$50 paint job...dyi..and hot as hell

[Dr_Snooz]

I bought odorless mineral spirit as well from HD and to my surprise, it is not clear in color like thinner. It is like milk in color. I wonder if I got the wrong mineral spirit.

I think it turns white if it gets too cold.

Can't wait to see pics.

[JJ'sAccord]

Man ! My back hurts !

I started early this morning mostly working on getting the bad Maaco paint off the hood (3 hours). Bought a power sander with 60 grits but ended up using razor blade to scratch off all paints from the hood. Reason to do this first is the car was in minor accident many years ago and the body shop replaced the hood. The car has since went through another Maaco cheap job 7 years ago. There was no primer before the actual paint for sure.

I mixed the paint with only black and white rustoleum. I completely ditched the idea of aluminum in the mix. I put approx 10% of white to make it a dark charcoal grey which is the original color of the car (just like my avatar). I rolled one coat on the hood and it looks like hell for now (but sure better than before when paint was peeling off). Too bad I cannot do another coat later today due to visitors coming. But I will continue to do something to the car tomorrow, prob light sanding off some Maaco paint on the other part of the car and looking into applying another coat. I will also put more mineral spirit in the next mix to thin out more. The first coat was prob 30 to 40 % MS in paint.

I sure will post pic along the line. Now its nothing exciting yet.

well thin that paint out to a milky consistency, i messed up on my first batch and made it too thick... means alot of elbow grease and sore backs. thankfully im only 26 so i was able to recover and get back in the next day. but trust me when i say the thinner the better. i would use 4 coats to begin with. then let it dry over night or longer. then wetsand with 400 grit-600 grit. just enough to take the defects away and blend the paint.(so you dont see roller marks. also i just dipped in my roller then shook it to get off any excess paint that may cause runs. and i just let the roller do the work for me. you will notice if you press down you will see air bubbles form. (we dont want that because obviously it causes orange peel pretty bad.)

after wet sanding with 4-600 grit. i would then apply 2-3 more coats and let it sit again and wetsand with 800. then repeat the process. 800 then 1000 then 1500 and even 2000 if you can find it. after you do the 1500/2000 you should then use rubbing compound and then polishing compound. good luck brother.!!!!

[AC439]

Today is raining so can't work on car but I took some pics:

I only worked on the hood and put one coat of rustoleum. The reflections on the headlight or side of the car is from the rain. The Maaco paint has long dried up and not smooth so only water will make it look reflective. You can see the effect of only one coat from the close up pics. Last pic I wiped some rain water off the hood and you can see it is not reflective yet. The color mix is right on I think.

[AC439]

I think it turns white if it gets too cold.

Can't wait to see pics.

I bought the Klean Green one and it is milky in color. I'm not sure if I should get the regular one which is clear.

[JJ'sAccord]

Today is raining so can't work on car but I took some pics:

I only worked on the hood and put one coat of rustoleum. The reflections on the headlight or side of the car is from the rain. The Maaco paint has long dried up and not smooth so only water will make it look reflective. You can see the effect of only one coat from the close up pics. Last pic I wiped some rain water off the hood and you can see it is not reflective yet. The color mix is right on I think.

that is mixed spot on! i would go a little thinner on the pain to avoid orange peel just for the first couple coats. then you can make it a little thicker. but damn its working like a charm huh?

[AC439]

question: after all the coats and wet sanding, how long do you wait for the paint to cure before buffing ?

[JJ'sAccord]

question: after all the coats and wet sanding, how long do you wait for the paint to cure before buffing ?

i did my last 2 thin coats let it sit for a day (roughly) then i wet sanded with 1500 grit. and used rubbing compound right away. of course you have to clean the hood after wet sanding and before buffing. i just wiped it dry with a cloth then proceeded to rubbing compound. then wiped off excess compound and went on to polishing.

so wet sand with 1000 grit. then wipe down let dry. then do 2 coats. wait for it to completely dry 24+ hours then wet sand with 1500-2000 grit then wash off the hood. wipe or let it air dry either way then you can immediately start polishing remember to follow to directions for polishing lol dont try to be a manly man haha just do your reading.

[AC439]

Ok, worked on it the whole afternoon. Finished up minor body rust repair with body filler took a lot of time. I rolled 2nd coat on the hood. Then I rolled the rest of the car for first coat. When I done with entire car, it was an hour and half later and the hood dried up and looks great. Much more reflections on the hood with 2nd coat.

I started to see bubbles after rolling the paint, but mostly on the area that has direct sunlight shine on it. I reused the roller which I think was probably the reason for it. Not sure what to do for the bubbles, worse case is to sand them all down and start again. But next coat will use a new roller. Maybe I am not thinning it enough (about 50/50 mix).

