DIY Painting?
11-29-2010 | 10:28 PM
#16
The Penguin King
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Dave,
I just painted my mirrors and the tips on my new wing. I used automotive paint, and with no experience at all got a paint job that was ok from 10'. Honestly though I didn't work it too hard, as I figured the mirrors would get dinged up anyway, and the wing tips didn't matter that much to me in terms of quality of finish. I don't think painting a door would be all that difficult. I would expect you would need at least two, probably three rattle cans, some good wet sand paper, and a lot of patience. That said, I would first take the door to a paint shop and see what kind of deal they would give you. Then you can decide if the savings is worth the effort.
BTW, this is about step 13 or 14... I would have told you about this step earlier, but I didn't realize it existed at the time
I just painted my mirrors and the tips on my new wing. I used automotive paint, and with no experience at all got a paint job that was ok from 10'. Honestly though I didn't work it too hard, as I figured the mirrors would get dinged up anyway, and the wing tips didn't matter that much to me in terms of quality of finish. I don't think painting a door would be all that difficult. I would expect you would need at least two, probably three rattle cans, some good wet sand paper, and a lot of patience. That said, I would first take the door to a paint shop and see what kind of deal they would give you. Then you can decide if the savings is worth the effort.
BTW, this is about step 13 or 14... I would have told you about this step earlier, but I didn't realize it existed at the time
11-29-2010 | 10:32 PM
#17
Drifting
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From: New Jersey
I do my own painting as well via HF HVLP gun and PPG Shopline (Single Stage) paint. The most imperative piece of the puzzle is preparation. As stated, take into consideration the temperature which may be a challenge in an unheated garage.
http://www.harborfreight.com/profess...kit-94572.html
If you enjoy working on you car and learning...I say go for it. You will need a compressor, water line filters, HVLP gun and proper respiratory gear. Provide your auto paint supplier the color code and have fun.
http://www.harborfreight.com/profess...kit-94572.html
If you enjoy working on you car and learning...I say go for it. You will need a compressor, water line filters, HVLP gun and proper respiratory gear. Provide your auto paint supplier the color code and have fun.
11-29-2010 | 10:42 PM
#18
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By the time you buy all the equipment needed to do the job you most likely can get it done for less at Maaco, and that's assuming you have a good warm place to do the bodywork and painting in... If you have a warm garage, a good compressor, and want to learn a new skill then go for it!
11-29-2010 | 11:18 PM
#19
Drifting
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By the time you buy all the equipment needed to do the job you most likely can get it done for less at Maaco, and that's assuming you have a good warm place to do the bodywork and painting in... If you have a warm garage, a good compressor, and want to learn a new skill then go for it!
11-29-2010 | 11:18 PM
#20
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It'll be way cheaper to have someone do it. If you're in it for the adventure, then go for it. If you are in it so save money, you won't. You should be able to get the door painted for <$250.
As an aside, most blacks (nonmetalic) are just black. There is no mix.
As an aside, most blacks (nonmetalic) are just black. There is no mix.
11-30-2010 | 12:14 AM
#21
Drifting
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From: Charlotte, NC
+100 on everything said so far.... much cheaper and easier to have someone else do it...
Couple of point I'll add though:
1) Go with single stage, easier to match color and you can sand out f-ups and touch up easily
2) Catalyzed paint overspray will go far and wide and stck to whatever it finds unlike evaporative paint wich tends to dry before it lands.. You need ventialation and filters to catch the overspray
3) The upside of doing it yourself is if it ever happens again, now you have the tools and experience
best of luck
Couple of point I'll add though:
1) Go with single stage, easier to match color and you can sand out f-ups and touch up easily
2) Catalyzed paint overspray will go far and wide and stck to whatever it finds unlike evaporative paint wich tends to dry before it lands.. You need ventialation and filters to catch the overspray
3) The upside of doing it yourself is if it ever happens again, now you have the tools and experience
best of luck
Last edited by jscott82; 03-19-2014 at 09:48 PM.
11-30-2010 | 12:14 AM
#22
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There are several different blacks Matt, Porsche uses a very "black" black but they do vary, even in the simple single stage paints. I use PPG Triple Black when possible, it's a pretty good match to the 80's 911 black.
11-30-2010 | 12:30 AM
#23
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I'm aware of the many blacks, but after working on a mixing bank for a couple of years, there are far more mix codes that call just for black than have any tinting of other colors. The blacker the black, the less other colors it has in it.
11-30-2010 | 01:25 AM
#24
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Long story short, when I painted my first car (simple quick job to prevent rust), it was in a tight space and at one point the hose fell against the car. ****! Few more little problems. **** again! Back to painting and a fly comes in and lands where I'm spraying. Fed up, I kept spraying and encased that little bugger in paint on the hood of my car. That large pimple stayed there for 14 years until I was able to paint it again, properly.
No more fly.
No more fly.
11-30-2010 | 01:54 PM
#25
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From: 01776
I've painted a few cars (as a hobbyist thing) and there are a couple things to note. Automotive paint is expensive if you want the real stuff. Price it out before you commit. Avoid cheap paint like PPG Omni. PPG Concept is nice. Whatever kind you decide on, talk to your supplier to see if it is fine with flexible parts (if your bumper cover is flexible) or if you need an additive of some kind.
