Re-painting car

[06stafa]

Hi guys
I'm looking to change the colour of my car and as a first timer i know very little about what I need to do so any advice is appreciated!
Am i right in thinking that aerosol cans are not the way to do it if doing the whole car?
I found this spray gun that looks similar to those people have used to do this on YouTube. http://www.hss.com/index.php?g=61416

What sort of paint is needed and does the car need to be prepped at all??
Thanks for any responses
Adam

 

[kbdiy]

You don't say what car you have but aerosols are def NOT the way to go - it would cost a fortune and look cr@p. The main issue you will have is getting the paint. Cellulose is really the only type suitable for diy painting but is in very short supply as it is solvent-based and all but banned. All other types are either hard to use (water-based) or downright lethal (don't even think about 2 Pack as breathing it will kill you - carcinogenic).

I have successfully resprayed a couple of cars in the past but as cellulose is pretty much extinct there don't seem to be many alternatives for us diy'ers.

 

[06stafa]

The car is a mondeo, so not a small car!
I didn't realise paint would be an issue, do you know what professionals use?
What type of paint did you use for the 2 you've done and were they effective?
The paintwork is in a reasonable condition at the moment so would a general galvanised metal paint work/
I really don't know very much about this as I'm sure you can tell!
Adam

 

[Peter.N.]

I have sprayed quite a few cars in the past using cellulose but as mentioned its not easy to get now or cheap. Aerosol cans can be OK for spraying a panel and with practice you can get quite a good finish but not really suitable for a whole car.

I have used smooth Hammerite with some success but it loses its gloss after about 12 months and is very difficult to polish. There is a great deal of hard work goes into spraying a car, the hardest being preparation, if there is no damage and the panels are completely flat its just a case of taking the gloss off but filling dents to get a good finish takes a lot of practise.

Unless you have a very expensive car I would be inclined to buy another one in the colour of your choice.

Peter

 

[06stafa]

Hammerite looks like it might be the way to do it, what do you use to apply it?
I'm only 18 and just got insured on the car so not keen to change to a new one in the near future! I've got lots of time ( just not a lot of money! ) so willing to spend lots of time on it and practice to get a good finish. I'm not too fussed about the gloss really as I was thinking about going for matt black anyway.

Adam

 

[06stafa]

Did you mix the hammerite with a cellulose thinner before applying?

 

[alan333]

Hammerite looks like it might be the way to do it, what do you use to apply it?
I'm only 18 and just got insured on the car so not keen to change to a new one in the near future! I've got lots of time ( just not a lot of money! ) so willing to spend lots of time on it and practice to get a good finish. I'm not too fussed about the gloss really as I was thinking about going for matt black anyway.

Adam

Matt black will look rubbish and render your car completely worthless.

Home spraying will be the same unless you make a professional job of it. You need to do all the insides of the doors, bonnet/boot, sill ingoes etc to make it look good. Leave it alone and buy one in your chosen colour later.

Or go to a local breaker and buy an old door or something and try spraying it first. You'll be surprised how much work goes into making it look rubbish.

 

[Mursal]

Yes been there done that........................

Its an art form and no matter how many U-Tube vid's you watch, it wont help with the reality. So as already said, get a few donor panels and practice on then until you get really good. It will cost you the same in products to do a bad job, as a good one, maybe even more. Patience is essential, for example, painting a panel 5 times just to make it look like you never touched it.

Masking off the bits you don't want to paint, will take a day if you did it before, a couple of days to a week, the first time.

But don't let that put you off, it is a wonderful skill to have. We have saved a small fortune over the years, but had some long nights as well.

 

[Peter.N.]

You will need Hammerite thinners for the paint. I have not had any experience of these low pressure sprayers, I have always used about 60 psi which is higher than most people but gave the best results for me.

Hammerite only comes in a small range of colours but you may find one you like, you can use the hammer finish - if you like that sort of thing.

Peter