Im looking for some tips to paint my car. Id rather do it at home and spend maybe 200 than pay maaco 1600 to paint it. I know how to do body work I just never painted a car before. Im planning on buying the spray gun. But does anyone have any tips?

 

I know one of the big things is good prep work. Wish I could do it too. Need to paint my back up truck as my honda is acting up. Good luch in your answer. Curious myself

 

Takes a lot of practice to be able to lay it down smoothly/evenly, and w/out runs or dry spots!
That said, if opaque color, you can always color sand your mistakes - lotsa work!

 

Also - have heard that if you do the prep well, some of the chain paint shops can provide a decent job at a reasonable price, but you nd to get their premium job or the materials may be iffy.

 

Also- Premuim quality materials (primer, paint etc.) cost $500 to $750 for a medium sized car - if you are looking for a quality product that will last.
Pretty much a get what you pay for proposition

 

Im 100% sure the paint is not that expensive. If it was Maaco and all those shops would be out of business. Because they will paint a car for 250-600 dollars depending on the body work needed.

 

Check out autobody depot. They have a website I like the Kirker paints they have, they make single stage, and even candy that is close to HOK. It is not exactly HOK but it does look good for a fair price. You can get your supplies there too like sand paper, scuff pads.

 

This would be the best place to search and ask quetions http://https://honda-tech.com/forums...splay.php?f=84

Good Luck

 

prep work man that's one main key!..it takes time to do it,make sure u have a good location lots of space to move around ,good light good air and good heat .i mean since u said u are gonna do it at home ,u will need some good heat when "baking it".i do all my paint jobs at my house and they come out nice..but in my experience its always better to do it at a actual booth. but hey don't get me wrong it will come out nice if done right..the gun the compressor the tools u have all comes in to play with your paint job..if u got any questions just ask

 

I'm 100% sure that there are different quality's of paint which is why Maaco can paint your car for $500, how ever it will cost more if you get them to do the prep work or if you want them to use good quality paint.

Prep work makes the paint job, if your willing to take the time to do all of the prep work than you can save a ton of money on getting your car painted. Prep work isn't something your going to be able to get done in one day after work however, it take a lot of time to do it, that is why it makes the paint job. Also painting isn't something that you are just going to be able to pick up and lay it down just like the pro's do the first time. You can get pro results if you take your time and color sand. Make sure that if you do go to paint to do it in an area where there isn't dust or sand or any dirt because it will fall onto your car and it shows in the paint after your done.

 

the key to getting a good looking paint job after good prep is:

1: spray gun setup for all materials sealer/base and clear. they will all spray differently. the sealer and base you dont have to worry about setup quite so much, just make sure they are covered. sealer usually takes 1 to 2 coats to completely cover your body work. your base coat you want to spray 3 medium/wet coats on, letting the base flash off for roughly 5 to 10 min between coats. after 3 coats go around the vehicle with a flashlight and make sure you didnt miss anyspots. if you have a spot where you can see through the base its no big deal. you do not have to recoat the whole vehicle just simply put a coat or two more in that area till covered.
Clear on the other hand, what i do for gun set up is completely open the fan to the biggest setting, and completely unchoke the trigger(that means the needle of the gun goes all the way back). clear you are going to want to spray it like you want it to look. you can do 2 to 3 coats. each time spraying it like you want it to look. let the clear flash between coats for about 10 min. a good way to see if its flashed is wile spraying each coat make sure some of it hits the paper on a window for example. touch the clear on the paper and put a little pressure on it. when you pull your finger away see it is pulling little strings, if so your not ready for another coat. when your not pulling strings your ready for another. another very important thing is keeping the clear hot and wet. if you dont keep it "wet" then you will get the overspray effect. and have to do some sanding and buffing. there are alot of different ways of keeping your clear wet. also if you dont have a booth to bake it in. let it sit inside over night and then pull the paper/tape and let it sit outside for a day or so. make sure you have good ventilation whereever you decide to spray at and have a respirator. auto paint is nasty for you.

hope this helps you out! just let me kno if you have ne more questions