Most people think that repainting a vehicle is too hard and should be left to the professionals. Well, I'm here to tell you that with the right approach and the right information you can easily repaint your vehicle at home AND achieve results that even a professional would be proud of! In this article we are going to take a brief look at the steps involved for a complete car repaint.
First and foremost, you must plan-out the job. For instance, do you have a closed in, relatively dust-free area organized to repaint your car? Do you have or have access to a good sized air compressor, air line and spray gun? While not everybody has access to these things, spray booth's can usually be rented out, as can the necessary spray equipment.
There are a few different types of paint that can be used, all with their own pro's and con's and it's important that you stick with the one type of paint or paint system for the whole job. A chat with your local automotive paint supplier before you start should get you heading in the right direction. Once you have the equipment and materials all sorted it is time to start with the vehicle.
The decision of how far you want to go with your repaint needs to be made now. For example, if you want to do a complete color change will you do the engine bay, door jambs and inside the boot area as well? Obviously this adds quite a lot of work to the job and many just settle for an 'outside blow over'. If you do decide to go this way just keep in mind that it will be painfully obvious every time a door is opened or you lift the bonnet!
At this stage it is also important to go over the vehicle with a fine tooth comb (not literally!) to find any dents, rust or blemishes that could ruin an otherwise great paint job. Believe me, there is nothing worse than finding a dent, no matter how small, after you have laid down the top coat. Very frustrating indeed! If you are wanting your repaint to look the best it can the issues you find now need to be taken care of before any painting takes place. The techniques used to repair dents, rusted sections and original paint faults vary greatly and I will cover some of these in my other articles.
After the bodywork is completed the next step in the process is to prepare the surface for primer. How far the original paint is taken back depends a lot on its condition. For example, if there are 'crows feet' or cracking evident in the original paint it will have to be removed right down to the affected layer. However if the original paint surface is in reasonably good condition with little in the way of blemishes or faults the surface can usually be lightly sanded, enough to provide a 'key' for the new primer to bond or adhere to.
Once again the methods used for sanding or completely removing the original paint vary quite a lot and for more information on these and more information on doing a respray from start to finish please see How To Paint A Car. At http://howtopaintacar.info we have everything you need to know about panel repair and automotive spray painting!
By Craig Wilson
No comments:
Post a Comment