Re-painting your vehicle will enhance its appearance, cover up any small blemishes you may have accumulated, and have it looking brand new in no time. However, if you are new to the auto-painting process, there are a number of important things you need to know before you can start. You can either conduct your own research, talk to your local car enthusiast group, ask for the help of a painting professional, or wing it. Regardless of which method you choose, knowing some key pieces of information about the painting process will go a long way in preventing mistakes, getting clean lines, and creating a vehicle that you can be proud of.

All of this knowledge will help you from ruining the hours of time you spent meticulously laboring over your vehicle, which can make your sparkling beauty into a disheveled beast. So without further ado, let’s gloss over some important things you’ll want to know about auto painting!

Read More: 9 Crucial Tips to Remember for Painting Your Car

The Paint

Knowing what paint to buy is crucial in getting the outcome you want when attempting to change your vehicle’s color. While there are numerous types of auto paint that have come and gone throughout the years, most car enthusiasts and paint professionals today prefer urethane or the two-step acrylic enamel paints over the over paint type variations.

Urethane and acrylic enamel have higher viscosity when compared to lacquer paint styles, even when applied in the same method. Usually, a mixture of 1 part primer to 1 or 1/2 part thinner is already enough to give you that beautiful color you were aiming for. As a result, you will need fewer coats of paint to complete your project when using urethane or acrylic enamel styles of paint instead a lacquer style of paint. Lacquer paints can often require 20 or more coats of paint to get a similar outcome. Most of the time, two or three coatings of base color and three topcoats of clear will do the job. If you still have serious doubts about your paint choice, you can ask the help of a professional in your community to give you some pointers.

It’s also important to mention that color at this point as well. You don’t want to spend all your time painting just to find out at the end that you don’t like the color you chose. Make sure to get an automotive finish color chip chart so you know how your paint will look like in person rather than trying to interpret the true color over your phone or computer screen.

The Spray Gun

Just like lacquer paints, siphon spray guns are already things of the past. These high-pressure lines are no longer used mostly because of what they can contribute to the problem of pollution. Lawmakers have even banned their commercial use in many states.

Now, high-volume, low-pressure, or HVLP spray guns are being used in painting cars. These spray guns feature tanks located at the top of the mechanism. Gravity feeds the paint into the gun instead of siphoning it from the bottle found underneath the spray gun system as with the case of the old siphon spray guns.

Although the location of the paint tank of the newer HVLP spray guns might seem inconvenient for the user, they are known to be more efficient compared to the old spray gun models. They are known to deliver 80 percent of the paint to your car’s surface while only needing a line pressure of 10psi for its operation. This is definitely low compared to the 45 to 70psi needed by the siphon guns, which deliver a lowly 40 percent efficiency.

Read More: How to Paint a Car: 6 Professional Steps to Help Get You Started

Safety and Preparation

In painting your car, you also need to be concerned about your safety at all times. Because of this, you need to prepare not just the materials you need in making your car look brand new. You also have to prepare the things that will keep you safe during the entire painting process.

You need to buy yourself a complete paint suit to protect your clothing as well as your entire bodily system from the paint and other toxic materials you might be using. There are a number of cheap brands you can find in the market. You should also don on a respirator equipped with two air filters while you are painting. Pairing all these with gloves, goggles and some type of covering for your head will further keep you safe.

Your work area should also be kept clean at all times. You will achieve better efficiency with your endeavor if dirt and dust are kept away from your work. Just think how frustrating it can be if you will find just one small mistake in what could have been a perfect panel.

It is imperative to note that before you start painting your car, especially with the use of a spray gun, you should practice first. Using test panels and making sure that your spray gun is kept clean at all times will help ensure the success of your painting endeavor.

Read More: How to Care for a Fresh Car Paint Job

Final Thoughts On Some Important Things To Know About Auto Painting

Now that you know some of the key important things to know about auto painting, you can now get started on your project with the confidence you need in order to do a good job.

If you would like to know more about auto-painting, check out our other blog articles and don’t forget to take a look at our website for any and all of your auto painting needs.

Read More: Choosing the Right Automotive Paint Color for Your Car

1. Always wear protective gear while painting a car.

Paint and the other materials you will use in giving your car a new coat of paint may have toxic materials that could enter your system. It is not just your clothes that need protection during a paint job, but also your health. So, for your safety, you should get yourself a paint suit, a respirator, goggles and gloves.

2. Make sure your paint booth is well-lighted, clean and has the right temperature.

Keep your spray booth or the area where you will be painting your car clean from dust and dirt at all times. It should also be well-lighted so you can see what you are doing clearly. It is imperative to check on the temperature of your work area as well. This will affect not just the amount of paint and thinner you should use, but also the time it takes for the paint to dry between coats as well as the ultimate results.

Read More: Important Things to Know About Auto Painting

3. Prep all your car panels or your vehicle before you start painting.

Cleanliness is a very important in any painting endeavor. You should clean your vehicle or all your car panels with soap and water as well as wax and grease remover to get rid of any debris, dust or dirt that could block your spray gun or mar your new paint. You can also use a tack rag to wipe the surface of your panels or your car. Compressed air is needed to clean out complex car parts like the deck lid though. This is the only way you can get every last speck of dirt and drop of water.

You also need to prime and block-sand your vehicle or car panels with the use of a 600-grit paper before you can start painting them.

4. Get ready with all the materials needed to make painting a car easier and to protect all the stuff that doesn’t need paint on them.

You will need a specialized table to hold the car parts in place during the painting process. It is best if you will cover this table with masking paper so that it won’t get a layer of paint that it doesn’t need. You can also get such things as plugs to ensure that threaded inserts are kept clean while you are painting. These plugs will also make sure that these inserts won’t get any primer or paint in them.

5. Stir paint up while you are giving your car a fresh coating.

When you are already in the process painting your car, never forget to stir up the paint. Remember that as time passes, a lot of the product you are using will get to the bottom of the spray gun’s tank. So, to make sure that your paint’s viscosity is maintained, stir it up often and thoroughly.

6. Do not forget the paint filters.

You should also see to it that the paint is filtered as it goes into the reservoir of your paint gun. Although paint filters are standardized, you should take note of the type of gun you are using for your paint job. It is preferred that you use a high-volume, low-pressure spray gun though for higher efficiency.