How to Paint a Car

Learn how to basically paint a car by following these very simple 9 steps listed here.

Prepare painting area. If you use a garage be aware that you CANNOT use household fans for exhaust and you WILL need an exhaust. You will also need cool-burning bulbs that have blow proof fixtures. You will need enough hose to go around the car 2 times. The compressor will need to have a minimum of a 20-gallon tank but more important it’ll have to produce at least 15 cubic feet per minute of air at 65 pounds per square inch. You’ll need an oil/water trap and a pressure regulator between the compressor- the regulator on the compressor is NOT good enough. The compressor MUST be outside of the painting area. Make sure you have a hook somewhere that you can hang the gun while doing other things. NEVER NEVER USE AN AIRLESS SPRAYER FOR THE JOB UNLESS YOU WANT TO DIE A FIERY BURNING DEATH.

Don’t make the mistake of using one of those discount store spray guns. For a good job, you’ll need a VERY good gun especially if you are new to painting. It is a travesty when an otherwise good job is ruined by lousy equipment.

The ENTIRE room where you are painting should be hosed down with water no more than 1 hour before painting but AFTER you have finished making dust. Don’t get the car wet! Broom the excess water away.

The car will have to be sanded, then anything that you don’t want to be painted will have to be very carefully masked. Be careful not to allow the tape to touch any areas to be painted or you may pull off the new paint in a sheet. VERY IMPORTANT: If you can see a defect after sanding you’ll see it after painting but it’ll look even worse. Paint does NOT “fill in” chips and scratches.

Any bodywork must be well done, feathered in carefully to adjoining panels, then primed with the appropriate stuff, allowed to dry, and sanded again. If you run your hand against the body work and it feels “wavy” or “bumpy” you will see it when you are done.

Do not go cheap. Buy a roll of REAL masking paper and use GOOD masking tape. The stuff they sell at the local home center will not do the job and NEVER use newspaper. Take your time and remember that you’ll need to take the stuff off so as you mask keep in mind a method to remove it in order without touching the new paint. Fold any bulges in the paper and tape over them as well. If you don’t it’ll catch dust and ruin your paint.

Now, your area has been wetted down, you have rolled the car back into the garage, put on the wheel covers, closed the door, turned on the lights, started the exhaust, put a filter in place in front of the exhaust (make sure that the exhaust doesn’t go out in an area where overspray can settle on your house, your neighbor's house, or your dog), put on your disposable suit (so you don’t die from toxic chemicals absorbing through your skin), and given stern warnings to everyone to STAY OUT of the area and do NOT open doors or windows. Put on your NIOSH-approved respirator (NO, a paper mask will not do, neither will those throwaway masks that look like cheap respirators).

Wipe the car down at least 3 times, first blowing it off with air, then using a paint prep and paper towels, then again with paper towels.

You should have your paint (you’ll need a gallon) open and mixed- if you pull the paint stick out of the can and see a lump of stuff on the end it isn’t mixed enough… keep going. Using another can pour 2 quarts of your paint into it and close the can. In the open can put in the appropriate amount of reducer and hardener and mix again, allow to rest for about 5 minutes, and mix again. Pour the paint into a container through a filter. Immediately fill your CLEAN spray gun cup HALF FULL of paint from this container. Adjust your fan and fluid and apply a “mist” coat over the car. Don’t try to get it the “right” color yet. Allow setting for 5 minutes.

Mix the paint again and fill the cup. Apply a full wet coat of paint on the entire vehicle. Don’t keep on going over the areas. If it looks too light don’t worry, you have a long way to go. Keep moving, don’t slow down. At this point, you’ll be glad you have that extra hose. Once this coat is done wait 5 minutes.

Mix the paint again and fill the cup. Your filtered paint will likely be all gone now. Apply another full wet coat this time watching carefully to make sure that you have completely covered the areas. Again, do NOT put on extra paint, just watch what you are doing. Be sure you get under the wheel wells, around the grill, INSIDE the gas flap, and anywhere else you may have missed. At this point, you will likely be sweating bullets and wish you hadn’t done it, but now you’re committed. Wait 5 minutes.

While waiting mix HALF of the remaining paint (should be about a quart) from the closed can like in step 9 above but half the volume. Apply a full wet coat. Wait 15 minutes.

While you wait empty the gun and put a little reducer in it. Swirl it around the cup to remove the paint and pour it out into a can. Fill the cup halfway with a reducer and spray it through but STAY AWAY from your new paint job. There are special shields that attach to your waste paint can that you can use instead of just spraying into the air.

Hang the gun up, Turn off the exhaust, turn off the lights, close the door.

Allow at least 4 hours before returning. Unmask the car and pull it into the sunlight.

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