There are lots of reasons why you might want to paint your car. Maybe you don’t like the original color of your vehicle, and you want to try a new color. If you have an older car, then it has probably accumulated a lot of dirt over the years. A paint job is a perfect way to make any old car look like new again.
Most people believe the false assumption that it takes thousands of dollars to paint your car. However, there are ways in which you can paint your car for a lot less than that. Mainly, this can be done if you do the job yourself without hiring a professional auto technician to do it for you.
You must educate yourself on the tools needed and the steps of the painting process. Painting a car is not like painting the side of your house. There are more steps involved and more precautions you’ll need to take.
The Top 5 Tips
To point you in the right direction, below are the top 5 tips for painting your car for under $300. For most vehicles, these tips should help you save the most money possible. It is highly unlikely that you’ll ever need to spend close to $300 if you shop appropriately.
1) Purchase Used Supplies
The best way to save money on painting supplies is to purchase them used on eBay, Amazon, thrift stores, flea markets, or wherever else you can find good deals.
eBay is the best choice because they have an eBay Motors section where you can conveniently search “Parts & Accessories” for automobiles. Just search for car painting supplies under that category, and you’ll find most of the tools and accessories you’ll need for the job. These accessories include safety glasses, air compressor, sandpaper, spray gun, paint thinners, face masks, an electric sander, and more.
2) Use a Garage or Shed
Do not paint your car outside because it is a messy job, and all the spray paint will end up on your grass and driveway. Even though the outside gives you more room, there are too many variables which could ruin the paint job. You could have wind blowing the paint mist all over the place and causing a mess. You could also have bugs, and other small elements fall onto your vehicle right before you paint it.
For these reasons, you’ll want to paint your vehicle indoors. The two best options you have are inside of a garage or shed. You’ll want to cover all the walls, flooring, and possessions with newspaper. This will protect them from getting sprayed by the paint accidentally. If you fail at doing this, it’ll be much more costly trying to clean up the paint from the floor and walls.
3) Fill the Holes
The metal exterior of your vehicle probably has some small holes and dents in it. You’ll want to fill in these areas before applying new paint to your car. Good quality body fillers can make this happen for you. Although you could still paint over the holes and dents, it is better to fill them in because it’ll make your car look new after the paint is applied.
Read also:
- 5 Simple Tips for Learning to Drive a Car Step by Step
- 5 Tips for Driving an Automatic Car for Beginners
- 5 Tips for Buying a Used Car
4) Eliminate Rust
Rust is a common problem on cars because of the rain and humidity of the outdoors. Any rust on the metal of your vehicle must be removed first before painting can begin. There are rust removal chemicals you can purchase at auto shops which can remove the average amount of rust accumulation. But if there is a lot of rust in a particular metal area of your car, then you’ll need to remove that entire piece of metal and replace it with a new piece.
5) Ventilation
It is critical that you have a good amount of ventilation wherever you perform the paint job. The spray chemicals and fumes are toxic to your health if they’re inhaled, so you need to be careful. You’ll need either an exhaust fan or standard box fan to help with the ventilation. Tape the fan to your furnace filter and everything should be fine.
