Q&A for How to Paint a Car

You have to protect it every three to six months. Depending on where you live, it can be sooner than that. If you don't, your paint job will start to chip, peel, or rust if you don't. People think that the clear coat can protect the vehicle forever, but you absolutely need to be proactive if you're trying to take care of your car.

Yes, the clear coat is a protective layer that will prolong the life of a paint job. Unless you're doing something unique cosmetically, you definitely need clear coat. Otherwise, bird droppings, sun, rain, and whatnot will all eat away at your paint over time.

You can, but there are a lot of nuances and variables that may make this exceptionally difficult if you aren't totally sure about what you're doing. If you're worried about the way your paint job will look, you're probably better off taking it to a professional.

If you get it done professionally, the cost may run from around $900 to $3,000 or more. A showroom quality paint job can cost as much as $20,000! You can do it yourself for around $75-$100.

You’ll need specialized automotive paint. The common types are urethane, metallic, and acrylic enamel. In order for your paint to work properly, you’ll also need an automobile primer (such as Rust-Oleum) and a clear coat sealant. Most of these paints come in spray form.

It’s not necessarily difficult, but there’s a lot of time and work involved. You also need to follow all the right steps to ensure that your new paint job doesn’t chip or peel off.

I would wait 15-20 minutes before doing your clear coats.

Around 10 inches. paintsprayerjudge.com has more information on sprayers and how to use them.

It depends on your state. Most of them will need you to go to the DMV and fill out new papers to match the new paint to your car.

Most are 4:1:1, meaning four parts paint, one part reducer, and one part activator, but specific instructions should be on the paint can.

Typically, the finish is determined by the clear coat used to finish the job. If you use a high gloss clear coat, you will end up with a high gloss finish. The same will apply if you use a semi-gloss clear coat or a flat clear coat.

It does, but it will chip and flake off. Without prep your finish will only look so good. Sand, sand, sand. Work your way up in grit to at least 400 and properly clean of contaminants for an exceptional finish.

Gravity brand sprayers or a pressure pot syphon fed airless are the best.

If they are both the same material, presumably plastic. I would say go for it, if not you are taking a chance of improper adhesion.

If you want to match the color(s) of the original paint job then you can look either inside of the engine bay near where the VIN number is, or when you open the door it should say the color code there. Then bring your color code to an automotive or paint shop.

Paint reducer. They usually come in three different temps. Just pick the one that is closest to the temperature outside, e.g., if it's 78 degrees outside, choose the reducer that says 75-85.

Nope, it is different. Primer is the material to smooth the surface before applying base paint.

Place the car in a place with good airflow and a higher temperature (with low humidity and little to no dust).

It is not recommended because if you don't, you might end up with more paint in some places and less paint in others. Also, there will be trouble for the paint trying to stick, and it will flake and chip quickly.

3 primer coats with 15 minutes wait in between each cost, 3 - 4 base coats with 10 minutes wait and 2 clear coats with 45 minutes wait in between coats.

40/80 grit is suitable but don't use it too often. Instead, switch over to 120 grit if you're working at it a lot.