Last pic show left front of the car. Hood has 2nd coat drying up while the fender was just rolled with paint. My son likes it and asked if I can find an older car for him and do the same paint job, I said "Sure ! Let's get a Volvo 240 !" He was pissed. LOL

[AC439]

today's progress -

Start to see the great potential of this project. 3 coats on engine hood, 2 coats every where else. I sanded away the bubbles before painting today. Problem was I painted it under the sun yesterday. I moved the car half way into the garage today to avoid any sunlight so the bubbles were minimum. I have faith that me car will no longer be the ugliest car in any parking lot.

[JJ'sAccord]

today's progress -

Start to see the great potential of this project. 3 coats on engine hood, 2 coats every where else. I sanded away the bubbles before painting today. Problem was I painted it under the sun yesterday. I moved the car half way into the garage today to avoid any sunlight so the bubbles were minimum. I have faith that me car will no longer be the ugliest car in any parking lot.

great job man!!! keep up the faith. if it makes you feel anybetter i had the same problem. you are not suppose to roll off execess paint. just dip your roller and give it a light shake. and remember if you shake the can of paint you will have bubbles. stir this enamal paint do not shake. also thin it out more like 60 minerial spirits and 40paint or even less. the last couple of coats i did on my hood were prob. 75/25. but remember dont press down. let the roller just lightly go over. and do not go over the same spot multiple times. (i used 1 roller for my hood over a week span) then i swapped the roller and it was much better so try swapping to a new roller

[AC439]

First wet sanding with 500 grits today.

First major mistake learned on the engine hood. I took the hood down to bare metal but DID NOT put primer (someone on internet said no need and it will stick). Wet sanding taken rustoleum off (see pics). Other parts of the car with rustoleum over old paint is fine with wet sanding. Will take all paint off hood again and will prime, probably sand the metal down a little so primer will stick better.

Oh well....

[JJ'sAccord]

First wet sanding with 500 grits today.

First major mistake learned on the engine hood. I took the hood down to bare metal but DID NOT put primer (someone on internet said no need and it will stick). Wet sanding taken rustoleum off (see pics). Other parts of the car with rustoleum over old paint is fine with wet sanding. Will take all paint off hood again and will prime, probably sand the metal down a little so primer will stick better.

Oh well....

I brought one of my headlights to bare metal and wetsanded fine with no problem. did you use like 180 grit on the bare metal before applying the paint? i read that too and wanted to try it so i did and i was impressed.

im curious if you scuffed up that hood good enough for the paint to adhere to

[JJ'sAccord]

First wet sanding with 500 grits today.

First major mistake learned on the engine hood. I took the hood down to bare metal but DID NOT put primer (someone on internet said no need and it will stick). Wet sanding taken rustoleum off (see pics). Other parts of the car with rustoleum over old paint is fine with wet sanding. Will take all paint off hood again and will prime, probably sand the metal down a little so primer will stick better.

Oh well....

also make sure to wash the bare metal to remove any oils after you use the 180-220 grit paper before painting. even putting your hand on the damn car will not give good surface to bond to.

[AC439]

Just re did the hood. Removed all paint again down to bare metal. Then I used 220 grits hand sand all the bare metal different directions to make sure the primer has something to grip on. Applied one coat of rustoleum primer. Keeping finger crossed and see what happen when it dries.

Last time I didn't prime and didn't sand much. The bare metal was pretty smooth. This may be the reason the paint didn't attach well on it. This time hope the sanding and primer will do the trick.

[JJ'sAccord]

Just re did the hood. Removed all paint again down to bare metal. Then I used 220 grits hand sand all the bare metal different directions to make sure the primer has something to grip on. Applied one coat of rustoleum primer. Keeping finger crossed and see what happen when it dries.

Last time I didn't prime and didn't sand much. The bare metal was pretty smooth. This may be the reason the paint didn't attach well on it. This time hope the sanding and primer will do the trick.

it will. the guy i got this idea from said if you skimp on the prep you will pay for it at the end... i guess you were a hallmark for that modo haha ( sorry not to laugh but i totally understand your pain) i finished with the hood and i was sanding a run with 1500 grit. low and be hold the paint chipped due to trash or whatever underneath from me not making sure it was 100% clean. it chipped all the way down to the original paint. dead center in the hood. thankfully i knew it wasnt to to bad and i touched it up with the same paint but without diluting it and it looked amazing.

let me know if you have any questions brother, im really glad to see others trying what i have tried with great success!

[AC439]

Just wet sanded the primer with 500 grits. Some high spots were sanded back down to a little bare metal

So I'm going to wait for it to dry up a little and touching it up with some primer. Prob not going to paint or doing anything today due to slight rain. But the primer looks good after wet sanding.

[JJ'sAccord]

Just wet sanded the primer with 500 grits. Some high spots were sanded back down to a little bare metal

So I'm going to wait for it to dry up a little and touching it up with some primer. Prob not going to paint or doing anything today due to slight rain. But the primer looks good after wet sanding.

did you also roll on the primer?

and yea i bet it does. i wouldnt mind rolling on some practice runs of semi gloss or even flat to see how it turns out now that i know what the regular gloss looks like.

