I stopped at a local auto parts store today that I knew supplied some of the local body shops with their supplies. I wanted to get a price on the paint to paint my car. They told me it would be $350 for 3 quarts of paint, the reducer, the hardener and the clear coat. That didn't include any primer. How much paint should I get to paint the whole car. How much primer will it take to put 1 coat on the car. They guy working the counter told me I shouldn't strip the car down, just sand off the top layer, then put on a sealer, then spray the new paint on over what's there. I still think I'm better off stripping the car down. I started tonight, and I found what looks like the original paint on the bottom. It looked like 1 layer of white, then gray primer, then white again. Thanks Dan :3gears:
Hi Dan, First I'll say I'm not a professional painter, but there are a lot of variables to consider when painting. As far as quantity it depends on the type of paint you are using and the ratio of reducer, hardener etc. When I painted one of my cars last year I used PPG Omni paint which mixes at a 1:1 ratio. I used a whole gallon of paint (which actually equals 2 gallons when applied). There are so many variables here it really depends on what you are going to use. As far as prep work goes it depends on the condition of the existing paint. If you are just changing a color, you can sand the finish then seal it to make sure you get good adhesion and no bleed through from the old paint. If you have to do some repair work I would prime it, guide coat and block it, reprime and block it again until you are satisfied with the body. Then I'd spray a sealer again prior to paint. Hope this helps! Bill
Hi Bill, How did you like the Omni paint. I've heard it's a cheap paint. But concidering the source of my info, I might not believe him. Dan
Dan I liked it myself. It sprayed real well, coverage was not the best because it was a high metallic paint (I'll never do that again!). The clear is really good and a lot of painters I talked to seem to think it is as good as the PPG regular line clears. I think I spent less than $350 for a gallon of primer, (I had a lot of body work to do) a gallon of paint, a gallon of clear, a qt of sealer and all the various components to mix the correct ratios. I'll use it again when I paint my 71 Skylark convertible which I'm just starting on. I put it over some probably 15 year old enamel and haven't had any bleedthrough or anything and it is a lot more durable than the Valspar my dad painted his 55 Chevy with at the same time. Bill
Paint Costs I just finished picking the paint system up for my GSX last week and I purchased 1 gallon of DuPont Chromabase (paint) and a gallon of reducer. (1 to 1 mix so 2 gallons of paint, sprayable) This will allow 3 good coats on the entire car, doorjambs, trunk, etc. I usually take a car apart when I paint to allow access to the hard-to-get areas and to facilitate a cleaner job. (remove doors, hood, trunk,front fenders, etc.) this cost almost $450...cdn. The clearcoat is 4 parts clear, (gallon) 1 part activator and 1 part reducer to make 1.5 sprayable gallons; another $ 290. Should allow 2 heavy passes over the entire car area. (I say area because it's being disassembled) I wouldn't strip a vehicle to bare metal before considering what level you want the vehicle at, or ascertaining the condition of the paint/bodywork underneath. If there's a question as to previous bodywork/paint condition,(or quality) or rust damage, you may want to take it to the metal and begin fresh. (a #1 resto would always begin this way, after disassembling the entire vehicle and 'dipping' it.) For most paint work in production shops, sanding the surface smooth (after any bodywork or panel replacement) is the norm. With todays hi-build 2 part (product/catylyst) primer sealers, I spray 2-3 coats and let it sit and harden up. Over bare metal, use a good etch primer before the previous step and let it 'flash off', (touch dry) usually about 20-25 minutes, then spray the primer-surfacer. I sand with 180, 320, 400, and finish to 600wet/dry. There's a lot of back and forth involved here, and different ways (and tools) to get this done, its also the most important step in any good paint job so I don't want trivialize it, but I also don't want to make it more complicated than it seems. You can use feather edgers (fast) or sanding blocks (not as fast) or a combination of both; to keep the car 'straight', long block it as much as possible. You mention sealer so this would go over any sanded paint or bodywork (or primer) to 'seal' off the underlying products, preventing any reaction with the base/clear finish. (Hey, anybody out there remember the good old laquer-over-enamel days? Oooops! This is how you spell reaction!) BTW, gallon of Mar-Hyde 2 part primer/surfacer, reducer, and catylyst, another $110. Etch primer, another $37. I won't quote prices on good sandpaper, it's too depressing... :ball: Good masking tape... :af: I don't know what your're experience level is, but I would ask as many questions as possible from your local distributor, there's usually a wealth of experience behind that counter. You also could save some money by going to some of the cheaper products, such as Nason; this can save you as much as 50-60% off the above prices. Hope this helps, Dan; best of luck! :TU:
You said you take the car apart to get into the hard to reach spots. Do you paint the car apart, then re-assemble it? I was wondering about that. It would make some parts easier, and some harder. I have a brother that works in a body shop. he has been doing body work for probably 20 years now. Although I don't always agree with how he does some things on the cars. He has recommended the PPG Omni paint as a cheap way to paint the car. I have seen some of his paint jobs with this paint, and they look great. The local parts shot here sells it, but they don't like to. They say it's a very cheap finish on the cars. As I was stripping down the fender today, I found some very small rust spots in the original paint. When I found these, I decided to strip the whole fender down to remove them. They were scattered over the whole fender. I haven't done any other parts of the car to see if the rust spots are there too. They almost look like the car was wet at 1 time when it was painted, like water droplets under the paint. Not bad rust, just brown rust spots. They sand right out when you get to them too. Thanks, Dan :3gears:
Hi Dave, That sure sounds pricey. It's too bad you didn't check into BASF R-M Diamont. I know it's much more affordable than DuPont or PPG, and probably the best spraying b/c available (other than Glasurit, which is also a BASF product).
