DIY PAINT JOBS

[dickhead 0]

my paint job is rugged as on my s14 and want to paint it myself. I have an air compressor with spray gun and have bought some primer, acrylic lacquer base coat (because it was cheap) and primer and am in the process of finding a clearcoat within my price range on trademe. then plan on painting it in my garage. I'm not expecting a mint finish, but dont want to pay for a decent job. With these ratios to paint thinner and hardener i plan on;

1. Primer = 2:1:1 ratio (2 parts paint to 1 part hardener & 1 part thinner)

2. Base Coat = 1:1 ratio (1 part paint to 1 part thinner)

3. Clear coat = 2:1:10% ratio (2 parts paint to 1 part hardener and then add 10% of thinner).

a) sanding it down bogging dents etc

b)primer coating it x2 coats

c)sanding it with w/d 1500grit sandpaper

d)applying the base coat x3 coats

e)applying the clear coat x2

Could anyone give me any advice on what is wrong with this or what else I should or should not be doing?

[cliffdunedin 8]

From what i have learnt painting my own cars is that lots n lots of wet sanding between coats gets the best finish for a diy paint job also keeping the temperature constant is a plus, i used to use a gas heater with thermostat that did a good job.

I have also did one of those *$50* hand painted jobs off the net on my old Kingswood that came up awesome if you want to be adventurous

[dickhead 0]

From what i have learnt painting my own cars is that lots n lots of wet sanding between coats gets the best finish for a diy paint job also keeping the temperature constant is a plus, i used to use a gas heater with thermostat that did a good job.

I have also did one of those *$50* hand painted jobs off the net on my old Kingswood that came up awesome if you want to be adventurous

would you recommend sanding after each base coat layer is applied?

[andrewm 236]

The lacquer colour along with the 2k primer and clear was obviously not the best idea, however thats done now. Im assuming its not a metallic?

As far as your ratios, that will depend largely on the paint due to the amount of solids, you may need to do test panels.

Either way, before primer have the car sanded with 320-600 grit, after priming sand with 600 grit before basecoats are applied. Dont bother sanding between basecoats unless they come up really bad. You may find adhesion issues applying the clearcoat to the colour, if you do your option will be to sand the final basecoat 800-1000 grit before applying the clear.

Dont sand with your hand use a sponge and dont press hard or scratches will be deep and show up in the paintwork. Paint ( not primer) doesnt hide flaws it magnifies them and if you can feel a bump or scratch, you will definately be able to see it.

An issue you may face is lacquer takes ages to let the solvents off (weeks) although it is touch dry in minutes and this may cause issues with the much faster sealing 2k clear, it may not though.

The hardener is an isocyanate, it contains cyanide so make sure to have a good chemical filtration mask and leave the garage or whatever often.

Finally if you get no issues applying the paint then put plenty of clear (4 coats) so you can sand 800,1200,1500 and then powerbuff with 2 stages of cutting compound, this is upto you, if the clear is coming out of the gun good then no need.

I hope your compressor is 3hp+ with atleast 50l of air tank or else you will have a small fan pattern and it will making painting more difficult. Any less and you may need to paint a panel at a time.

My first few cars came out pretty average but i was handy with a buffer and high grade sandpaper and fixed them up quite nicely.

Edited May 2, 2010 by andrewm

[westy 614]

my paint job is rugged as on my s14 and want to paint it myself. I have an air compressor with spray gun and have bought some primer, acrylic lacquer base coat (because it was cheap) and primer and am in the process of finding a clearcoat within my price range on trademe. then plan on painting it in my garage. I'm not expecting a mint finish, but dont want to pay for a decent job. With these ratios to paint thinner and hardener i plan on;

1. Primer = 2:1:1 ratio (2 parts paint to 1 part hardener & 1 part thinner)

2. Base Coat = 1:1 ratio (1 part paint to 1 part thinner)

3. Clear coat = 2:1:10% ratio (2 parts paint to 1 part hardener and then add 10% of thinner).

a) sanding it down bogging dents etc

b)primer coating it x2 coats

c)sanding it with w/d 1500grit sandpaper

d)applying the base coat x3 coats

e)applying the clear coat x2

Could anyone give me any advice on what is wrong with this or what else I should or should not be doing?

