A fresh coat of paint can revitalize an old car's appearance.
Over time, even a well-maintained car will need a fresh paint job to retain its luster. Auto painting can be expensive, but luckily you don't have to pay a professional for professional results. As long as you're working on a basic, single-tone paint job, you'll be able to handle the job yourself. Flames and other multicolored designs can be tricky, but a fresh solid coat can be done right in a home garage.
Instructions
1. Sand down any imperfections on your car's surface, such as old paint bubbles or small rust patches; 100 grit sandpaper will work the best for most imperfections. According to Auto-Paint.org, you never want to paint over imperfections. A fresh coat of paint will only make these imperfections stand out.
2. Wash your car using a garden hose and mild soap, or simply take the car through a car wash. This will remove any sanding dust as well as any caked on dirt and grime.
3. Use a wax and grease remover, as recommended by DiscountAutoPart.net, to fully remove any lingering oils on your car's surface. Wax and grease removers are available at most hardware or automotive stores. Learn Auto Painting explains that paint will not stick to the surface if any wax or grease is still present on your car's body. The surface needs to be completely clean before it can accept paint.
4. Use painter's tape to seal off any surfaces that you do not want painted, such as windows, tires, headlights, the hood ornament and other small automotive details.
5. Mix automotive paint with water and gloss directly in the spray gun's paint container. Every automotive paint supplier utilizes different mixing ratios, so be sure to follow the directions printed on the bottle as provided by the paint's manufacturer.
6. Load the container into the spray gun and connect the gun to a supply of compressed air. As with the mixing ratio, make sure the compressor's PSI is in line with the paint manufacturer's recommendations.
7. Hold the gun 6 inches from the automobile's surface, as recommended by DiscountAutoPart.net.
8. Spray the surface in slow, even passes with about 50 percent overlap to ensure adequate coverage.
9. Buff the surface using an automatic sander and extra fine, 1000-grit sandpaper after it has dried. This will help smooth out any small bubbles in the freshly painted surface.
10. Apply a second coat of paint and re-sand if the first coat did not fully cover the car.
11. Wax the surface after it has dried for at least 48 hours. If you do not seal the surface with wax, the color can fade over time.
