[All] [Generic] DIY paint spraying

[Leon.]

I have an Aeroware front lip and am thinking of spraying it myself > paint + lacquer.

Am I stupid?

Is it that hard? Will I fudge it up? Any guidance?

[2Crooky]

As long as you prep it correctly you should be fine! All contaminants need to be removed from the surface and any scratches sanded out.....

Bodywork is 90% prep 10% paint. I am not a painter so do not know the official steps to prep, but once this is done...just apply the paint coats very thinly and evenly to build up a matching colour. Last thing you want is for the paint to run!!!

As it is just a front splitter i would say go for it!! If you get it wrong for some reason then you can get a pro to do it.....no harm in trying

How much was the aero lip????

[nakamura]

As Alex says Leon ol' buddy. Its not difficult just need perfect conditions. I did my stock from lip when i first got the 2. Looked professional.

[2Crooky]

Your garage would be ideal conditions but you may get a tad high from the paint

No doing it outdoors!!!! fly's, fleas, moisture and wind will sh@g up a perfect finish

I jsut sprayed my cross brace silver, whilst the paint finish looks the dogs I have sprayed over insects So they have died and stuck to the cross brace!!

[Leon.]

Ok thanks, I'll give it a shot

How much was the aero lip????

£120 odd...?

As Alex says Leon ol' buddy. Its not difficult just need perfect conditions. I did my stock from lip when i first got the 2. Looked professional.

That's what you think

[Martin F]

remember that the fumes off the paint and lacquer are highly poisonous so make sure you use a good mask, take your time and spray from about 8" away. one coat then give it 10-15 Min's flash off time then another coat, try and have the temperature around 20 degrees and have a heater handy to help dry it properly after. 70 degree c for 40 Min's is an ideal temp..

good luck

[McBride]

Im a Sand blaster/ sprayer offshore. I know the preperation is a bit different, humidity is probs going to be your biggest problem, When your working inside a garage etc humidty can cause a problem when you see yours windows etc steaming up its a bad sign, Just the smallest amount of water etc that gets inbetween your coats of pain will cause it all to disbond. Maybe worth getting a de-humidifier (spelling)!

It depends on what kind of paint's you buy for recoating as mrtee said alot of paints you can alloy 8 - 10 mins to settles then give another coat. Some paint (usualy finish) Need at least 24 hours to dry before Any more work (Always says on the tin or spray can general instructions)

As for preperation you will need wet and dry sand paper. Dry sand paper not all that rough. But before you start any work. You need to get wax remover and thinners. The paint needs to be free of everything.

Also you want the primer to go on nice and thick, as thick as you can will say on the tin how many microns it is recomended for going on, Im guessing you wont have a banana guage (paint thickness guage) But theirs a cheaper alternative called a biscuit its just a small biscuit loking paint stick you stick it in the paint while wet ( in a corner where you can see, and you can touch up later on,) this will help stop getting runs.(the primer gives the smooth finish) And the finish gives the glossy look (laquer keeps the shine)

Hope that helps a little.

[Leon.]

ok thanks for the tips.

Its a splitter so if it does go t1ts up its not the end of the world. My garage doesn't have windows or a light so it will be done with the door open I'll see how I go

[Leon.]

Couple more q's!

Does anyone know how many cans I'll need for primer and top coat?

Is lacquer applied the same way as the other coats?

[2Crooky]

I think the clear coat or laquer you add.....The more vibrant the colour gets. Sprayers sometimes shoot several layers of clear to get an eye popping effect on some colours....

The more laquer you add the bigger the shine on the paint.....too much and it will look tacky tho....

1 coat primer
Several coates paint(depending on colour match)
1 coat laquer or more if desired finish doesn't match.....

[Greddy-Matt]

Just a tip mate, if your using rattle cans try not to spray when its cold! you get a much better finish if your spraying area is more room temp, I normally warm up the cans for a minute or 2 or when not in use to keep them at a good temp

[mav]

Contrary to what a lot of people think you CAN get a factory finish using rattle cans.

