Civic EG

Hey!

So I'm thinking about painting my car this winter, well I'm pretty sure its gonna happen. However I don't have the funds to get a professional job done.


What is the best way to paint the entire car diy style?

I'm thinking phoenix yellow too, if I can get the paint!

it would be cheaper, (and from the sounds of it doesnt seem like you have the tools to complete the job(not being a dick)) and would probably come out better if you went to maaco, or some local shop (not a rip off joint) then trying to Do It Yourself. lol Not ripping on you but rattle canning a car never comes out right. if thats what you were thinking. years of experience speaking here lol. Cost of the equipment, paint, and other supplies to diy is a ton. A lot more than taking it to a local shop. Or you could post up a craigslist ad, and see if someone who does it for a living will do it when they arent working for cheaper.

Constructive criticism!

I have an old beater car I could practice on if it came around to me having to dim.

I was gonna try the roller method with thinned paint.

i too want to try the roller method lol! hey my uncle painted his jeep with a mop. nuff said. Came out looking decent too LOL!

this sounds interesting i wanna see the finish product

I just painted a car for a friend.. I used a 20 gallon compressor, a dedicated base color gravity feed gun and a dedicated gravity feed clearing gun. We spent several days prepping the bay (made a complete "pseudo-clean room"), and equipped it with fans for circulation, dehumidifier, and air filters for the paint. After it was all said and done a few days later, the car rolled out looking like pure shit.. lol. Yes, it was our first paint job, but the problem, and lesson for you is, don't get impatient like he did near the end of it. It's not a race to the finish. I sprayed the lower valence of my truck with a rattle can and she made it in the latest issue of drop jaw magazine (yay me!). Honestly, I can paint better with a rattle can than anything else, so if you're comfortable, spray away! Although it doesn't hurt to have that car to try it on first ;)

for real, if you know how to rattle can, you can do it good IMO

just dont get uneven spots and it will turn out nice.


The roller method would be cool too. I've seen them turn out really good

I'm in the process of painting my car, and I have to say...it's going to be a lot more work than you think. I mean A LOT. I can't believe how much work it is for one person, and I'm even a graduate in college for autobody repair. My car had so many hidden problems that it isn't even funny...but I have to admit, I would be done now if it wasn't for me shaving the moldings. I had several layers of paint to remove, body filler to fix that was put on badly, bad scratches that were hidden, and had to keep the car outside at all times because I didn't have any garage or anything to keep it in...so you have to keep that in mind, because I had to buy some of the spray paint primer and cover all metal that I hit while sanding to protect it from rust every day.

It can be a pain, but I'm in the process of only needing a little more body filler and then taping the rest of the car up. Now I'm just trying to figure out the best way to paint it while keeping the doors and everything on it while having to paint the interior trim as well.

You will need a lot of fairly expensive tools to do this job. A DA sander, a good air compressor, a good paint gun(2 really, one for primer and one for the color), the paint(I'm using some from eBay that cost about $85 for a full gallon kit with hardner/activator) and bought the primer from a local shop. You will also want an inline sander, some good quality tape and plastic to cover your glass, and I'm willing to bet you will need some body filler as well. Oh, and lots of sand paper.

Once I get my car done I plan on trying to write up a DIY paint job for everyone else to get help/ideas from, so if it will be a while until you get started it may be some help for you.

Dippin_EG wrote:for real, if you know how to rattle can, you can do it good IMO

just dont get uneven spots and it will turn out nice.


The roller method would be cool too. I've seen them turn out really good

There is paint out there that actually has a wide spread mist so it helps with coverage. I saw it while I was setting up the paint department in a Lowe's Hardware store. When I got home from the set up I couldn't find it at any store around here, so I used cans with the normal spray and it took nearly $200 bucks worth of spray paint to get good coverage.

If you use the can route, don't expect a finish with a gloss. Even if it says it has gloss, it won't look glossy at all when you're finished unless you wet sand or maybe spend some extra cash on several cans of clear coat.

After spending all the time that you will on the sanding to let the paint stick, and materials to get it taped up, and all of the countless hours you spent while doing it...you would only be coming up a little shorter than buying a cheap maaco paint that will look better and last longer.

My spray paint lasted a year, and would have lasted longer if it wasn't for me doing a real paint job now, after I did proper sanding of all weak paint and properly cleaned the car before painting. It did not have a gloss to it at all even after spraying some clear on it, so I have to say it wasn't really worth it because everyone thought it was just primer. After all of the money I spent, and all of the time I spent doing it...everyone thought it was primer.

But if you do that route, invest in at least 2o f those gun triggers that they sell at Lowe's and Walmart for a few bucks that connect to the can and allows a large trigger. It will make painting a lot easier.