I've got a good idea on how to paint the interior pieces but, this is my second time to do it and I want it to be perfect! The first time it looked great for awhile but the paint started chipping and scratching very easily. I used Krylon paint from wal-mart (cause the red color matches almost perfect to the factory paint). This time Im using Dupli-color primer,paint and clear.

These are the steps I took

sand the pieces w/ 400 grit till smooth
prime the pieces
sand the primer w/ 600 grit till smooth
paint the pieces
sand the paint w/ 1000 grit to remove any imperfections.
buff the pieces w/ tack cloth till shiney again
clear coat

My question is do I clear the pieces and leave it alone or do I need to sand the clear also or do I need to use some type of polishing compound or something of that nature after I apply the final clear coat?
Is there anything I can do to make the paint more durable?
Again, I want it to be as close to perfect as possible this time.

[ December 07, 2002, 01:17 PM: Message edited by: tibby01 ]

 

The more layers of paint you add, the more durable it will be. Ditto for the clear coat. If you lay down 5 coats of color and then 3-4 coats of clear, it should last. If you ever get a scrach, you can buff it out of the clear coat.

I've got 7 layers of paint on mine, and it has yet to chip.

 

youve got it down. the only reason it would chip is....

you either have not enough paint

and/or

you didnt sand it good the first time. if the paint cant stick good it can chip off easily.

 

What about the clear coat, do I need to sand it too or use some type of polishing compound or should I just spray a couple coats of clear and leave it alone?

 

if you do a good amount of clear you dont have to sand it. especially if you already did before you painted the base color. sanding after you prime it will allow the base to be smooth and in turn let the clear be smooth.

 

Is there any certain paint that works best, one that is more durable than others...enamel, laquer,ceramic based?

 

you could always buy vinyl paint. i forgot the exact name but like CAR QUEST sells. its more durable and you could even use it on your carpet.

 

SEM Vinyl Dye!
Works great.
ALL of our Crew uses it.
More Info here on their selection:
http://www.autostyles.com/sem.htm
And SEM's homepage:
http://www.semproducts.com/

Here are the results:



Yeah, we all used Silver.
15083 - If you're wondering

 

That last car there... is that Dave's Elantra?

 

does SEM make a blue dye close to cobalt?