How to Paint Your Car

If you've looked at the pictures of my car you will assume that I have a lot of experience in painting cars. This is not true. The photos you see represent my second attempt at painting this Corvette. The first attempt looked just as nice but I was deficient in preparing the body properly and the job had to be done over again. So if you ask yourself whether you have the skill to do a paint job like this I would have to say yes provided you pay attention to detail and read as much as you can about painting technique from the number of excellent books available on the subject

In this section I will outline the steps that you will perform to prepare and refinish your car. As you read this keep in mind that spray painting is something that is learned over time and experience counts very highly in the end result. If you follow the steps in this article you will end up with a very nice looking car that will rival the results of a professional. It will take you much longer and require much, much more work than having it done by a professional. It will cost you less that having this job done by a pro because much of the cost of refinishing is in the labor required to prepare the auto for paint. Keep in mind that you will not end up with a paint job that rivals the best of the custom painters. These people command very high prices because they produce perfect results. They get these results through years of experience and having the proper workplace, tools, and knowledge of materials needed to produce a flawless finish. They are also not limited by cost in the preparation of the auto, materials required to refinish, or length of downtime required to complete a project. In the real world most of us have limited budgets, limited tools inventory and a makeshift workplace in order to accomplish a project. The upside is that we work "cheap" and because of this we can pay attention to the details which make the difference between a quickie repaint and an acceptable to outstanding refinish on an auto.

Before we go on I have to make the following statement

If you attempt to refinish your auto you will be handling materials which can be deadly. You must read all of the cautions that accompany the products you use and adhere strictly to the safety considerations that they outline. I'll say this more plainly…"Some of these materials make DEAD PEOPLE if they are used in an ignorant or careless way". It is beyond the scope of this site to outline each and every safety precaution that you must take. If you decide to undertake a project like this you do so at your own risk and I will not be responsible for any harm to yourself, your vehicle, your home or workplace, or anyone else within breathing distance.

With that said, click on the topics on the sidebar to see what it takes to refinish an auto.