If your car's finish looks old and outdated, then you may be able to renew it with spray painting. This can take some time and a lot of hard work, but it can also give your car a fresh new finish that will last for years. Note a few commonly asked questions about spray painting a car and ensure you understand the process. This way, you know you get it done properly and avoid some simple mistakes that many car owners make when they try to handle this job on their own.

1. When should a car be spray painted?

It's never good to spray paint a car in colder temperatures as this makes the paint thick and less able to evenly coat a car. You always want to spray paint your car in warmer weather so that the spray paint glides on easily without getting "gloppy" or becoming too solid and thick on the surface.

While summer weather is good, avoid this job when it's very humid outside for the same reason. Outdoor humidity can be absorbed by spray paint and make it more runny than it should be, so you wind up having drips of paint that are very difficult to remove.

2. Does it matter how the primer is applied?

Primer may not show up on the finished job after you paint your car, but it's very important that it be applied properly and smoothly. Hold the can about 25 centimeters away from the car and allow the primer a good 15 minutes to dry before you apply a second coat. You then want to apply as many coats of primer as needed to ensure that the car's surface is properly covered and you have a smooth, even finish that is ready for the paint.

3. Once the primer is on, the car is ready to be painted, right?

After applying primer you want to go over the car's surface with wet 1200 grit sandpaper. This will rough up the surface a bit so that the spray paint has something to adhere to; if you skip this step, the paint will usually just drip down the surface of the car's body or you may see that it appears too runny and thin. Keep the sandpaper wet so that you don't mar the primer and ruin it, and be sure to only sand the primer down lightly rather than sanding through it. This will ensure the car's surface is ready for paint.

If you need help, contact a place like Brisbane Collision Centre.

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