Learning to Paint at Home in My Spare Time

[ddavidv]

Originally posted by fastteo
My $.02. I am only saying this because I painted my own front valance. But if I was to paint again, I would strip the car and bring it to a place like Maaco (no affiliation). Here's why: If you add the cost of paint, primer, materials like masks, sanding paper, cleaning agents etc. painting cars yourself is very expensive. This is assuming that you have the compressor and the HVLP gun. Now if you add your labor plus all the cussing because of mistakes and expecially the clean-up after everything is done, - is it really worth it ?

Well, yes and no.
Yes, you can have it painted at Maaco for less.
But, having seen a few Maaco jobs, unless you spring for one of the more expensive choices you aren't likely to be happy. The paint is put on fairly thin, and the products used are off-brand and purchased in bulk.
Doing it yourself, at least it will receive some real care and concern for the finished project even if you don't know what you are doing. You can do it just as inexpensively as Maaco if you buy generic color Kirker paint, only do single stage, etc.
To repeat what has been often said, it's all about the prep work. The painting itself is really quite easy. What you put the paint on is what takes all the time, costs all the money and needs to be right. Either you're willing to invest the time to endlessly sand/fill/prime/sand or you're not.

[slow&rusty]

Awesome!!! I have done the same thing...from doing a small upgrade in my air compressor to buying a much powerful unit and next thing my uncle and Iw ere painting my old Datsun truck....it went from this:



to this:



Yasin

[cashflyer]

Originally posted by ddavidv
Cashflyer, nice job on the Fiat. I've had a dozen or so of them. I noticed you didn't take the door handles off. Wimp. Nothing like contorting your body to reach inaccessible 6mm nuts that will be forever seized to the fragile pot metal stud of the handle.

That's EXACTLY why I didn't attempt it a second time.
That is actually a replacement door on the left because seized bolt = broken pot metal. I could not locate a pair of replacement handles (NLA), and didn't want to risk breaking another so I just swapped doors.

[SLO-BOB]

I've found this link to be very helpful. I ordered the videotape and found it very informative, if not high on production value.

auto-body store

I plan on doing my own paint work because I can't afford the quality I want. Even if I could, I probably would still find fault with it. That is not to say do it yourself painting is cheap. If you would be happy with a Maaco job, you'll definitely be money ahead.

[RussianBlue]

Are you done yet dumba$$ ? ? ?

I told you this would happen..... you can't JUST paint one panel....

You need to get driving again..... my car is getting to much exposure on the backroads.....

I keep telling the cops that it's the DARK blue coupe that is speeding around here... not mine

[ruf-porsche]

You don't need a lot of fancy equipment to get professional results.
Here's a picture of the roof of my BMW 525IT touring that i sprayed with a rattle can paint and rattle can clear coat.



Picture after I color sand the clear and polish

[Jeff Higgins]

Well, it is temporarily back together and I'm driving it again. I've got the two DE's I mentioned earlier, the next two weekends in a row, then I will pull the doors and front fenders off and finish.

The paint is PPG acrylic lacquer. It's thinned 1.5 part thinner to 1 part paint; that's right, more thinner than paint. I used their "medium" speed thinner with no other components. There are far more modern materials available. The paint shop guys told me I would have the best chance of success with the lacquer as a first time painter, so I followed their advice.

For anyone thinking they can do this, think long and hard. I'm into this probably 80 hours or so of labor and only 3/4 done. It is A LOT more work than you think. The painting itself is nothing; it's the prep and post-application work that kills you.

Once the prep is done and the painting starts you start to think you are over the hump. Not so. Color sanding is an incredible amount of work. And you WILL sand or buff or polish through at least a couple of spots until you start to understand how much of that you can do. There is nothing more frustrating, more defeating, than putting on that final polish and seeing a light spot - primer starting to show through. Almost back to square one, sanding with the 240 wet/dry and re-painting. I've been through this cycle a couple of times on various panels.

Will it be "worth it" in the end? I'm not sure yet. The paint was pretty rough before and it was a shade off from "real" Albert Blue. The new color is a much richer blue; very close to the photos above. It will be a prettier car. It will take me a long time to blur the memory enough to try it again. Lots of folks called me crazy for even considering this. I have come to agree with them.

Yes, I'm a dumba$$. Shoulda listened. At least it doesn't look like some idiot (me) painted it with a Preval in his driveway... I'm ready to drive it for awhile - I'll give you a hollar. Oh, and I did take a quick run around Tualco Loop, just to let them know I hadn't forgotten about them... And take some heat off of you...

[deoxford]

Jeff,
I got to say good job!!
I am going to paint my new fiberglass fenders myself.
I will buillt a small booth , to reduce the wet sanding, I guess I will soon be a dumbass as well.
Thanks for all the info!

[RussianBlue]

I am a 1/2dumbass but I stopped at these bumpers - plus definitely could have done a better job.....







S- spoiler then decided back to original.

[LakeCleElum]

Hell - I didn't know we could post pic's of Nissian P/U's we've painted. Hell, I painted mine bright yellow with orange and red stripes back in the late '80's....Stand by while I find the photo, scan and post it....I'll be right back......

[Capt. Carrera]

Acrylic lacquer is the secret to home paint jobs. It's a very forgiving paint. It's also easy to spot repair. Another bonus is 99% of the over spray dries in the air. The down side? I suspect lacquer is French for "chips upon sight."

I painted the following car in a one-car garage about twenty years ago using Imron. Never again. I turned the garage, the front of the house, as well as the driveway a nice metallic blue....

[ruf-porsche]

Originally posted by Capt. Carrera
Acrylic lacquer is the secret to home paint jobs. It's a very forgiving paint. It's also easy to spot repair. Another bonus is 99% of the over spray dries in the air. The down side? I suspect lacquer is French for "chips upon sight."

I painted the following car in a one-car garage about twenty years ago using Imron. Never again. I turned the garage, the front of the house, as well as the driveway a nice metallic blue....

Is this stuff still available (Acrylic lacquer)? I thought the EPA outlaw this stuff.

[M.D. Holloway]

jef, my hat off to you. Even though it is exhausting, the satisfaction you feel when it is complete will be worth it (I hope). I say that becasue I want to do mine this winter or next. I can get the materials for free (don't ask), and the car is driven a little on weekends and once maybe twice a week to work when I'm not on the road.

Blue is pretty unforgiving but I understand white is loaded with mercy. I think I will stick to white. I would really like to strip her down and get her bead blasted, the primer her and paint. I figuer if I can get the materials than a local paint shop I know might let me rent space - I could use the garage but sounds like that has challenges all it's own.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by ruf-porsche
Is this stuff still available (Acrylic lacquer)? I thought the EPA outlaw this stuff.

what's available around here is EPA Castrated Lacquer. It's not as "healthy" as the old style stuff.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Jeff Higgins

The paint shop guys told me I would have the best chance of success with the lacquer as a first time painter, so I followed their advice.

It is the most forgiving imo. Also I tell newbies to start with a touch up gun to get the feel of what's happening. Even though I've probably made every mistake there is I try not to make them 2x. Setting up the gun and learning how to follow what your eyes see happening takes time to learn.

It's worth it to lean how to paint.. kinda like you're no longer intimated by a scratch or worse any more.