See if you can borrow someone's HVLP conversion gun for an air compressor. You might also get away with an HVLP touch-up gun since the area is small.
Painting is messy (duh) and overspray will go where you don't expect. Move everything you don't want black far away.
Being a novice, you'll do a less than perfect job spraying. As long as your paint is sandable (some aren't), then you can correct any runs, dust nibs or level orange peel as long as you've laid down enough coats. I did 3 coats on the last car I painted and wish I did more (I want most of the orange peel gone). It was a base/clear with the clear being optional. I can add a layer of clear at any future date. fyi, I wetsanded to #2000 and then brought out the rotary polisher followed by the orbital. Orbital alone would've taken me a week to do the entire car. Do you have these tools?
For safety, some paints are very toxic. You'll want a full face mask with the proper filters at a minimum and some paints demand a fresh-air supplied respirator. I just used my full face mask and changed filters often.
Add up all your expenses and you'll probably end up spending more on your own (if using proper paint) than taking the parts to Maaco, especially if you strip the parts and do the finicky masking yourself.
Get an estimate from a shop and see what it would be. You might be pleasantly surprised, especially if the shop does work on Porsches and uses the same black paint. Just bring in your door and bumper when they ask and they can spray them at the same time they are painting another car. Perfect match and no hassle.
Good luck!
See if you can borrow someone's HVLP conversion gun for an air compressor. You might also get away with an HVLP touch-up gun since the area is small.
Painting is messy (duh) and overspray will go where you don't expect. Move everything you don't want black far away.
Being a novice, you'll do a less than perfect job spraying. As long as your paint is sandable (some aren't), then you can correct any runs, dust nibs or level orange peel as long as you've laid down enough coats. I did 3 coats on the last car I painted and wish I did more (I want most of the orange peel gone). It was a base/clear with the clear being optional. I can add a layer of clear at any future date. fyi, I wetsanded to #2000 and then brought out the rotary polisher followed by the orbital. Orbital alone would've taken me a week to do the entire car. Do you have these tools?
For safety, some paints are very toxic. You'll want a full face mask with the proper filters at a minimum and some paints demand a fresh-air supplied respirator. I just used my full face mask and changed filters often.
Add up all your expenses and you'll probably end up spending more on your own (if using proper paint) than taking the parts to Maaco, especially if you strip the parts and do the finicky masking yourself.
Get an estimate from a shop and see what it would be. You might be pleasantly surprised, especially if the shop does work on Porsches and uses the same black paint. Just bring in your door and bumper when they ask and they can spray them at the same time they are painting another car. Perfect match and no hassle.
Good luck!
And to everyone else I majorly appreciate the replies.
I have to say that I'm getting a bit of cold feet now! I think I might try some local shops that have been recommended and have them do the work. I'll do my part by swapping out the door and bumper cover myself.
11-30-2010 | 02:20 PM
#26
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You're welcome, Dave....but I left out lots of details too. Some simple things like don't use newsprint for masking because it's very thin and can bleed through (unless you use a few layers). Don't use plastic sheeting for masking either. Dried paint on the plastic from your previous spraying can flake off and fall on the fresh paint as the air pressure from the gun moves the plastic. When painting individual parts, don't simply lay them on a piece of wood. You need to raise the entire part off the ground/table/whatever so no wet edges of the part are touching a supporting object because paint will pool there and you'll have a mess. Get all your parts raised off the ground at a comfortable working height where you can get the gun pointing in all directions to cover edges, lips, etc (esp for doors). Make sure you have room for your air hose. Don't make your spray booth area too small (for the reasons above) and also because the overspray fog will make it hard to see clearly and if you only use a half mask, leaving your eyes exposed (bad!), you won't be able to see very long as your eyes start stinging and watering like crazy (applies more to larger jobs - you might be ok with only a door and bumper). Start the job in the morning so you have all day to complete the job. Time to wait/recoat is fairly strict so follow the directions explicitly.
Some of this stuff is really obvious and some you learn after you paint your first car.
There are some more things too and you have enough folks here willing to give you some tips if you decide to do this yourself. Just ask.
Good luck!
Some simple things like don't use newsprint for masking because it's very thin and can bleed through (unless you use a few layers). Don't use plastic sheeting for masking either. Dried paint on the plastic from your previous spraying can flake off and fall on the fresh paint as the air pressure from the gun moves the plastic. When painting individual parts, don't simply lay them on a piece of wood. You need to raise the entire part off the ground/table/whatever so no wet edges of the part are touching a supporting object because paint will pool there and you'll have a mess. Get all your parts raised off the ground at a comfortable working height where you can get the gun pointing in all directions to cover edges, lips, etc (esp for doors). Make sure you have room for your air hose. Don't make your spray booth area too small (for the reasons above) and also because the overspray fog will make it hard to see clearly and if you only use a half mask, leaving your eyes exposed (bad!), you won't be able to see very long as your eyes start stinging and watering like crazy (applies more to larger jobs - you might be ok with only a door and bumper). Start the job in the morning so you have all day to complete the job. Time to wait/recoat is fairly strict so follow the directions explicitly.Some of this stuff is really obvious and some you learn after you paint your first car.
There are some more things too and you have enough folks here willing to give you some tips if you decide to do this yourself. Just ask.
Good luck!
11-30-2010 | 09:09 PM
#30
Racer
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From: Maryland
Bob: HA! Not anymore.