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 1: Preparation
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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The color was Cherry (they don't make it any more). The picture was taken one 1/2 year after sitting in the sun. So yes, if you know what you are doing you can spray paint a SMALL car and end up with a show car paint finish. We took the hood off laid it flat and sprayed it by itself which was the key. After it dried for two weeks, we wet sanded with 1000 and buffed with polish.
http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2009/10/18/20/35/1989_volkswagen_cabriolet-pic-6136056206649887329.jpeg
love to see how it held up 6 yrs later
Neil
Also, would applying multiple basecoats and/or more than one topcoat help prevent fading from sun and salt air (I live near the ocean)?
I dont have access to a spray gun or a compressor and after buying tons of new parts for my car i dont have the extra cash to start spending on things like that... however, im not sure how much things like that would run me so please dont think i am just trying to count those out as options. I just assume they will cost me more than i have
that could help with the spraying
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=spray+can+handle&hl=en&cid=17186538752054589215&ei=9YvST7uKMcWzmQeL47XiCg&ved=0CAsQrhI
I doing a small (compact) wagon (but larger than the car used in your vidoes).
@neilslade- polyurethane is the way to go, and I think it would work best if you are considering 'hand' painting with a roller or foam applicator.
I installed Vault Doors for a long time, and some of these Vault Doors for the government (Weapons Vaults) and Commercial Doors ( usually not seen by the public In financial/commercial buildings) were painted. I was the guy they chose to go paint, and touch-up these types of vault doors when the customer was excepting the building for occupancy. Often the doors were scratched and 'dented'- as in as much one could 'dent' a 4,000lb to 8,000lb piece of solid steel- it can be done. I've dented more than just one of them during installation- they are heavy!.
Anyway, the factory would paint these doors in polyurethane, and it held up well. At first when I started to go and paint these damaged doors, I would pick up some paint- Rustoleum, or whatever brand was available to me, and have it matched to the color I needed. The finish would not suit me, and if the door was not really, really clean before painting, problems would occur, and all most always the dreaded 'orange peel' would occur.
Now for those wanting to hand paint their car, I would choose a polyurethane over anything else, because when put on with a 4" roller, very fine, it will dry quicker, and more smooth than an enamel paint. Like mentioned before by others, humidity should be low when doing this, but it is not as critical as with an enamel paint. The surface needs to be really, really clean to avoid 'flaking' after the paint hardens, which occurs fast. If a person were to put 1-3 coats of poly on a car, let the first coat dry, and any more layers put on should be applied as fast as possible to prevent softening of the previous coat. When your feeling a 'tacky feeling' when applying another coat over an already painted coat of poly, your not moving fast enough.
Lacquer paint should be treated the same way- always wear some sort of breathing protection with all these paints- not good for the body and the nose! I went out and did a door when the people were already in the building- the smell gets to them.
When spray painting, apply the 1st coat in one direction, and the second coats in the opposite direction, works better that way.
As far as those little spray can 'trigger' attachments that fit on the top of spray paint cans, @xxjhansenxx, I find I have a more sensitive feel for the painting without them and using my finger on the spray tip of the can of paint.
Just thought I might help a little with this...James
http://www.rickwrench.com/50dollarpaint.html"
Just thought I would correct this, here is the link to the original place this cult got started,and is actual referenced in the above page. martin tibensky on moparts.com
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.