Car Painting Guide

The auto industry has been a major victim of the recession. If you are thinking of cutting down on your expenses, then your car is sure to be the first victim. You start neglecting the minor problems of your car, forget giving it an expensive paint job. So, here is a car painting guide that will help you paint your car yourself.

Car Painting Tips and Techniques
The car painting techniques given below will help you give your car a good paint job. These car painting instructions are self explanatory and should be very informative for you.

Step 1: Gathering Material
Make a list of things that you will need, before hand, and keep them ready. This is one of the important car painting tips. This is because the car painting techniques are very precise, and need to be followed in the right sequence. Here is a list of things that you will need.

• Plastic sheets or waterproof canvas for covering the car.
• Detergent for car washing.
• Sandpaper for sanding down the surface of the car.
• Primer (the quantity depending upon the size).
• Paint. There are two types of paint, cellulose based and two pack automotive paint. Choose the type of paint depending upon the age of the car. For old, classic cars, it is preferable to use cellulose based paint, and for newer cars, it is preferable to use two pack automotive paint.
• Clothes, mask and goggles for covering all the exposed areas of the body.
• Sprayer for spraying the paint on the car.
• Clear coat kit to give the finished look to the car.

Step 2: Cleaning
It is absolutely imperative to work on a clean car, whenever you are getting a paint job done. This is because dust is the greatest enemy of wet car paint. Once the dust is settled on the wet paint, it is impossible to remove it. So, the first and foremost step recommended by this car painting guide is to wash your car properly, so that any unwanted foreign material is removed.

Step 3: Sanding Down
The paint should only be applied to a smooth area. For this, you will have to sand down the car. The surface of the car has a tendency to have some fine holes in it. You can use putty to fill up these fine holes, and then proceed to sand down the car. Use a sandpaper to do this. In this step, all the car painting colors should be scrapped down.

Step 4: Preparation Before Painting
You cannot apply paint on a wet surface. Make sure that the car is completely dry before painting it. Next would be to cover the area of the car that you don't want the paint to get on, like windows, windshield, car interior, etc. Use the waterproof material that you gathered before, for this purpose. Use a masking tape to keep the material in place. This brings us to the next step in the car painting guide.

Step 5: Priming
A primer is something that is applied before painting. A primer is necessary for better adhesion of the paint. Priming should be done in an indoor setting only. Care must be taken that there is adequate ventilation also. See to it that you are well clothed, so that there is no exposed skin surface.

Step 6: Painting
Before you begin painting the car, sand down your car again. All the primer must be removed. This is because the paint has to be applied to a smooth area. Hence, scrubbing down all the primer is important. Make sure that there are is no area on the car that hasn't been sanded down. The surface must be completely smooth before you apply the paint.

Using a sprayer, you a can apply the first coat of car paint to the car surface. Apply the first coat smoothly all over the surface for the car. Once this is done, it is important to let the paint dry. This should take about 20 minutes. Now you can apply the second coat. The second coat should also be applied smoothly all over the car. The paint now needs to dry properly. Two hours should be sufficient for this. Read about custom car painting.

Step 7: Clear Coat
This is the final step of the car painting guide. The procedure to apply the clean coat is the same as that of the paint. Just apply smoothly all over the surface of the car. It is advisable to apply three coats of clear paint, with a gap of at least 20 minutes between each clear coat. After this, let the car dry for at least 2 hours. Your car should now look brand new! Note that in the car painting tips and tricks mentioned above, none of the steps can be skipped. So, follow them properly.

More on:

• Automotive Painting Tips
• Automobile Touch Up Paint

There are numerous car painting techniques, but the car painting tips given in this car painting guide are designed to give your car a perfect paint job. Follow them and get a brand new looking car.