Painting your car is a fun project that allows you to add some personalization to your vehicle. The process has a few key steps to add to your checklist. We’ve organized this guide to keep you on track, complete with the five things to do before you paint your car.
Clean Your Car
Before you do any work on the body, you’ll need to give your car a good washing. This is the first step mechanics take if you don’t bring your vehicle to the car wash beforehand. Experts advise washing your vehicle before beginning an automotive painting project because paint goes on smoother when you remove all that old debris. This includes visible dirt and specs of dust you may not see, which will appear gritty when the paint goes on.
Pro-Tip
When the time comes to dry off your car, you should use a blower, as a towel could leave dust or small fibers on the vehicle, which will undo all that work you just carried out. Additionally, avoid using wax on it since this will prevent the paint from sticking.
Evaluate the Body
Once your car is spic and span, evaluate the body for signs of damage, such as scratches, rust, or dents. You’ll want to repair these before painting. You can usually buff out scratches or fix deep ones with a bit of body filler, which you’ll have to sand down before painting.
Likewise, repairing rust also requires some sanding, and you’ll need sandpaper with a lower grit grade since it’s coarser. Vehicle experts also recommend spraying a rust killer on the area to prevent the damage from spreading throughout the car.
Sand Your Vehicle
Sanding the layers of sealant, paint, and primer off your car requires different grits of sandpaper to remove the rust and other forms of surface damage. Begin with lower grit sandpaper first, then gradually increase the grit grade according to the task. While 40- to 80-grit is best for eliminating rust and scratches, 320-grit usually works best as you remove paint and sealant.
Pro-Tip
Shop for auto body scuff pads at National Autobody Wholesalers. We offer various surface preparation pads so that every vehicle enthusiast can buy the products they need to refinish their car.
Mask the Car
After sanding the vehicle, the next thing to do before you paint your car is cover all areas you won’t paint. Do this with automotive masking tape and paper for complete protection. Some first-time DIYers may try to use newspapers to cover windows and other areas, but thin paper like that doesn’t offer adequate protection.
Begin Priming
Once you’ve covered all the areas you don’t plan on painting, it’s finally time to begin the project with a few coats of primer. Allow the first coat to dry before adding a second or even third coat if necessary. After your primer cures, you should sand down the overspray. Finally, you can begin painting your car to make it look brand new.