The brand was 4th dimension by Sherwin Williams I believe. and his paint job is by far one of the best jobs I have ever seen!!! Ill be sure to post pics of it later on to show you!! I would save your money and get what He got... He has a 92 Eg Hatchback and his painter was able to do Four heavy coats of paint and two heavy coats of clear. He still had about a fourth of the gallon left over and about half of a gallon of clear... (He sold it to me for 60 so all I need now is paint)

 

Interesting... Those pictures don't look that bad, but I'd like some close ups. Any opinions of the PPG Shopline product?

 

well ive used it for a few years now with no problems. Anyone else care to chime in?

 

Ok heres what I would do If I had $200 go to tcpglobal.com and pick out a color from the Kustom shop hot rod flatz or the Restoration shop brand its a single stage shipped to your door will cost around $100 then get some prep supplies and boom your car is painted!! Will it last forever probably not! Look descent yes sir!!! Your welcome

 

Dont do that.

 

dude stfu

 

Exactly what i did. Ended up spending a total of $132. Well worth it.

 

Pictures?