- HOME -
SERVICES - STYLUSS
RIDES -
SHOW ROOM
- AFFILIATIONS
-
CONTACT US
-
-The
Poor Mans Paint Job-
The Poor Mans Paint
Job
Test car: 1989 Chevrolet Beretta Euro GTU
UPDATED: 8/29/08
Film of paint application added as well as a link below to a 6 month
update
I found a write up online that explains how to paint
your car yourself for about $50. Needless to say I was very interested to
see what it had to say. The name of the write up is the
50 Dollar Paint Job
It is a very comprehensive write up on how to paint you car yourself at home.
The photos I saw of the final result were amazing, simply unbelievable really.
The results were too good to be true to have come from thinned out paint literally
rolled onto a car. It turns out it is true and it is pretty simple. I tried
it out myself as you can see here: Trunk Lid Test.
I think it went well for a first time attempt. Plus I learned a lot about
the process, most of it the hard way I must admit.
After learning quite a bit through the trunk lid test
I have developed my own method of "do-it-yourself auto paint". A
method I have termed the Poor Mans Paint Job. This method of paint at home
application relies very much so on the methods seen in the 50 Dollar Paint
Job, but uses a different application technique in order to lessen the amount
of sanding involved. Using the $50 method I found that the paint roller would
lay down too much paint. Even if you got the coat to come out even, there
would be orange peel due to the large size of the roller. It's hard to try
to lay paint smooth 6" at a time. If any adjustment to the amount of
paint on the roller was made, the coat would not come out even and then you
get to sand. Argh, the sanding... that's the killer to this whole project
right? Well, if done right, there will be no need to do any final sanding
or polishing. Oh, there will be some sanding involved, but we will try to
keep it to a minimum. Of course, if you are not happy with the finish without
a final sand and polish, just prepare for that scenario ahead of time. Make
sure to lay down enough coats throughout the procedure to be able to sand
at the end if you like. However, I am a lazy SOB and would like to not have
to sand too much.
You too? Here's how!
First of all, let's get this out of the way:
I have provided this write up as an instructional piece to aid you in painting
your own car.
I in no way guarantee the results, nor can I be responsible for any mishaps
you may encounter attempting this yourself.
Paint your car with this method at your own risk!!!
Step 1: Supplies
First, you will need to purchase all of the materials needed to complete this
job. I used to have a list of everything I needed here to do my car, but I
have condensed it down to only what you will need to do this yourself. You
might need more, you might need less depending on your project. One of the
best things about this is that it is very inexpensive. Everything can be bought
at your local Home Depot or the like. As you can see, the project total is
very minimal.
Item |
Quantity |
Total Cost |
Rustoleum high gloss white paint |
3 Quarts |
$23.61 |
Odorless mineral spirits |
3 Quarts |
$17.97 |
4" High density foam brushes |
7 ea. |
$5.67 |
2" High density foam brushes |
7 ea. |
$3.95 |
Paint trays |
3 ea. |
$3.21 |
Sandpaper |
1 pack |
$4.75 |
Painter's tape |
1 Roll |
$5.84 |
Total: |
$65.00 |
I would say that two or three quarts of paint is all that you will need. Two will do a small car, three your average size car. If you are going to tackle an SUV or large truck, you might need four or even more to finish the job. I laid down five coats on the car and seven on my body kit and bumpers with three quarts. Make sure to use high density foam brushes as they will hold the paint very well and help to eliminate residual brush strokes. Primer is not needed unless you are painting over bare metal. If that is the case, pick up some primer. If you only have a few small spots of metal, just buy a spray can primer and cover these spots before you begin.
Step 2: Prep Work
Once all of your materials are in line you can begin
the prep process. First and foremost, you need a large, clean area to do the
paint work in. Living in a townhouse community I was a little shy on space,
but I was able to make it work. I did the majority of the prep work in my
driveway, and did all of the painting I could in the garage. I laid a few
coats down in the driveway, but there you are exposed to all sorts of dust,
leaves, dirt, etc. First, wash the car and all pieces to be painted real well
to remove any loose dirt.
Next, remove anything from the car that you can, this will help avoid the
possibility of getting paint on things you don't want it on. This is to include
headlights, tail lights, trim pieces and more depending on the car. I took
off my bumpers and side mirrors as well. The bumpers because they have a few
"style indents" in them that I wanted to be able to paint in a horizontal
manner as opposed to vertically while mounted to the car. The side mirrors
I painted as well so having them off of the car made that a lot easier. I
also removed my body kit pieces as not to drip on them while I painted the
car itself. I guess what you need to remove will be personal preference depending
on your painting style and the car's needs. Once everything is removed, you
can really get to work.
*This picture has one coat on the hood. I wanted to get a good start on it due to the color change*
Everything that is going to be painted needs to be wet sanded with 600 grit
sand paper. This will help to further remove any impurities from the paint's
surface giving you a clean slate to work with. Move down to 400 grit if you
have a problem area. Make sure to use a sand paper designed for wet use. Also,
be sure to get into the the body lines and style indents in the bumpers or
on the side of the car well. Once the sanding is complete you will need to
look for any spots where the paint has chipped off or the sanding has exposed
some of your base metal. If you find any, spray them with a quick coat of
the spray primer. This will help make sure you have a nice even looking finished
product. Of course, if you have any body work you need done, now would be
the time to do it. Any trim pieces that do not easily remove you can tape
up with the painter's tape. Make sure to double check your tape job before
you begin. There is no need to cover up the glass as this method creates no
over spray.