[AC439]

Yes I rolled on the primer, which produced more orange peel than the paint itself. I rolled on a coat of paint over primer since the afternoon wasn't raining. Definitely can see orange peel first coat over the primer and will need few more coats and wet sanding over the hood. However, the rest of the car looks better with paint after first wet sanding. Anyway, if I had put primer first, I would not have wasted time.

[Dr_Snooz]

Even after a paint has dried, it takes some time (like weeks) for it to achieve full hardness. Until that time, it is still very fragile and can be ruined easily. With the newer latex based paints, once a tiny patch lets go, it will begin tugging everything else off with it in a big gummy sheet. Be careful as you sand. Don't bear down too hard and move around a lot so that you don't get any one area too hot. The $50 paint job is cheap dollar-wise but incredibly expensive time-wise. Prepare yourself mentally, it's going to take a very, very, very long time to get the results you see in the pictures. Most paints are pretty forgiving and will bond securely to even the dodgiest of surfaces once fully cured. I wouldn't worry too much about prep and cleanliness and whatnot. I mean, do it right, but don't lay awake at night wondering if you got a thumbprint somewhere that will come back to haunt you. (That's the kind of stuff I do. LOL)

Keep up the good work.

[AC439]

Not at all a complaint about this job. Instead, this is a learning curve I prepared to spend a lot of time on it since I don't have the money for a professional paint job. If it fails, I have nothing to loose. The progress at this point is better than the bad peeling maaco paint anyway. I work on it a little bit a day at a time and I feel I'm getting closer and closer every time. I read people on internet saying they can get it done in 3 days. Technically yes but with paint not too cure and soft, its going to have some problems. I will take my time and get it done (maybe in a few more days).

[gp02a0083]

Even after a paint has dried, it takes some time (like weeks) for it to achieve full hardness. Until that time, it is still very fragile and can be ruined easily. With the newer latex based paints, once a tiny patch lets go, it will begin tugging everything else off with it in a big gummy sheet. Be careful as you sand. Don't bear down too hard and move around a lot so that you don't get any one area too hot. The $50 paint job is cheap dollar-wise but incredibly expensive time-wise. Prepare yourself mentally, it's going to take a very, very, very long time to get the results you see in the pictures. Most paints are pretty forgiving and will bond securely to even the dodgiest of surfaces once fully cured. I wouldn't worry too much about prep and cleanliness and whatnot. I mean, do it right, but don't lay awake at night wondering if you got a thumbprint somewhere that will come back to haunt you. (That's the kind of stuff I do. LOL)

Keep up the good work.

Some good advise right here!

As said use this as a learning experience for future paint projects. as Snooz said dont worry at this time about the prep work, however it is always good to be on point in that area. AS mentioned some paints are far more forgiving than others to contamination.

With automotive urethane's and enamel's the typical "full" cure time is roughly 120 days after being sprayed. Old school lacquer has a little shorter time frame. It is common in industry to nib and buff paint within hours of being removed from the spray booth. But with that said, booths are typically heated, accelerating the flash and initial cure times. Even with urethane clear coats , i prefer to sand them a few days after spraying, they tend to gum up like Snooz said about the latex based stuff.

[AC439]

Two pics at 4th coat (2 coats -> wet sanded 500 grits -> 2 more coats):

Yeah this is definitely a learning curve for me. For the last coat, I ditched the roller and only used a paint brush and I thinned the paint even more (like water consistency). The roller produces much more orange peels but the brush seems to be able to produce a smoother surface right after paint is applied.

From the pics, you can see the reflections of other objects. At this time, the smoothness and reflection is basically the same level as a cheap Maaco paint job. So at this point, the project is about half way done and I think it should come out good. I will give more time for the paint to cure.

[JJ'sAccord]

Two pics at 4th coat (2 coats -> wet sanded 500 grits -> 2 more coats):

Yeah this is definitely a learning curve for me. For the last coat, I ditched the roller and only used a paint brush and I thinned the paint even more (like water consistency). The roller produces much more orange peels but the brush seems to be able to produce a smoother surface right after paint is applied.

From the pics, you can see the reflections of other objects. At this time, the smoothness and reflection is basically the same level as a cheap Maaco paint job. So at this point, the project is about half way done and I think it should come out good. I will give more time for the paint to cure.

i think it turned out great man, cant wait to see final results. and yes the thinner the better for sure to give quickest dry times and less orange peel when i was doing it. i have put my project on hold for the time being so i an fix some motor issues ive been having. keep up the good work brother!!!

[Dr_Snooz]

Dang bro, that's almost as good as a spray job. Wow! I'm really impressed. You're definitely learning a lot.

[AC439]

Did another wet sanding (1000 grits) today and tried out a high density foam brush from walmart $0.72 each. I thinned out the paint way too much and it ran like crazy. The foam brush holding way too much paint and the paint drying too fast. Lesson learned. Prob have to wet sand again and reapply paint. Will be back on to a plain old paint brush.