What type of "basecoat" did you buy? Proper basecoat or acrylic laquer? Metalic or solid? How much?

How big is your compressor? What type of gun?

Can you heat your garage?

Ever done any spraying before? If you haven't you might be opening a world of hurt if you try and use the 2 part clear.

[cliffdunedin 8]

Dont sand with your hand use a sponge and dont press hard or scratches will be deep and show up in the paintwork. Paint ( not primer) doesnt hide flaws it magnifies them and if you can feel a bump or scratch, you will definately be able to see it.

+1 I learnt that the hard way and pretty much had to start again...I wet sanded between each coat to get each layer smoooooth as a babies bum before continuing.

Like Westy mentioned, if you have ltd experience spraying practice on something before doing your car.

Oh and dont rush the taping and remove bumpers etc to do a decent job.

[Docile 64]

painting is 80% preparation 20% painiting.

you need to make sure surface is flawless before you apply anything. and you got everything covered up you dont want to get paint on.

ive got a 2.5HP compressor and can only paint a panel at a time.

dont heat up your garage with everything closed while also painting. that is stupid to do. LOL

i usually have house fans blowing air out from the garage.

make sure your compressor is far away from your painting area and most likely in a place with fresher air not air polluted with paint.

before i start painting. i usually do a layer of paint on a spare fender i bought from trademe to test spray pattern and solvency of the paint mixture before applying to my car.

make sure in between coats you leave enough time for the paint to settle in a bit or you will end up with the runs which is a F%$# hassle. wait around 15mins or so in between base coats.

[e30ftw 410]

Big tip :

Wet the floor in your garage / wherever you are spaying it. It will help stop the dust getting blown around and landing up in your paintjob..

[dickhead 0]

What type of "basecoat" did you buy? Proper basecoat or acrylic laquer? Metalic or solid? How much?

How big is your compressor? What type of gun?

Can you heat your garage?

Ever done any spraying before? If you haven't you might be opening a world of hurt if you try and use the 2 part clear.

its acrylic lacquer thats metallic (3 litres) and got it and 2l of primer and 4l of thinners for 20$ off my mate haha. 2.5 hp compressor with 60l tank

re the clear coat, is there an easier/less risky way? I havn't bought the clearcoat yet

I know nothing about painting, what I have got was not strategically purchased or anything, I just thought it might end up looking better that a spray can job and reckon its worth a try. Il put some pictures up for you all to laugh at after im done!

[dickhead 0]

some great advice here guys, cheers aye

[westy 614]

its acrylic lacquer thats metallic (3 litres) and got it and 2l of primer and 4l of thinners for 20$ off my mate haha. 2.5 hp compressor with 60l tank

re the clear coat, is there an easier/less risky way? I havn't bought the clearcoat yet

I know nothing about painting, what I have got was not strategically purchased or anything, I just thought it might end up looking better that a spray can job and reckon its worth a try. Il put some pictures up for you all to laugh at after im done!

Just use an acrylic lacquer clearcoat. Flat sand with wet 1200 then buff. It's a hell of a lot easier than 2 part to spray and cut and you'll know it's compatable. I'm told 2part wont stick properly to acrylic lacquer colour.

Also, 3lt's probably wont be enough colour and 2lt's of primer wont go far depending on how many repairs to the body you have to make, but it's cheap anyway.

Compressor's too small too. You need something thats flows at least 12cfm.

It'll do for small primer areas, just hire one for the top coats.

[bellicose 9]

Just use an acrylic lacquer clearcoat. Flat sand with wet 1200 then buff. It's a hell of a lot easier than 2 part to spray and cut and you'll know it's compatable. I'm told 2part wont stick properly to acrylic lacquer colour.

100% correct.

Put lacquer clear over lacquer colour ONLY.

2 pack clear over lacquer colour will last a couple of months but it WILL delaminate (lift), no matter what ANYONE tells you.

Just do as 'westy' suggested mate.

[dickhead 0]

100% correct.

Put lacquer clear over lacquer colour ONLY.

2 pack clear over lacquer colour will last a couple of months but it WILL delaminate (lift), no matter what ANYONE tells you.

Just do as 'westy' suggested mate.

yeah i went and bought some acrylic topcoat today, have everything I need now to do a bit of trial and error with the spraygun, although it sounds like it might not cut the mustard haha