Joined
·
2,957 Posts
Alright, I know a lot of people on here will not agree with me on here but I figure I may as well post it anyways. I've done this twice with great, strong results. If you miss one step, your plastic could end up looking like crap.
If you are impatient, stop reading, and dont bother going on.
DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT IS NOT PLASTIC PAINT!!! Duplicolor or walmart brand $0.98 cans will not do the job.
1. First things first, you are going to so called, prep your panels or plastic. To do so remove them from the machine. You will first wash them, then find any rough spots. Scrub them hard with a sponge. You may need to use a light sandpaper if they have been damaged by hitting things ( The bottoms of the panels on my Rev had scuffing from wear and tear. So I lightly sanded them with 400 grit, then 800 grit, and they were still somewhat choppy, but good enough for the job ). Then wash them again. Make sure there isnt any belt dust, dirt, grime etc... on the plastic.
2. Get your paint. I prefer Krylon Fusion. You must also decide if you want a flat, or gloss color. For one side panel, I used 2 cans total. They are about $4.50 a can. Make sure you dont get the wrong shade of color or else you'll get a horrible mixed look. You can also get a $2 spray handle which makes your sweeps much better.
3. Put your panels somewhere that bugs, dust, or dirt will not touch them. I put them on a saw horse in the middle of my yard. Make sure you can get most angles on the pieces, and also make sure they are all sitting a decent ways apart so over-spray wont build up on your other pieces.
4. Now to actually paint. Make sure your panels are 100% dry and clean, I can't stress that enough. Make sure the can is AT LEAST 8 inches away. Dont face the can at plastic when you pull the trigger, point it about 3-4 inches away. This will insure you dont get globs of paint building up on your plastic. Then not to slow, but not to fast go across the plastic with the can. Your not looking for a dark color your first streak. Lets use my panels as an example. They are black, and I used white paint. You could barley see the white after I was done with my first coat of paint. Then move on to the next piece.
5. Let the pieces dry for 5 minutes after the first coat. Then do the same thing again on all of them. You should still see the base plastic color just fine. Let them sit for 5 minutes once again. This time, come from a different angle to insure the paint is setting in all the right spots. See if there is focus spots that need more work than others. After your 4th coat, it should start looking more of the paint color than the paint. Now let them sit for AT LEAST 15 minutes. Now repeat the painting steps again twice. Allow them to sit for 15 more minutes.
6. Finally, you should get all your color on ( it should take up to 10 very light coats, maybe more ). Double check and recheck you got all the cracks, creases, and angles painted. Let it sit for up to an hour in the sun, with the temperature over 60 degrees.
7. Time for clear coat. I use Krylon Fusion gloss clear paint for this part. Do one light coat of clear and let it sit for 15 minutes. Now if you want a sparkle or something of that sort, use the color you want, and stand back 3+ feet, and lightly walk around spraying it, making sure not to make any real buildup. This part is optional though. After waiting the clear paint to dry, or waiting another 15 minuets for your sparkle or flake to dry, hit with another layer of clear coat. Then let it sit for 15 minutes, and clear coat it again. Then one more time.
8. DO NOT MOUNT THESE FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS! Any real weight on them can smudge the paint right off before it gets time to bond, then you have to strip, and reprep the plastic which is no fun. Then mount what you need to.
9. Your panels will not be 100% dry for about 48 hours. The bonding process takes quite a bit of time, but you can safely mount them in 24 hours.
Heres a before and after:
BEFORE:
![Vehicle Tree Car]()
AFTER:
![Vehicle Scooter Moped]()
![White Light Lighting Astronomical object Space]()
![White Light Architecture Line Material property]()
Between paint and clear coat, you may see and feel rough spots ( rough edged plastic, etc... ), but the clear coat will mix with the paint and cause a smooth surface as well as added integrity. Good luck to those who follow this process.
If you are impatient, stop reading, and dont bother going on.
DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT IS NOT PLASTIC PAINT!!! Duplicolor or walmart brand $0.98 cans will not do the job.
1. First things first, you are going to so called, prep your panels or plastic. To do so remove them from the machine. You will first wash them, then find any rough spots. Scrub them hard with a sponge. You may need to use a light sandpaper if they have been damaged by hitting things ( The bottoms of the panels on my Rev had scuffing from wear and tear. So I lightly sanded them with 400 grit, then 800 grit, and they were still somewhat choppy, but good enough for the job ). Then wash them again. Make sure there isnt any belt dust, dirt, grime etc... on the plastic.
2. Get your paint. I prefer Krylon Fusion. You must also decide if you want a flat, or gloss color. For one side panel, I used 2 cans total. They are about $4.50 a can. Make sure you dont get the wrong shade of color or else you'll get a horrible mixed look. You can also get a $2 spray handle which makes your sweeps much better.
3. Put your panels somewhere that bugs, dust, or dirt will not touch them. I put them on a saw horse in the middle of my yard. Make sure you can get most angles on the pieces, and also make sure they are all sitting a decent ways apart so over-spray wont build up on your other pieces.
4. Now to actually paint. Make sure your panels are 100% dry and clean, I can't stress that enough. Make sure the can is AT LEAST 8 inches away. Dont face the can at plastic when you pull the trigger, point it about 3-4 inches away. This will insure you dont get globs of paint building up on your plastic. Then not to slow, but not to fast go across the plastic with the can. Your not looking for a dark color your first streak. Lets use my panels as an example. They are black, and I used white paint. You could barley see the white after I was done with my first coat of paint. Then move on to the next piece.
5. Let the pieces dry for 5 minutes after the first coat. Then do the same thing again on all of them. You should still see the base plastic color just fine. Let them sit for 5 minutes once again. This time, come from a different angle to insure the paint is setting in all the right spots. See if there is focus spots that need more work than others. After your 4th coat, it should start looking more of the paint color than the paint. Now let them sit for AT LEAST 15 minutes. Now repeat the painting steps again twice. Allow them to sit for 15 more minutes.
6. Finally, you should get all your color on ( it should take up to 10 very light coats, maybe more ). Double check and recheck you got all the cracks, creases, and angles painted. Let it sit for up to an hour in the sun, with the temperature over 60 degrees.
7. Time for clear coat. I use Krylon Fusion gloss clear paint for this part. Do one light coat of clear and let it sit for 15 minutes. Now if you want a sparkle or something of that sort, use the color you want, and stand back 3+ feet, and lightly walk around spraying it, making sure not to make any real buildup. This part is optional though. After waiting the clear paint to dry, or waiting another 15 minuets for your sparkle or flake to dry, hit with another layer of clear coat. Then let it sit for 15 minutes, and clear coat it again. Then one more time.
8. DO NOT MOUNT THESE FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS! Any real weight on them can smudge the paint right off before it gets time to bond, then you have to strip, and reprep the plastic which is no fun. Then mount what you need to.
9. Your panels will not be 100% dry for about 48 hours. The bonding process takes quite a bit of time, but you can safely mount them in 24 hours.
Heres a before and after:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Between paint and clear coat, you may see and feel rough spots ( rough edged plastic, etc... ), but the clear coat will mix with the paint and cause a smooth surface as well as added integrity. Good luck to those who follow this process.
