I have finished the How to paint in your garage document, it is in PDF format, but I'm not sure of the best way to put it on the forum for distribution. Any ideas?

Here it is. It is not perfect, it has plenty of errors, but it's main purpose is to help a novice painter like me understand what it takes to paint. It is not the best way to paint a car, some pro painters may cringe, but it works for me. Comments are welcome, good and bad. It is a work in progress, I will add some things in the future, a list of recommended supplies, also an area on body panel replacement and rust repair.

Enjoy!

How to paint a car in your garage!

Good info, thank you

Thanks............This needs to go to the classic thread section.

Bob.

Very interesting read! Great Job!

Great Job Randy!!

I just finished painting my car in the garage over the last few weekends. Mine is a 10' paint job. (looks best from 10' or more away from it)

One tip that I found, I have flourescent lights in my garage and because they don't produce shadows they hid a lot of imperfections. I used a hand held flood light and marked areas that needed work that I didn't realize was there.

I always heard painting a Bug was hard because of the fenders and the round hood, but you seem to have got it right.

Paul

Thanks guys! The bug is a pain to do, not one single flat surface to work with.

I really did not get into lighting, I meant to add that to the booth section and forgot until now!

Add as much light as you can!!!! $10 shop lights work great, I had them all over the place at my last house, including the sides.

Thank you for your well written "how to" instructions. I read it from end to end. I was actually thinking about possibly trying this myself until I came to the color sanding and buffing stage--then I got tired! I didn't realize it was so much work.

I guess I was under the impression that after the base coat, you then color sand any imperfections out, followed by an application of clear. I thought the clear was a one step way of sealing your paint job. So you actually are doing a lot of the color sanding to the clear coat--that seems wierd.

What are your feelings about a "single-stage" paint job that is then rubbed and buffed--no clear?

I agree....this tutorial shoud be placed as a resource for members!

I wish I had a good answer for what to do with it, I have webspace if you want me to put it on a site for download.

Either way, any chance you can email it to me, I've been dying to take a look at it. stephen.l.kado@lmco.com

Awesome article! You've almost got me convinced to try mine.

Check with one of the admins and see if they will post it on the site.

1bad914

Great advise and great article. I agree a home paint job will work with enough preparation. You forgot to say, send the wife away for a week's vacation. If you have an attached garage you will get some dust or paint matter/fumes in the house. Give yourself time to clean it up.

My 914 was painted in an un-attached 1-1/2 car garage by my painter. He tarped off the whole garage, water sprayed down the entire area before painting & had an exhaust fan in a window to circulate air. I am happy with my paint job, but painters are crazy people and gave me headaches (big time) on my restoration. Best to do it yourself & control your schedule & cost. If I were doing it again I would do all prep work and hire the final paint job in a spray booth with a professional painter.

Tom
BTW
Paul, your 914 race (red) car looks great. You should be proud of yourself. Enjoy your race season this year. If you don't win your looking good.

Randy, great article....

Questsions:

1. What size, model and cost is your air board sander?

2. What do you use in the corners and near an edge when sanding instead of the air board sander?

3. I have heard to sand in a diagonal direction of a crest/edge, is this the same technique you use?

4. What do you use in the corners and near an edge when you're doing the color sanding?

-- Rob

Saved that one to disk... I did all the work on my car up to the top coat of paint and clear coat...

Next time I may try those last two steps... maybe.... thanks for the great write up.

- Dave

great article

cost: do you have a general idea on how much this approach would cost the average person? No need to include the compressor since most people doing such a job should already have one....

QUOTE (Mueller @ Feb 17 2006, 04:13 PM)

great article cost: do you have a general idea on how much this approach would cost the average person? No need to include the compressor since most people doing such a job should already have one....

Don't know about him but I did mine this last Fall.

I had 385.00 in materials all told. Including Primer, Paint, Clear, Reducers and Thinners and catalyst. That does not include sand paper, tape, masking plastic and paper etc.

My car is white (cheapest color out there). If you are going for a red or orange... you'll pay for it.

I used Nason paint and Transtar primer and clear. Worked great!

Just had a discussion with one of my paint buddy's recently. If you want a high end paint job on a 914 figure the following.

Sikkens (base coat/clear coat) paint. Figure $2,500 for materials, incuding primers, tape, etc. (complete materials).

Figure 500 to 600 manhours time to prep and paint. That's taking the car apart and painting doors, hood, etc. seperate from the body. Includes wet sanding and final finish for a custom high end paint job. That's not including putting doors, etc. back on (no assembly).

Cost savings depends how much grunge work and preparation you can do. I believe our average 914 guy can get it done for $3K to $4K doing it himself using the best materials. I am talking custom paint job.

That's why some high end paint jobs cost up to $10K. Anything you can do saves dollars. It's about following procedures and 1bad914 gave a good cook book procedure. Home paint jobs work, look at my car.

Tom

WHOA... back that cart the hell up.


$2500.00 for materials!!!

Come on I know things are more expensive in the land of fruits and nuts but CRIPES.

If this is the case... please place all of your orders through me for paint and primer and sand paper. Hmmm lets see 300-800 in costs + selling price 2500 = one hell of a lot of profit for me.

