Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need
• Additional articles

Coating a car with special paint and varnish is much more difficult than painting with acrylic enamel, in particular, due to the fact that special paints are more fluid. This article will show you how to achieve the perfect glossy finish when painting your car.

Steps

1. 1 Remove or cover with paper and masking tape all windows and parts that should not be covered with paint. All parts of the car that do not have to be the same color as the body must be covered or removed from the car.
2. 2 Remove old paint from surfaces to be painted. You can use thinner or sandpaper. If the old paint holds well, then you can restrict yourself to sanding the body with P360 sandpaper. You need to grind to almost bare metal.
3. 3 Apply primer to prepared repair surfaces. The primer should be applied to all surfaces to be painted. Let the primer dry before continuing with painting.
4. 4 Degrease the body. Using a solvent, degrease and remove dirt from all painted parts.
5. 5 Apply a base coat of paint. Keep the spray gun at a distance of 15-25 cm from the surface to be painted. Apply the paint with smooth, even movements so that each next strip overlaps the previous half. Read the instructions for the paint: how long does it take for the base coat to dry. Dry the paint and start sanding between layers.
6. 6 When wet sanding between coats, achieve an even matte finish. When painting in metallic colors, this step should not be followed as sanding can lift the aluminum powder out of the paint layer.
7. 7 Apply a coat of varnish. Then, dry the varnish well before sanding.
8. 8 Use a polish and sander. Buff the painted parts for a perfect glossy finish.

Tips

• After the first base coat is dry, apply another one. Try to apply several thin coats of paint to avoid smudges. Use this technique also when applying varnish.
• 2-3 coats of paint should provide good coverage and an even color tone. Each layer should be well dried, and the solvent should be allowed to air out, this will prevent paint drying problems.
• Use a rubber sander. It will help to evenly distribute the force on the surface and prevent through-grinding of the layer.You can find these sanding stones at paint shops or tool stores.
• Higher gun pressure can help prevent smudges and improve varnish spraying.
• It is not enough to just soak sandpaper in water. Soak it by immersing it in water for a few minutes.
• "During the interlayer drying process, the solvent evaporates from the paint. Usually it is allowed to stand 5-10 minutes between coats. When the paint starts to cloudy, it means that you can start applying the next coat.
• If you make a mistake, for example, you made a paint smudge, you can always sand the defect and add another coat of paint.

Warnings

• Vapors of two-component paints are highly toxic.
• Do not sand with dry sandpaper or coarse abrasive paper. Wet sanding should be done with P2000 paper and finer. In this way, you can avoid damage to the surface of the paint that has not yet hardened and get rid of too deep pebbles.

What do you need

• Fine sandpaper
• Water
• Bucket
• Grinder
• Polish
• Putty
• Rust converter
• Priming
• Coarse putty [for rust through holes]
• Purified compressed air source [compressor suitable for painting]
• Good spray gun [HVLP]
• Rubber or latex gloves

Additional articles

How to calm down the car alarm siren if it does not turn off How to paint peeling paint on a car body How to clean clogged washer nozzles How to start the car without a key How to unscrew the bolts on the wheels How to add brake fluid How to open the hood of a car How to clean a seat belt How to check and add power steering fluid How to remove old car wax How to fix toning defects on your car How to fix a non-rotating ignition key How to paint over paint damage on a car How to refuel the car yourself