Then, there is a list of the actual process of touching up the paint. Polyester primer is a very thick two-part product and is used when there’s a good deal of bodywork. Generally, any temperature between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit is right for priming. We separated the process into two categories. Sanding a car involves several stages of sanding to get the surface straight, smooth and ready for paint to be applied. How To Prep A Car For Primer and Paint. Apply some metal conditioner evenly on the surface. Automotive primer acts as a bonding agent to help the paint adhere more strongly to the body of the vehicle. Cover the windows, lights, seals, wheels, and other parts at the same time. Clean the spray nozzle with acetone if it becomes plugged. Get a gallon of guide coat, and body filler (bondo) or gloss coat too while you are there, and some acetone; you will need it later. Generally, any temperature between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit is right for priming. Another bonus was most of the car had the original paint sanded off with just a couple coats of old lacquer primer on the main body, so stripping the car … How to Prime & Prep a Car for Paint. Cutting can be carried outdone as a prep step before you apply paint or afterwards to blend the new paint into the old. Using the short ends and moving the block left and right can cause a ditch in the filler that may not be noticed until the final paint has dried. It is at least one weekend worth of work. by The Gunman | Dec 7, 2015 | News. Apply the primer to the car from 25 centimetres (9.8 in) away. The car has to be clean and dry before you can sand on any primer or sealer. Clean the spray nozzle with acetone if it becomes plugged. Be careful to only sand gently and never sand the edges or corners of the car for more than a second or two. Because these two products are quite noticeable if done improperly you should reserve using them only on small areas. Final sanding before applying colour coats is generally carried out wet using the appropriate fine grades of WetorDry abrasive paper. With the right tools, anyone can follow step-by-step auto sanding instructions for great results. The primer should spray on thick, but not clumpy or caked. Time Allowance - Before you even begin the process of preparing the car for painting, you'll need to map out the time you have available and the amount of time it will realistically take to carry out the process from start to finish. Optionally, you can use an air compressor to remove dust before you start washing the car and ensure that your paint job is going to be perfectly smooth. Use an even stroke that covers entire panels with little overlap. Check the instructions on the can to remind yourself of how long to wait. We talk about applying glaze putty, feather edging … With Axalta Cromax, you want to go directly from primer/sealer to paint within the … This leads to peeling, flaking, and eventually rust, which turns a driveable car to junk in no time. Household detergent won’t do it well. Applying the Guide Coat Spray on the guide coat in the same manner as the primer, and let dry. If the car's surface is not clean, you will have problems with the paint not sticking to the car body. Without primer as a buffer, the shiny metal surface, whether old or new, won't bond with the paint well. You can completely prep and paint your car yourself. This can be used to sand the car down to the bare metal without digging into the metal surface. Then immediately dry the area with a clean, dry rag to get rid of the moisture which would otherwise create rust. Wash the auto body part with surface cleaner. These are the steps we are taking in this Eastwood video series. Finally, you think to yourself. First you will wash the car with a special cleaner to remove all the old wax and residue from acid rain. Wet sanding epoxy primer is usually the best way to prep it because epoxy has a tendency to clog paper when sanded dry. Sand the surface until all guide coat is sanded off. Gently push down the spray button and move the can across the area using even, back and forth strokes. If the paint job you are working with is severely damaged you may want to sand completely down to metal just to make sure that there is no further damage, like rust on the body. After the car is dry you should begin taping off everything that you don’t want primer on. First, there is a list on how to prepare the area for touching up the car. One of the most important things, or perhaps the most important thing, you need to do when painting a car is to properly prep it. Wipe your car off with a damp cloth before priming and painting. Each can of primer or paint requires some waiting for the product to settle on the hood. Wet sanding, also known as color sanding, adds shine to a finished paint job. Before you move on, use a damp cloth to wipe down the outside of your car. Don’t wait too long, though. Once the bare areas are covered, put 2-3 coats of primer over the whole car. Poly primer is great for using over bare fiberglass and epoxy. After you have sanded the car for the second time, wash it and dry it again just as you did before you applied the primer. The primer should be gently sanded to only knock down the very top layer. Wet sanding is an amazing process that, when done properly, can result in a surface that's as smooth as glass. You can purchase this in gallons at almost any body supply shop or store. There are several steps involved to prep a car. Sandpaper can easily dig too deep on the edges and cause the underlying layers to show through. We are getting ready to primer and paint the car. Using a block and 320-grit