Todd,

I know, I know. Sikkens & Glassurite (spelling??) German paints are very, very expensive. It's my understanding once a painter uses them they really like the results. Stuff goes on real nice and can make an amateur job easy.

Tom

Nason = $20.00 per quart
Dupont Chroma base = $60 .00 per quart ( and is just as thin)
Spies Hecker = $85.00 per quart (very thick)

These are all Dupont products and are Va. prices. I use Dupont base and Spies base and clear damn near every day, and can assure yo Spies is well werth the extra price for a nice job. I recently painted a Fiat and used over a gallon of Nason on it where 2.5 - 3 quarts of Spies would have done the job.Nason is a decent paint just VERY thin so it takes more. In the end it will still be a cheaper job $$ wise but you will have spent more time. Easy way to describe is Nason and other cheaper paints are skim milk, and Spies and other higher priced paints are whole milk. Not at all BAD paints just thinner,which definitely helps on the wallet. Material cost on that Fiat was around 300.00, if it had benn Spies it would have been around 800.00. Those are just the base and clear prices, primers would have added about $500.00 more.

QUOTE (Thomas J Bliznik @ Feb 17 2006, 02:08 PM)

Todd, I know, I know. Sikkens & Glassurite (spelling??) German paints are very, very expensive. It's my understanding once a painter uses them they really like the results. Stuff goes on real nice and can make an amateur job easy. Tom

Yes Glasurit is expensive, but I agree 2500.00 is rediculous. Glasurit is not much more than Spies which is what I'm used to. I've never shot Glas personally but I've heard it is a little complicated because it HAS to be shot wet on wet, meaning primer doesn't flash, base doesn't flash and then clear. This also means if you screw up at any step you get to sit for a day, sand it out and start all over. Anyone with real Glasurit experience here???

Scotty,

I know my $2,500 might be a little high by $500 bucks. My painter was stealing from me. He added a few extra's to do a few side jobs (Harleys). You don't argue with someone tattoed and chains through the nose.

How do you feel about the estimated hours???

Tom

Sorry I have not responded yet. I'm on vacation and have limited computer access for the moment. I'm in my son's college apartment in Bloomington, IN right now on my way to sunny Florida! I'll answer the questions later!

Thanks Randy. Excellent Work...

Andy... is there a Tech Articles Section on 914club? If not, this should be the Flagship Article

Absolutely there are different grades of paint... I used to work for a jobber (auto paint store).

I would rank it like this for expense and quality, excluding custom stuff like house-of-kolor etc.

Glassurit (german, owed by BASF)
Spies Hecker (now owed by Dupont)
Dupont
PPG
RM (including Diamont and the like - BASF)
Sherwin Williams
Nason ( Dupont cheapy line)
Azko-Nobel
Western (Sherwin Williams cheapy)
PPG - cheapy line ( can't remember the name)
RM cheapy line (can't remember the name)
All the other off-brand stuff (Valspar etc)


That covers most of 'em.

I am a BIG fan of Glassurit product... VERY EXPENSIVE though... eultimate for high dollar restorations.

that is fantastic for info on "red neck painting"
Well done!!!!!!
that is my kinda painting

QUOTE (Thomas J Bliznik @ Feb 17 2006, 02:51 PM)

Scotty, I know my $2,500 might be a little high by $500 bucks. My painter was stealing from me. He added a few extra's to do a few side jobs (Harleys). You don't argue with someone tattoed and chains through the nose. How do you feel about the estimated hours??? Tom

Thomas, it's kind of hard to say on the time since that would vary by the car, and the owners desires. Is the 500-600 hrs. for ALL of the body werk or only the painting? 500-600 hours for a car that needs minimal body werk, should yield a VERY nice job, but not perfect. Wet sanding will depend on how good the painter is from the start, but on a nice job it can be easy to spend 3-4 days wet sanding and buffing for high quality results.High quality being much better than the finish on a higher end factory car. Benz,Porsche,Caddy etc. Most of the factory paint jobs on your typical cars are actually pretty crappy. When I do a collision job I have to paint at a lower level to create the right amount of orange peel. I have found that using a 1.3 tip does a good job of orange peel matching, vs. the 1.4 I use for nicer jobs. I keep thinking I'm going to do a painting article for the site, ("basic" info on paint, and what to look for and watch out for)but I never have the time to sit down and focus

I used the Nason stuff on my car and it is thin and cheap, but that what I wanted. I used the same gallon I sot it with two years ago and it came out OK for my car. If I was doing a street car I'd go with somein' else,

Randy,
Thanks for this excellent document. It really helps understand the process better, (and the work invoived. We'll probably have a couple of paint jobs to do in the near future and if nothing else, we'll have a better idea on prep work.

Thanks for all your hard work putting this together.
DanD

Thanks for all the attah boys.

The materials for this car including primer, sand paper, paint , clear and just about everything came to just under $400.00.

I have about 20 hours into wet sanding and polishing just the body and fenders, not including doors and hoods.

I have used Dupont and DBC PPG paint and could not tell much difference in the two as far as coverage and finish quality. I use PPG Omni a lot and find that for the money you can't beat it, the worst thing I see about it is that you almost have to put a third coat of color on, but I also put three coats of Dupont and DBC on. For the money it works for me.

Any other questions?