Painting a vehicle can be as simple as performing a quick touch-up to cover up a small scratch or as advanced as painting the entire body of a vehicle to cover up years of wear. Whether you choose to paint your vehicle on your own or take your vehicle to a professional auto painting company, your options largely depend on the size of the panel or section you wish to paint as well as the overall condition of your vehicle and sections that require some repair (and extra paint).
Perform light touch-ups on your own. Use car paint and a touch-up brush for slight touch-ups or to blend small scratches. Attach the small brush provided with the paint to the cap of the bottle and apply as directed.
Use a spray can to improve small body items or apply fresh color to an existing trim panel. Use as directed and do not try to refinish an entire auto body with a spray can. For significant collision damage, use a full-size spray gun. Repairs may be necessary before you can paint the affected sections.
Use a refinishing paint to change the color of an entire vehicle. You must match the current layers of body filler, primer, sealers, and final topcoat with the new car paint finish in terms of color and chemistry (i.e. the characteristics of the paint product). All components including primers, hardeners, topcoats, and catalysts must be used correctly to achieve a successful and lasting paint job. This step requires a full-size spray gun.
Contact an automobile painting company. Choose the right color using a car color wheel; custom paint jobs are also available. Colors can be blended and added to match the existing color of your vehicle. Maaco, a nationwide automobile painting company, claims to offer 10,000 auto paint colors, as of 2009, in quality formulations that range from high-grade enamel to single-stage urethane to base-coat/clear-coat urethane.
Prep the vehicle for the paint job. Depending on the state of the vehicle, the technician at the automobile painting company may need prepare the vehicle beforehand. The prep process can include scuffing old paint on the car, sanding out dents, and applying glazing putty to damaged areas.
