Asking those who have done their own paint job at home

[Duster]

I have gray interior and unpainted gray fender trim. But the body is burgundy. Last year I started to notice fading in the burgundy and a bit of sunburn on the clear. This winter it has really started to peel pretty rapidly.

I have 250K so it doesn't make sense to take it to the body shop and all that. But I am pretty decent at painting things and think I could pull off a decent paint job myself. I know it won't be perfect and won't last as many years as the original finish has. But I think it will look better and keep it from progressing on further to rust, etc. That's OK by me.

My dumb thing is I would prefer not to go back with the same color. But then I am sitting behind the wheel and I can see burgundy paint in the interior. Then I get to thinking man a color change would really suck if I have to try to figure out how to paint all that too.

So what did you guys do? Go back with the same color? Find an easy way to paint all that stuff around the doors on the inside? Or did you just pick a new color where that stuff and the jams etc are like an OK accent color?

If I could just snap my fingers and it be done, all the burgundy red would just be OD green and I'd just leave all the plastic trim alone the gray color it is.

When I think of not painting everything I can't really think of much but maybe black or shades of grey or silver that might possibly look ok with burgundy showing in those difficult places as an accent color. But then I gotta deal with trying to paint all the unpainted trim if I go with a color like that.

 

[KJowner]

I've used Raptor on sills etc, probably the easiest option. Just don't forget proper fume masks etc.

 

[profdlp]

Can you get a couple pictures of the areas which would be problematic to paint?

My first instinct is to say that picking a complementary color would be the safest route. Maybe you could mess around with a photo editing tool to get a clearer idea what it would look like. I am lousy at visualizing color coordination in my head but I know what looks good when I can actually see it.

 

[Duster]

In the door jams and around the interior side of the doors around the door windows and around the door panels.

 

[profdlp]

Do you have a good sprayer? (Or what do you plan to use to apply the paint?)

 

[WheelNut]

I would recommend just applying new clear coat since that sounds like what is failing. Repainting the whole vehicle to a new colour is very labour intensive whereas doing a spot repair on the peeling clear shouldn't be so difficult. You could also look at getting the vehicle wrapped in a new colour, but that would be $1000+ which is not really a wise investment on a KJ with 240,000mi+ on it. I'm sure there are a multitude of tutorials on clear coat repair on Youtube, so I would stary my research there. If you really want a KJ of a different colour I'd just sell your current unit and buy one in the colour you prefer.

If you could post some images of the damaged paint that would be helpful.

 

[u2slow]

As my vehicles age, I turn to satin/semi-gloss black (rattlecan) to hide rougher parts. Then I often keep the theme going for style, symmetry, etc.

 

[Johnny O]

I have gray interior and unpainted gray fender trim. But the body is burgundy. Last year I started to notice fading in the burgundy and a bit of sunburn on the clear. This winter it has really started to peel pretty rapidly.

I have 250K so it doesn't make sense to take it to the body shop and all that. But I am pretty decent at painting things and think I could pull off a decent paint job myself. I know it won't be perfect and won't last as many years as the original finish has. But I think it will look better and keep it from progressing on further to rust, etc. That's OK by me.

My dumb thing is I would prefer not to go back with the same color. But then I am sitting behind the wheel and I can see burgundy paint in the interior. Then I get to thinking man a color change would really suck if I have to try to figure out how to paint all that too.

So what did you guys do? Go back with the same color? Find an easy way to paint all that stuff around the doors on the inside? Or did you just pick a new color where that stuff and the jams etc are like an OK accent color?

If I could just snap my fingers and it be done, all the burgundy red would just be OD green and I'd just leave all the plastic trim alone the gray color it is.

When I think of not painting everything I can't really think of much but maybe black or shades of grey or silver that might possibly look ok with burgundy showing in those difficult places as an accent color. But then I gotta deal with trying to paint all the unpainted trim if I go with a color like that.

Photos?

 

[desertdriver]

Meticulous prep work is key. This Wrangler was touched up in 2004 (body and wheels). Used spray can car paint of the original color and then clear coat. The original paint is on the back half of the vehicle, the DIY from the door forward, fender and hood (sorry for the dust, this is AZ!). Sand down to bare metal until all peeling areas are gone and you're into where the good paint starts. Avoid painting only partial body panels, if possible. First rough with drill and strip wheel, then with finer sandpaper for final prep. Spray light even color coats. Adhere to try times. It's a lot of work but I had a lot of time at the time, lol. (Picture was taken for a different purpose so it's not showing it all that good.)

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[profdlp]

Really nice job, desertdriver!

 

[mrlavalamp]

I painted a truck in the driveway using rattlecans, it was terrible, would never do it again. Small section maybe, but not the whole vehicle.

If you have the gear for an HVLP setup then that will make it a lot easier.

Prep is everything, plan to spend 10x as much time/effort prepping vs. painting.

If you are buying the comp and other HVLP gear than I have a suggestion. Find a Maaco in your area, get their price to JUST do the painting and you do all the prep work. I did this with a car and it turned out great and only cost me like $600 including the masking supplies.

Maaco paint jobs usually get a bad rap because folks go for the cheap packages that only include the most basic prep (they literally just scuff it with a scotch brite, mask the windows and spray).

If you do the prep and then drop it off essentially ready to paint you will save money and get a much better result. In my case I did most prep at home, then drove the car there and did the final steps in the parking lot before handing them the keys.

 

[Shankster]

I painted a truck in the driveway using rattlecans, it was terrible, would never do it again. Small section maybe, but not the whole vehicle.

If you have the gear for an HVLP setup then that will make it a lot easier.

Prep is everything, plan to spend 10x as much time/effort prepping vs. painting.

If you are buying the comp and other HVLP gear than I have a suggestion. Find a Maaco in your area, get their price to JUST do the painting and you do all the prep work. I did this with a car and it turned out great and only cost me like $600 including the masking supplies.

Maaco paint jobs usually get a bad rap because folks go for the cheap packages that only include the most basic prep (they literally just scuff it with a scotch brite, mask the windows and spray).

If you do the prep and then drop it off essentially ready to paint you will save money and get a much better result. In my case I did most prep at home, then drove the car there and did the final steps in the parking lot before handing them the keys.

I did the same with a 71 Mustang years ago. It looked OK from a distance but the Maaco painter failed to get the low areas properly and you could see some gray primer through the paint if you got down on your hands and knees. Results probably depend on the skill and attitude of the guy doing the painting so luck will play a part.