Yes, I paint the fenders, doors, etc. off the car and then get a few more gray hairs reassembling it ! Sometimes the car is reassembled while in primer and painted as a complete vehicle; inner edges, doorjambs painted prior to assembly and backmasked. Time/money and space constraints can have a lot to do with what approach works best. If you have a brother with 20 yrs. in the trade, Dan, half the battle is over...most people I've met in this trade have their own way of doing things; I've seen great results (and learned) from a number of different approaches. Another reason I take stuff apart is to make it more accessible (and easier) to block straight, like doors. Rather have it on a bench (so I can work on it standing up) than wear out my back sitting on a milk crate! BTW, doing a top notch paint job on an assembled vehicle is an everyday occurence at most production shops; I don't want to leave the impression that it must be apart for quality paint work. I have no experience with PPG Omni, but have used many PPG products in the past with good results. Among the major paint brands, there's no crap out there; you just get what you pay for. The A-lines cover better and last longer; the clearcoats contain more solids, offer better UV protection and flow out nicer. You can certainly do great work with a B-line paint; in the painting trade it's the singer, not the song. Re: the rust spots, if they sand out (off the metal) they won't be an issue, getting rid of them is the correct approach. :Comp:
Paint costs Hi Tim...yeah I kinda agree with that; did my last chev 1/2 ton in Glasurit and liked how it handled. Good price, too. My distributors up here are both personal friends, so I wind up using a lot of Standox and Dupont Chromabase (or Chroma Premier) 'cause that's what they sell. I've had superb results with both these products as well; sometimes it's just a case of getting used to the intricacies of each line. (or price point) Man, some of this stuff is getting ridiculously expensive... :shock:
You can save on paint if you spray with a HVLP paint gun. I haven't used a full gallon of paint in 10 years. The most i've bought is 3-quarts and I still had paint left over for future repairs.Same goes for the clear. If you are using the Dupont sytem the paint supply store should tell you about the "valueshade" sealers. Spray the sealer and with the proper valueshade and you will reduce the amount of paint you are using considerably. Food for thought!
Owning a shop I will tell you for mid range paint PPG DBC or Dupont Chromobase expect to pay about $400 to $500 for total materials paint ,primer,clear activators etc...for a complete job .Want cheaper no problem you can buy it for 1/2 want to get fancy no problem skys the limit some Dupont is $400 a pint :jd: What ever you do strip it all down...dont try to seal a 15 year old lacquer job ..it may work and probably wont !You can spend $1000 on paint and it will not settle well over a $100 paint job that was done 15 years ago!
A few years ago Sikkens was so popular, and now a person doesn't hear much about it. In our area, Sikkens was in about 90% of the shops, and that paint jobber changed to PPG/ Nexa Autocolor. So Sikkens isn't even in one single shop in our area now. I think DuPont is so expensive in part because of Jeff Gordon/NASCAR sponsorship. They traditionally have 2 sizeable price increases a year where most other paint manufacturers have one.
I paint in the Chicago area and use Sikkens,it is expensive,but color coverage is superior to PPG by far. Don't have experiance with Dupont but have heard it works well.
Both Sikkens and Glasurit have very concentrated colors that are supposed to cover in 2 coats. So a person gets what you pay for with those 2 products. We use R-M, but it's a little weaker coverage probably like the PPG. I know the shops that switched from Lesonal or Sikkens to PPG/Nexa Autocolor are unhappy for the most part because it's more expensive and doesn't have good color match or sprayability.
I'm from chicago as well......we have 2 hook up...i have a few cars that will be needing paint....do you do side jobs or do you have your own place??
As far as I'm concerned Sikkens is the best paint on the market.The color match and coverage is light years ahead of PPG.I painted my 68GS400 7 years ago never has it been waxed and it still baeds water.On the other hand my wife's car was painted 2 years before and the paint was PPG it just does not look half as good with time.Both cars are garaged 90 percent of the time so sun is not a factor as it would be on a daily driver.But the Sikkens looks less orange peeled and has a much better gloss level.
I know the people around here who were kind of forced into PPG were way happier with Sikkens. If I was going to do my own car with feedback I have gotten from people that have extensively sprayed every major brand I would go with BASF Glasurit or R-M, Spies-Hecker or Sikkens.
Stratoblue72 - I don't know your name but are you from northern Indiana?Heard of a jobber there giving up Sikkens to carry only PPG.Pissed off tons of customers.They even tried to come to my area to sell PPG because they lost alot of people in their area. Sikkens,Glasurit and Spies are the top line paints.
You've got it right widow: If it ain't Dutch, it ain't much.... ou: :sleep: Let's get back to normal every day conversation now :shock:
I'm located in Wyoming, but it sure sounds like a similar deal. I think some of those jobbers figure with the name recognition of PPG they can sell more material.
