Repaint Your Car Yourself - How to Make It Happen!
Repainting your car is a challenge. Typically, several thousand dollars are spent on this work. However, depending on the type of your car and your goal, you can do it alone, but the result will not be perfect. If you decide to go to a specialized workshop for this, you can save a lot of money by preparing for homework. In this guide, you will learn everything you need to know about the paint restoration of your car at home.
Know Your Limits When You Repaint Your Car by Yourself
Before you start the paint restoration of your car, you need to know the results you will get. A new painting or professional repair lacquering can only be undertaken with suitable equipment and adequate training. It is illusory to believe that you will achieve the same result with household products and working at home, as with professional painting and working in a specialized workshop. Therefore, do not do the work yourself when:
- You want to be able to resell your car
- This is not your car
- The car has a representation function
- This is a high-quality car
If you repaint your car alone, this is still noticeable and, in many cases, leads to a considerable loss in the vehicle's value, except for commercial vehicles. If you want to repaint a car yourself to resell it, limit yourself to tractors, bulldozers, heavy trucks, or delivery trucks.
How to paint?
There are three methods you can choose from to refresh your car with a new color. Here they are:
- Spraying
- Roller
- Packaging
Note: A carefully roller-painted car looks no less beautiful than a semi-professionally spray-painted car. The roller method is relatively easy and requires little preparation.
Repaint your car yourself - The preparations, 90% of the time
More than anything else, the practices for a repaint are essential. Neglecting them will inevitably give dramatically bad results, which you will not quickly fix. This is why you should set aside 90% of the estimated working time to prepare to repaint your car. In principle, repainting a full-size vehicle will take you two days.
Step 1: Wash your car.
The car should not be just clean to be repainted, but a deep polish. You can wash it by hand or take it to a car wash, ensuring the hot wax has been removed.
Step 2: Disassemble everything.
By removing all the parts that can be disassembled, you will save yourself a lot of time and work: Lamp, antenna, side wand, washing nozzle, hubcap, wiper, door handle. Not everything you remove can accidentally be varnished. By doing this, you identify faulty components, and you can eventually replace them. However, do not remove the windows.
Step 3: Cover with tape and liberally.
Tape can now be used to cover the car. Be sure to choose quality crepe tape to make it easier to remove. Cover windows and rubbers. Once you have removed the wipers and front/rear lights, cover the cavities as well. It saves color.
Step 4: Deboss and Smooth
The paint considerably strengthens any dents. If you give yourself a little time and a little effort, you will get great results. Remove as much as possible and smooth as little as possible; this will always lead to better results.
Step 5: Sand In
Order for the new paint to hold onto the old one properly, it must be sanded. For this, use sandpaper (grit 400 to 600) and a sanding block. Sand only by hand. You can easily sharpen the paint right down to the sheet metal on corners and edges where the paint layer is thinner. This is absolutely to be avoided.
Step 6: Wash off the fat with silicone cleaner
With silicone cleaner, you won't just remove dust by sanding and smoothing. You can also degrease your car this way. It is necessary to degrease the vehicle before it can be repainted thoroughly. You can, therefore, generously use your silicone cleaner.
Now is the time to decide on the rest of your journey; your car is ready to be repainted. If you covered, sanded, smoothed and cleaned it in a paint shop, you can save around 50-70%, and therefore go from 2000 euros to 500-700 euros. Assign the rest of the job to a professional if you want to resell your automobile and thus want to increase the worth of your vehicle. If it is a utility or amusement vehicle, there are certain means that you can continue the business on your own.
Step 7: Prepare your workplace.
Your roof must be over your head if you want to paint your car. A closed room would be ideal or carport can also be used. Paint protection film should be applied to the side walls. The paint always needs some time to dry, and during this time, foliage or dust can stick to it.
A sprayer produces a mist of paint that can settle anywhere. If you are not working outdoors, then cover the room well with protective paint film to make your room suitable for this job.
Step 8.1: Painting a car with a roller
When painting with a roller, you have a wide range of color choices, which can also be mixed if desired. For light trucks and vans, white radiator paint is sufficient and inexpensive. You need to:
- A rubber paint roller for a flat surface
- A paint roller for a rough surface
- A paint tray
- Newspaper
To paint with a roller, you do not need respiratory protection. Lay the newspaper all around the car so as not to dirty the floor. Start at the roof and end at the bottom. Apply the paint to the cloister for full coverage.
Step 8.2: Spray paint a car
If your goal is only to cover some damaged areas, you can use a sprayer. The most important thing is to work on the whole component. Always work from seam to seam, carefully cover the rest.
For a complete paint job, use a spray gun and mixing bucket to mix thinner and hardener. Wear a full protective suit and a face mask. Also, work from the top and the bottom and also paint the cloister.
Step 8.3: Vehicle packaging
Wrapping is the cleanest and most efficient way to visually enhance your vehicle. However, removing air bubbles is a lot of work. This solution is also inexpensive, and with a little skill, you will obtain visually impeccable results with this method.
Step 9: Finishing the vehicle
With fine sandpaper and good sanding, you can successfully revalue your car. Matt lacquer, reserved for the final owner, is an exception.
Paint Restoration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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