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Do you have a fun car that you just KNOW will go faster with a brand new paint job?
This method is based on the idea of using a foam paint roller to put many layers of Rustoleum on your car. Except, I used a professional airgun and only 2 coats. The result? Pretty dang good, for the money.
I have a neighbor who has a paint shop in his garage, so I got to use his spray gun. You will need a spray gun and air compressor, but if you don't you can still try rolling on the paint.
Note: I'm not liable for....anything. If you ruin your car, my condolences but remember, YOU did it. However you probably won't ruin your car unless you try.
This method is based on the idea of using a foam paint roller to put many layers of Rustoleum on your car. Except, I used a professional airgun and only 2 coats. The result? Pretty dang good, for the money.
Why?
So why Rustoleum? Well, on the internet you can find people who rolled it on, and the cars look pretty good. But most of all, you can get a quart for under $5 at any hardware store, whereas automotive paint can be 20-50 times that much.I have a neighbor who has a paint shop in his garage, so I got to use his spray gun. You will need a spray gun and air compressor, but if you don't you can still try rolling on the paint.
Other thoughts:
Throughout the project I kept telling myself, "self, if this works out...you'll have to do an Instructable on it," and it worked out, so this is my first instructable.Note: I'm not liable for....anything. If you ruin your car, my condolences but remember, YOU did it. However you probably won't ruin your car unless you try.
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Signing UpStep 1Preparation
First, you'll need some items:
- A car you're willing to ruin the paint job on
- 2-4 quarts (depending on size of car) of gloss Rustoleum - color of your choice
- 4 or more cans of Rustoleum auto primer spray paint
- 1 quart of acetone
- 1 can of Bondo (optional)
- Sand paper - 120, 400, 800 grit (or the closest you can get)
- Mixing can/bottle/whatever
- Stir stick
- Masking tape and paper
- 4" super-fine foam paint roller (optional)
- Spray gun - bigger nozzle seems to work better
- Air compressor - big enough for the spray gun's requirements
- Dry, well-ventilated area to paint in
- A bunch of misc. tools - these may include screw drivers, ratchet sets, allen wrenches, a can of liquid wrench
- 2 gallons of diligence
It's also a good idear to handle any bodywork your car needs. If you don't want to do this, get a professional to do it but see if you can have him skip painting it to save money. However, for small dents Bondo (or any number of superior, more expensive fillers) is really quite easy to use. I had to replace a destroyed fender and bondo a big dent on the hood before painting, but it was a lot easier than you'd think.
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W spray cans you must remember, they use alot of thinner in those so they sray out of a can effectively. You would have to multiply your coats by 10 to get the same coverage, thickness as well as keeping a good blend. It is very hard to overlap, w/o overspraying w a small can like that....just doesn t do the job.
I've done light coats of spray before with cans, and even have an air brush but it is no where near the quality required to run rustoleum through it. The fairings on my bike are removable and all made of fiberglass.. going to give it a try, I think :)
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/body/hrdp_0707_1962_ford_falcon_budget_paint_job/viewall.html
This is what Hot Rod magazine did.
And BTW, being a female makes no difference to your abilities. Don't let anyone tell you differently.
It's been my experience that fisheye's are caused by not completely removing all the wax off the old paint job, particularly if there was any silicone-based wax on the old paint. The wax must be removed with a solvent/cleaner/wax remover, sanding will just spread it around. If you know that you are going to be painting the car sometime in the future, stop waxing it and allow the old wax to wear off as much as possible and then there will be less to clean off.
In addition orange peel is caused by too much humidity in the air, or water in the paint, and can be alleviated to some extent by controlling the drying time using more thinner and/or painting on low humidity days or in a humidity controlled environment. I once (when I was young) painted a van under a awning while it is was pouring rain, you should have seen the finish on that.
I am not a big fan of clear coats. Most professional auto painters love clear coats because they do not have to be buffed and polished which saves them a lot of time and therefore they make more money. Paint stores love clearcoat because they get to sell more product. It is crucial in using clear coats that you use one that is designed for the paint. Even then most of the really crappy looking paint jobs that you see on the highway where the paint looks all wore out and patchy/chalky/faded on the top of the hood and roof is caused by the clear coat wearing away and the paint underneath not having any wax on it. Sometimes too thick of a clearcoat causes it to act like a magnifying glass and damages the paint underneath and can cause the clearcoat to peel off, especially over dark colors. This, of course, also gives the professional auto painter more work. In addition, clearcoat makes small paint repairs a real pain to do.
Although clearcoat definitely has its place (some paints will not shine well without it, and it can add depth to special effects) I'm a little tired of people hollering clearcoat, clearcoat, clearcoat like it is the ultimate cure for all painting problems and will make your paint job last forever. It simply is not true.
Hope this helps some of you who are contemplating painting is your car with what ever paint you use.
I would agree with you- clear coat is most certainly not a miraculous fix all. But it does offer advantages over a single stage paint of any type, both in regards to durability and repair of a damaged paint job. It is well established the two stage catalyzed paint is the most durable formula for automotive applications- 1) Non-catalyzed paint (paint used directly out of the can) doesn't come anywhere close to catalyzed paint (like automotive paint that you mix in two or three parts, like epoxy) in regards to resistance to damage and wear. 2) Accuracy of color matching is not as good or impossible using a single stage catalyzed paint (clear and color together in one part), and completely impossible with a single stage non-catalyzed paint- except to approximate. It should also be considered that the difference between a two stage paint application and a single stage application is not that great. Enough clear coat and hardener to do a car would be about $40 additional over single stage if you choose the two stage method. It would take about 5 minutes extra spraying time and 20 minutes drying time to apply after the color coat - 3 coats of clear, one hour more of work, another $40. A lot more protection, better overall look, easier repair. More chemicals, yes.
But part of the "cost" formula should include how long the paint lasts. If a car is painted with enamel, and the paint job lasts only two years before starting to shred, fade, and pit-- how does the environmental and economic cost compare to a paint that lasts 25 years?
Often people think they will achieve the same or similar results with any type of enamel (including Rustoleum) that they see on factory finishes, but this becomes quite apparent once you see even a sprayed on enamel, and compare it to a two color/clear combo. I think this method (Rustoleum with multiple applications), or frankly painting on tractor paint with a brush is an acceptable (but not necessarily preferred) method sof protecting a car- providing that you know the real limitations of these methods and these substances. Thanks- Neil http://www.easypaintacar.com
Some things I learned:
1. Thin the paint! Ignore any warnings about not using more than 10% thinner. Listen to the other people who commented here and said the paint should be the consistency of milk. If you don't, you will get an ugly spattered texture to the paint, and multiple coats won't solve the problem.
2. If you do the painting in a garage, lay a tarp down first and drive the car on it, unless you want to spend two hours cleaning the overspray off the garage floor. If you drive the car in and then tuck a tarp underneath, you'll miss a spot. Especially true for borrowed garages.
3. I know it's only a $400 car you're painting, but go ahead and spend the big bucks on masking tape. The cheap stuff will leave gum and tape wads all over the trim you were so careful to mask.
I've made the mistake of thinking Rustoleum enough in order to spray it and it does just peel up and blow away like dried leaves fairly quickly. So obviously they know what they're talking about.