Paintjob Preparation

From TheBestCaseScenario

Irrespective of what material you're painting, the preparation you should go through is pretty much the same. The only differences are in the materials you should use for the best possible results.

[edit] Step 1 - Cleaning

You should remove as much debris and detrius as possible, ideally all of it from the surface to be painted. If you're painting metal or plastic, or something else non-porus, wipe it down with something like Panel Wipe (a mild thinner) available from automotive supply shops for about £6 for a gallon. Avoid using water at all costs at this stage as it WILL cause problems later unless its 100% dry - things like wood can be cleaned by sanding with a very fine sheet of sandpaper - if you're using wet'n'dry paper, use it dry, then wipe the dust away with a dry clean cloth. Do NOT use water on wood, you will NEVER get it completely dry. Make sure the area to be painted is completely dry of water or panel wipe or whatever you used to clean it before proceeding.

[edit] Step 2 - Keying

Paint, primer, anything, needs something to grip onto. You should scratch the surface for painting with something like a scotchbrite (non-soap based scouring pad). This will create a web of tiny scratches which give the paint/primer something to adhere to.

[edit] Step 3 - Cleaning (again)

This time, there should be nothing more than dust on the surface, especially if you did Step 1 properly. Use a tak-rag (a sticky cloth) to wipe down the surface - this will remove all traces of dust. Kept properly, a tak-rag can be used over and over - always put it back into it's packet when you're done, to prevent airborne dust from gradually eating up the stickiness.

Back to "Professional" Spraypainting

--Slaveofconvention 09:32, 29 June 2008 (EDT)