1st and most important DO NOT RUSH!! I know we are all guilty of it as we want to see the finished product on our cars but if you rush it you WILL bu88er it up.

That out of the way, clean the surface to be painted 1st with thinners and then warm soapy water and allow to dry throughly.
Next warm up the tin of primer (If its a plastic or fibreglass spliotter you will need plastic primer as this never sets rock hard and will allow flex without cracking the paint) and shake well for a good 5 minutes, really get that ball bearing moving about in the tin so that its mixing properly. Apply the primer in exactly the same manner as you would the paint, thin layers and allow to dry, watch out for any prominent hiugh spots in the primer when applying, once its dry flatten with 1200 grit wet n dry using plenty of water. 3 or 4 coats of primer usually suffices for splitters.

Once you have a nice smooth primered finish its time to apply the paint, again, warm the tin and shake for 4 or 5 minutes to get that ball bearing moving then applky paint, again in several layers and wet n dry as you go as each layer is properly dried.
OPnce thats done Itsa time to apply the clear glaze or laqcuer.
Spray the tin for a couple of seconds AWAY from the surface you wish to coat to remove build up in the nozzle BEFORE applying. Again 3 or 4 layers letting each coat to dry. If you get white spots in the lacquer you are spraying too close, dont panic they will clear and settle but back up some distance on the next coat.
Allow to dry naturally for a while then hit it with a hairdryer to harden it.

Leave for 24 hours before fitting.

Rule of thumb that I have found, avoid halfords paints and laqcuers at all costs, use a paint manufacturer who can properly match you paint as its better quality and works out more economical £8 usually gets you twice the amount of paint you would get from halfords.
The same with the lacquer, Halfords laqcuer is cheap and painfull poor quality, use lacquer supplied by the company you get the paint from. Good laqcuer should smell extremely strongly of peardrops (enough to get you seriously high in a very short space of time).

Start to finish I would expect the job to take a couple of days, remember, you dont have the facilities of the professional places to do it all in one day and get it fitted.

Hope that helps

[Leon.]

Awesome

Quick q, I assume you don't wet and dry in between the lacquer coats as you'll bu88er up the transparency, is that right?

Damn, there was me thinking I could use up my Halfords lacquer

Think there's a Brewers paint place in Guildford, guess I'll try there first...

[mrbriggs]

I sprayed my side strips to replace my toblerone strips recently. I have done spraying in the past, but was never any good. I took my time doing these and did my window wiper arms while I was at it (they were rusty)

I used plastic primer. A good few coats. Very fine wet and dry. Then next day did the 202 black. kept to the 15 minutes between coats. wet and dry next day. then laquered. They looked absolutely spot on. I left them for a week just to make sure, (and also didn't get round to fitting them!)

Went to put them on and the paint has gone all funny! Looks all wrinkly?

Anyone know what I did wrong? Too much laquer? I'm gonna give up on that idea now as I might go for the clear tobs!

[HighwayStar]

I did my splitter, sills and rear spats recently and outside with 3 halfords cans (plus one of primer).
Granted it's white but you'd never tell its not a factory job...
Just take your time and you'll be fine.
Get those pics up once your done.

R

[si2040]

hummm ive been too scared and paid to get it done

[Hurstie1981]

Nice one for having a go yourself Leeroy.
Im jealous of the spoiler, always wanted one of those!

[jrleech]

The laquer the bodyshop used on my front & rear bumper & front lip had quite a lot of plasticiser in it, which makes it nice and flexible and far more resistant to stone chips as it's got some 'give' in it.

I think if you use an off the shelf can of normal laquer, it'll chip or crack (due to flexing) pretty quickly.

Not sure if you can buy flexible laquers in cans?

[dude541]

personally i would just take it to a bodyshop,unless you was 100% sure you could do a good job of it.

if you mess it up,not only would you have wasted £££ in paint,but then a bodyshop will charge you double £££ in prep work to sort the mess out!
just my 2p