If you want to match your car’s original color, check your car’s compliance plate to find the color code. You can give that to an auto paint store and they’ll be able to match the color for you. It’s always better to have a little extra paint rather than too little. Remember that you can save excess paint for touch-ups.
If you don’t own a respirator, you may be able to rent one from your local hardware store.
Working in the right temperature will help the paint dry properly.
The car needs to be completely free of wax, oil, and dirt, and the dish soap is gentle enough to clean everything off without leaving a soapy residue.
Sand corners and small crevices by hand to ensure they’re fully prepped. The sanding machine won’t be about to maneuver such small spaces.
Wet sanding makes a really smooth surface as apposed to the coarser surface that comes from regular sanding. You can’t get the car over-wet, so don’t worry about how much water you spray. Use rubber sanding blocks if you don’t have a sander.
Rinsing the car off again ensures that all the little flakes of paint and sandpaper are gone.
If you don’t have plastic film or sheeting, use 2-3 layers of old newspaper. Check out some online tutorials for extra tips and examples of taping off your car. If you’re working in an area with other tools or furniture, you may also want to spread some plastic sheeting over them to keep them clean.
Use an old piece of wood or scrap metal to practice spraying the primer before you begin on your car. This’ll help you get the feel for the machine.
Wipe down the sanded, primed car with a damp rag once you’re done and let it dry completely before moving on to the base coat.
It should take you about 10 minutes to apply the first base coat if you’re painting a small- to medium-sized vehicle.
If you can still see the metal of the frame through the primer and base coat, you may want to add a third base coat.
If you notice any residue or bumpy areas, sand the area down again and reapply the base coat until it’s even.
The clear coat should be easy to see as it goes on the car, so take your time to make sure the entire body is evenly coated. You’ll know the clear coat is dry when it is smooth to the touch, rather than sticky.
If you want, or if you applied particularly thin first and second coats, you could do a third coat, though two is usually sufficient.
If there is sticky residue left from the tape, ignore it for now. You can go back to it later and rub it away using something like Goo Gone.
Remember that you can always use this process of sanding and spraying to fix small scratches in the future, especially if you have leftover paint.
You don’t have to buff your car if you don’t want to, but it definitely makes it look shinier!