sandpaper, cross-sand the surface. Pneumatic Blow Gun- Air pressure can help clean all of the residual dirt and dust off of a … If you press too hard it will leave circles in the paint that are hard to get rid of and you may damage the body. You start by matching the color with the one you want, and then choosing a coat, gloss, hi-gloss or mat. Sanding the surface of a car before applying primer and paint is the most important part of a good paint job. Let the car dry overnight before you begin working on the car. If you are fairly new to spraying with a compressor practice beforehand on a mock up car or some spare body parts. Carver owns a custom automotive shop where she has been doing paint and body work, custom interior work and engine building for over 11 years. Spray primer over the entire surface that you will be painting. After the bondo is dry lightly sand down any imperfections. You should work with a long, sweeping motion from side to side 12-16 inches from the surface of the vehicle. The guide coat will make any imperfections show through like bumps or small dents and dings, as well as over paint. Even with a power sander it will take you a long time to sand down the body. If you have nothing else work with metal that has been shaped, like tin cans and metal containers. But, before you quit and start spraying on primer, if you want a truly smooth finish you will need to keep sanding. Sanding serves multiple purposes, including removing old paint, smoothing scratches and creating a surface for paint to adhere. Sanding too much can make the metal show through and make a low spot in the primer. The primer should only be allowed to dry after you’re done adding more of it. Wet sand the primer, making sure to sand out any drips, scratches or other rough spots with 800-1200 grit sand paper. It’s like an iceberg…you see about 10% to 20% of it sticking out of the water. If you’re super worried about dust, use paint thinners to wipe down the outside of your car. TAGS: Automobile (Industry) block Car car finish diy do it yourself hobby... how to How to paint a car Industry (Quotation Subject) Paint prep primer refinish YouTube editor. Using a blade to remove as much stripper as possible, wipe the panel over with water. Etch primer included, epoxy primer is about the only bare metal primer you could leave a vehicle outside in without rust forming back under the primer quickly! For primer, wait between 2 to 5 minutes before applying more. Apply 3 coats of primer, waiting 15 minutes between each coat. Here is some helpful information that will help you do the job right, the first time. Copyright 2021 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media. Paint Prep. Whether you're talking about paint, primer, bare metal or anything in between, your car's body can be smoothed by wet sanding. Lastly go over the car with a clean, soft cloth after it is dry to remove any remaining dust or grit particles. When using a power sander, be careful not to apply too hard pressure to the surface of the body. Most of the work in painting a car is in the prep. Go over the entire car using 380-grit sandpaper to get the smoothest finish before applying the paint. If you have a large garage or space at home, and the proper tools you can spray on the primer and paint right at home! After seemingly endless hours of sanding it seems that you may be reaching an end. By Posted in How to paint a car. Spray two to three coats of high-build primer over the entire vehicle after you are satisfied … This is the first of 3 videos on this 2014 Maserati Ghibli that I am fixing a scratch in the fender, this video will cover the Primer and Prep Work, I include all aspects and explain how and why I do what I do. It is not unusual for the primer to be very sticky in hot or humid weather so avoid spraying your car if it is an unbearable day. How To Prepare a Car for Paint. Wipe the car down again with solvent and a clean rag, careful not to use too much, or it can wipe off the … Your email address will not be published. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Pull out large dents using a dent repair kit. Follow with a Scotch-Brite pad and gun-cleaning thinners. After the car is completely dry bondo the low spots and fix any other bumps on the surface. Make sure that you rent or buy an air compressor before you start this project, you will need it often. A dual-action sander oscillates in a way that sands the surface without gouging the metal. Place the sandpaper on a sanding block. If the paint job you are working with is not that bad you do not need to sand all the way down to the metal. Once you have noted the spots that need fixing you are going to start sanding the car, again. If you only have small imperfections you can use polyester fill coat (gloss coat). Use the same techniques as when sanding with the previous grit. Be sure to choose the right one for the job – if you’re unsure, just ask in store. Cutting is using an abrasive compound to removes thin layers of paint. Follow the direction for the primer as far as time between coats. This can be done using your hand or a sanding block. Now your car is ready for paint, finally after hours and days, maybe even a full week of elbow grease. If the car you’re painting is heavily dented, the first thing you’ll need to do is to remove as many dents as you can to smooth out your painting surface. Steps For Prepping The Area: Before beginning the process of touching up your car paint, you need to prep the area using these four simple steps. Even the most expensive paint won't look good if proper sanding steps weren't taken when preparing the surface of the car. Proceed to apply car wash soap and rinse it from the