how to paint my side moldings/trim

yo guys this is really a simple question, i need to paint my side moldings/trim all around my car, i was just gonna paint them black cuz their really weathered and it makes the car look bad, so i was wondering, should i just primer it, then paint, or should i add a clear coat as well? or if i should sand it in some way before i primer, now the reason why i ask is becuz it's like rubbery so i don't even know if sanding would do any good, i don't really know much about painting altogether anyway so any help is greatly appreciated.

p.s.-and before u say anything no i dont have enough money to get the whole car painted the same color so don't even go there! :lol

If I were you, I'd primer it, then paint it, then add clearcoat. Simple as that.

Use prep solvent to remove all previous wax,armor all,dirt,grease,road tar etc.. (make sure your thorough....preparation is the most important part of painting any surface). Really no need to sand. Then use a plastic primer. Then paint. For best results: dont rush it; allow the proper drying time between coats. Good Luck!

Sandpaper is not necessary in most cases and neither is primer. The most important part of it is the prep work. Get a good quality degreaser specifically made for painting. They carry them at parts stores like Napa or paint shops. The only sanding you need to do is with burgundy scotch brite pads. You don't need to vigorously scuff it, just enough to dull the surface a little. Then keep cleaning it way beyond when you think it is done. Blow it off with air and tack it with a tack cloth and paint it. You may want to use an adhesion promoter and a flex agent but you won't be able to do that unless you use a spray gun.

Hey man.....I did this exact same thing about 4 months ago.......came out great..........just mask everything *I do mean everything* sand it down a lil bit with 200grit sandpaper......and by some TRIM AND BUMPER PAINT........you will need about 2 cans......and do about 3 coats.......works great.......I put pictures up a while back.....do a search for painted bumpers and trim.....and you will see pics of my car..... *bradccool*

damn, thanks a lot guys! i've never seen so many different methods to do one with in my entire life lol, yeah well pearls idea is too freakin complicated! i can't even understand half the stuff u were talkin about :lol but it's all good, i'm gonna take in all your suggestions, and plan carefully, it prolly won't be for a week or 2, but i'll post pics when i get it done! before and after of course! thx again

Yeah I'm gonna do the same things soon also. Since my car is black and the trim is grey and white, it looks real crude. I just neeed some warm dry weather, no more snow!

pearls method is by far the best method. My dad does autobody work and I have been around it and it sounds like pearldrop has too. I was going to write how to do it but his method is exactly how I would do it.

what is a tack? what do u mean by tacking it? i don't understand what these things are, and what's a ultra brite burgandy euro scotch baby wipe anway?

hey i wanna do this too except i wanna paint it burgundy to match my car. does anyone have any suggestions as to what brand paint to use???

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Originally posted by original2k
damn, thanks a lot guys! i've never seen so many different methods to do one with in my entire life lol, yeah well pearls idea is too freakin complicated! i can't even understand half the stuff u were talkin about :lol but it's all good, i'm gonna take in all your suggestions, and plan carefully, it prolly won't be for a week or 2, but i'll post pics when i get it done! before and after of course! thx again

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Well, assuming that you dont have access to a paint booth and professional spray gun, and are going to use spray can paint. Prep solvent=degreaser. Plastic primer=adhesion promoter and flex agent.

Plastic is a difficult surface to get paint to stick to. Therefore the primers and paints designed for plastic surfaces have adhesion promoters and flex agents built into them. (example) You've seen plastic bumper covers where they've been bumped into something and the paint was spiderwebed afterwards. That happened because of no or not enough flex agent was added to the paint to make it flexible. And as I said earlier; if your using spray paint designed for plastic applications, you wont have to worry about it. Now if you do have access to a spray gun and paint booth I would use ppg. 4-2-1. is the best mix I've found for plastic application's. 4 parts paint, 2 parts flex agent, 1 part adhesion promoter.

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Originally posted by 88 Accord DX
hey i wanna do this too except i wanna paint it burgundy to match my car. does anyone have any suggestions as to what brand paint to use???

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PPG if money's not a problem. But if you want to save some money and still use a good quality paint use Omni. If I'm doing a job where I am free to use whatever paint I like, I use PPG. (which imo is the best) But if the customer wants to cut corners, I use Omni. (Which imo is still a good quality paint, but alot cheaper).

Omni it is. lol. know where i can get some???

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Originally posted by 88 Accord DX
Omni it is. lol. know where i can get some???

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They dont sell it at the local autozone or advance auto. Whatever bodyshop supply store in your area is, should have it.

I am going to do that same thing with my 3G. (paint the mouldings to match the color) Not until I get the rest of the body work done.

okay thanks sharky. ill look around tomorrow.

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Originally posted by original2k
what is a tack? what do u mean by tacking it? i don't understand what these things are, and what's a ultra brite burgandy euro scotch baby wipe anway?

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To tack a car in bodyshop terms= to wipe it down with a tack cloth. Tack cloth= a white clothfull of holes that looks like medical gauze, and is very tacky to the touch. You can pick those up at the local autozone.

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Originally posted by 88 Accord DX
okay thanks sharky. ill look around tomorrow.

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No problem.....anytime.