How to Touch Up Car Paint

Having knowledge of touch up paint procedure is important if you own a car. Minor scratches and dents can anytime ruin the beauty of your car. So what do you do in such cases? Stare at that scratch and feel sad? Well, that's of no use. Touch up paint is the ultimate way to clear a scratch and have a clean surface. As I mentioned above, knowing how to touch up car paint scratches is just helpful in such cases. If you wonder that you need to take professional help to clear those small scratches or repaint the rusted areas then you are wrong! All you need to do is follow some easy steps of automobile touch up paint procedure and do the job yourself.

Step by Step Procedure

Before we start off, make sure you gather the required material. Masking tape, masking paper, sandpaper, primer, base coat and clear coat are the basic things that you need for this job. Choosing the right car paint color is an important step as well. A wrong shade will make the touch up noticeable. But, remember that there's much more than choosing a right shade and painting the scratch.

Step 1
Start the procedure by parking your car in shade. Clean your car by washing it with a specially formulated car shampoo and dry it. Dry the area on which you will be working thoroughly. Mask the area around the damaged part to avoid spilling or spreading of paint over it.

Step 2
Now take a high grit sandpaper and sand the damaged area. Make sure that you sand the area and at least 1½ inches more all around the scratch thoroughly. Now dust the area using a soft cloth.

Step 3
Take a paint brush and apply the primer over the scratch. Let it dry. Apply one more coat of primer. You can apply up to 4 coats with a gap of 10 minutes between each coat.

Step 4
Here's the main step of this procedure. Take the base coat. Base coat is basically the car paint color matching with your car's original color. Once you have bought automotive paint make sure that you test it on a hidden surface. This will help you decide whether the color is matching with original color of your car. Remember that this is an important step to have a well blended look.

Step 5
Now softly sand the primed area. Next, take the color and apply it over the primed surface. You can apply 3-4 coats as required. Make sure you keep a gap of 20-30 minutes between two coats for drying. You can choose to use a paint can and brush or a spray paint for repainting the damaged area.

Step 6
Finish the procedure by application of clear coat after the base coat (paint color) dries off.

If the scratches are not reworked on time, the open surface might start rusting. Rust can further ruin the appearance of your car. So it is best to know how to touch up car paint and work on the scratches on time. This will not only avoid further damage but also restore the looks of your car. If you are wondering how much does it cost to touch up car paint, then let me tell you that it is just the total cost of material you buy while you do the job yourself. Professional car painting prices will vary depending upon the depth and dimension of the scratch. Well, let me tell you, learning how to paint a car is much easier after you master the touch up job. Just the canvas you work upon is huge in case of complete car paint job. No matter how small a scratch on your car is, refinish it on time and enjoy a plush, clean drive.