vehicle, before leaving your car to dry. Then you will spend many hours wet sanding your car again and again, until it has the proper surface for new paint to adhere to. How to prep a car for paint. It is not unusual for the primer to be very sticky in hot or humid weather so avoid spraying your car if it is an unbearable day. Keep the block horizontal and move it at an angle to make X shaped patterns while sanding. The compressed air will force the water to move out so that you can get the car completely dry. Your email address will not be published. Sand old paint and primer off of a car using a dual-action sander and 80-grit sandpaper. Apply a flash coat for the first application. Car paint prep is very important if you are looking to apply new paint to a car. Take your time and work slowly to make sure that your lines are straight and even on both sides of the car. Then switch to a 400 grit paper and sand the guide coat from the entire body of the car. This will neutralize any remaining stripper. Spray the surface with DTM primer. Without proper preparation, the rest is useless. Use a soft, clean cloth to pull away any dust from sanding and if necessary use a damp sponge to remove any remaining dust. Hand sanding at this stage is possible, but it won't come out as smooth and can take hours rather than the 30 minutes it takes to sand a car with the sander. Posted on July 24, 2020. Now you are ready to begin priming the car. Move at a consistent pace to achieve an even coat. Wash the body and allow it to dry fully, the longer you can let it dry, the better. Benefits of Primer, or When You Should Use Primer . Use 120-grit sandpaper to sand down any body filler used on the car's surface. Polyester Primers. If you sand through the primer surfacer and the epoxy, you will need to re-prime and block. Cover the sanding block in 220-grit sandpaper to sand the primer coat after it has dried. Glue an appropriately-sized suction cup to the center of the dent using a hot glue gun and wait 1-2 minutes for the glue to harden. Sanding the surface of a car before applying primer and paint is the most important part of a good paint job. 3. After the car dries up, you should wipe the entire of its body with a solvent you choose. Required fields are marked *, Prove You\'re Human * This step of the paint process is critical and the majority of the work needed for the job is in the car paint preparation. There are different types of compound, each with a different cutting power. Spraying on the Primer When you are shopping for primer make sure that you buy a high fill, high build urethane primer. Use the compressor to blow out any water from the door jams, widows, mirrors, seams, and other tiny areas that you cannot reach by hand. The primer should spray on thick, but not clumpy or caked. When your car was new, it was a beautifully welded patchwork of fresh steel panels and parts. … Spray a second coat of primer. Two-part epoxy primers go one step further by including zinc phosphate, which … If you want to do it right you have to both prime and paint it with the correct paint. After you have sanded every possible inch of the body, you should wash and dry the car to remove the loose grit and dust from the car. Remove the antenna if you haven’t already and then go over the car again with the compressor in case any water is still hiding in the crevices. Since 1997 Jenny Carver has served as editor and freelance writer for many offline and online publications including lovetoknow.com, autotropolis.com, "Hoof Beat News," "Import Tuner" and others. Allow the last layer of basecoat color application to properly dry before moving to the final clearcoat stage. Always lead each stroke with the long edges of the block, not the short ends. I am going to demonstrate how to prep a fender before applying primer. Wet sanding is the best way to get the guide coat off easily but don’t underestimate how long it is going to take to sand the whole car again. − 1 = six. All primer and filler coats must be thoroughly hard dry before any sanding and final preparation is carried out. If you find that the primer is too thick for your compressor or it is setting quickly, dilute it with some acetone until you achieve the proper texture. Honda Civic is Still a Best-Buy Economy Car, Car Washes and Detailers in Helena, Montana, Factors to Consider When Purchasing a Car. Even the most expensive paint won't look good if proper sanding steps weren't taken when preparing the surface of the car. As mentioned above, primer is the bonding agent, the glue, between whatever’s below it and your car’s paint. If you have not yet started sanding your car now would be the time to start. Primer sealer is used as a final spray just before paint is sprayed on the vehicle, which serves to seal in the primer and give you a very smooth finish. Start out with a 320 grit paper to remove the guide coat and even out small bumps. Once completely dry, apply some mineral spirits to a cloth and wipe the car down to remove any residual oils or cleaners that may be on the car. Sanding generates a lot of dust, which can get stuck in automotive paint and primer. When spraying the vehicle try not to spray too much primer in one area. Painting your car gives it a new look and can also mask large areas of body damage. Small areas can be sanded dry but a finer finish and extended abrasive life is achieved by wet sanding. Survey the body damage first Before jumping into any body work, always be sure to survey the damage, plan your moves ahead of time and have all the supplies you will need in advance. However, it is a big chore that requires a lot of room and time. 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