Step 3: Paint
Now that everything has been properly prepped we can get to work on the paint
itself. First, mix your paint. The mix should be 50% paint and 50% mineral
spirits. This will produce a product with the consistency of milk. You want
it nice and runny, but with a little body still. Too thin and you will have
drips all over your car which will only add to the sanding work we are trying
to avoid. Too thick and it will take longer to dry then we want. I found the
best way to do this was to pour half of the paint can into another container.
Then, add the mineral spirits to the remaining paint in the can. Mix it well
and you are good to go! Now, you need to determine how you are going to go
about painting the car. It is wise to paint each coat in the same manner to
make sure you do not lose track of where you have laid paint already. Plus
this makes things go a little smoother all in all. Here is a quick breakdown
of how I went about painting my car: Started with the top of the car, passenger
side then moved to the driver's side - passenger side of the hood - then the
driver's side of the hood - back to the passenger fender - passenger side
of the car until I got to the door - up the small strip of door across the
top of the door and back down the the rear fender's top - back to the front
of the side of the car all the way back to the rear of the passenger side
- trunk lid and spoiler - driver's side rear fender till the door - up the
door trim again to the front of the car - back to the rear of the driver's
side and forward to the fender - driver's fender and done! Essentially it
was a clockwise circle around the car starting at the passenger side of the
hood. Except once I was done with one side of the hood or the roof, I jumped
to the other side to finish. Keep in mind that
this is what worked out best for me and my car. There are deep body lines
between the roof and the rest of the car making it easy for me to paint it
as a "separate piece". As I begin to explain the painting technique,
you will see why it is important to keep applying paint to the car in some
sort of order. Letting one area dry with an edge left undone and then coming
back to it will only create paint lines in your final product. Your only break
points should be at the edge of the car's body. Like between the fender and
door, or the door and the roof.
Now we are ready to apply paint. Pour some of your well mixed paint into a paint tray and let's get started. For large areas of the car I used a 4" brush to apply the paint. For large, even flat spots such as the hood or the trunk you will want to get a lot of paint on the brush. I usually dipped the brush into the paint until the angled tip of the brush was completely submerged. Now simply start to paint it onto the car. The key here is in the technique. Proper use of the brush is what helps to eliminate any brush strokes or orange peel. First, lay on some paint, pretty thick, to an area. Always make sure to paint one decent sized area at a time. Spread the paint out a bit to cover the area you are working on. Now, that you have a good base to work with, simply run the brush over the area you have well spread paint. Just use the weight of the brush itself and slowly glide over the paint making sure to always stroke in the same direction. This final smooth roll over the paint is what helps to eliminate any weird drying patterns. Moving on to the next section make sure to spread a little bit of new paint over the edge of the area you just painted to ensure smooth even coverage. As you move through the project, make sure to take a look back frequently to areas you have just painted to look for any drips or sagging areas. If spotted, simply give them a quick brush over. Lay down three coats of paint this way allowing at least 6 hours of dry time between coats. More time is required during cold or overcast days. Drying in direct sun is quickest of course.
Please see here for a film demonstrating the paint application technique.
1 Coat of paint
2 Coats of paint
Once you have 3 layers of paint down bust out the hose and the sandpaper. Give everything a good wet sand session again at 600 grit. Keep in mind that you are not trying to create a completely smooth surface again, but to take out any major bumps and to rough up the paint some. If you see areas with a bit of dripping, sagging or any other mess, just sand them down accordingly. This is your chance to correct any imperfections in your paint job as well.
Now that your base has been put on and you have given it a decent sand we can start on the final few coats. I say few because the amount of coats will vary on a few factors. Did you need excessive sanding due to a problem area? Are you changing colors? Are you happy with the look after 2 coats? Well, that would be a good place to start... at two coats. Then move to three if need be. Four if you really must. If you pass four coats after your first session of sanding, you will want to give another quick sanding session to the paint before moving on. This time move up a bit in paper grit though. 800 or 1000 will do.
4 Coats of paint
5 Coats of paint
At this point you should be done! The
paint will have its own gloss to it as it is natural to the Rustoleum paint.
Feel free to wax the paint to help bring out some extra shine. I would wait
about 3 days before washing or waxing the paint though to be safe.
The Rustoleum can says it dries in 24 hours, but since
we have diluted it so much it will dry a lot quicker. Even though this might
be the case, giving the paint 3 days to fully set will help ensure you have
a great, solid finish with a long life. Feel free to put your car back together
after only about 12 hours though as the paint is set to the touch at that
point. Again, maybe a little longer in cold weather or overcast conditions.
If you are not happy with the look, continue to sand the paint progressively
increasing the paper grit. Start at about 800 or 1000 and move to 1500, then
even 2000 or 2500. Once the paint is totally sanded
smooth, polish the car with a power spin buffer and the gleam will come back
but be smooth as butter. You can refer to the 50
Dollar Paint Job for more in depth information about the sanded finish
technique.
Final result
My final result is absolutely amazing. Yes, you can see some brush strokes if you look hard enough. Yes, there are some spots that are not perfect... but for $65.00?? I would say that this is a damn good paint job. I feel very proud of what I have accomplished here as well which is one of the more rewarding aspects of the entire project. Not too mention a very sharp looking freshly painted car. Plus, knowing what I know now having painted the car from scratch I can easily re-paint any panel or part should it be severely chipped or damaged. After it was all said and done I had about 6 days worth of work into this job. I guess I can let the final pictures speak for themselves.
Poor Mans Paint Job Results:
See these links for plenty more in depth photos
Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. Perhaps I can get a FAQ started on here as well.
Thanx for looking! - Styluss