Is it absolutely neccessary to strip paint off a car in order to repaint it?

Question

I'm wanting to repaint my car...a do it yourself thing...but i dont want to have to strip the paint. What will happen if i dont strip the paint and just paint over whats on it?

Answer 1

You do not have to strip your car to repaint it, but prep work to the old paint is crutial....I have worked at a paint and body repair shop and I have wittnessed plenty of vehicles being painted with out stripping.....to insure the new paint adheres correctly you need to wet sand the vehicle in order for the new paint to adhere to the old paint.....make for sure all blimishes are out of all body panels and you have a smooth surface...then rub the vehicle down with lacquer thinner and then use a tack cloth on it after you secure a dust free environment...then mix your paint with thinner/hardner and go too it...make sure you hold the spray gun about 10 to 12" from surface of car..not holding it too far away because you will get a dry spray......good luck

Answer 2

Unless the paint is damaged or has several layers of paint build on it, you are better off painting over the OEM finish, it is a better substrate then what you will spray on it if you strip it. Just wash and clean it very well with wax and grease remover, do any repairs you need to to and spot prime them, prep the old paint by wet sanding with whatever grit your paint manufacturer recomends and then follow their instructions are far as sealers, catalyst, additives, clear coats and all that good stuff go. Take your time and be carefull it is not that hard to get a professional quality paint job at home in your garage, just remember when painting and doing body work, cleanliness is very critical.

Answer 3

Fit the door onto the car first and make the fit good. The biggest job is working with the hinges and shims and adjustments. You never as a homebody put on a door without expecting to scratch it. The factory has it specifically set up with machines just to handle a door. So you do it your way which involves more manhandling. Once the door is on and the latch connects so the door shuts, then sand the door down. When I say down, I mean first you got to wash the door with hot soapy water and let it dry . Then use some silicone wax solvent and wipe it clean of that invisible film. And then Kleen-Sol to get other greases off the door. Using lots of bedsheets or undershirts or other rags of same material type(cotton) Now you are ready to sand. If the door is shiny "like an apple" you need to sand it so it is dull like a peach. A door, one? You can easily hand sand it straight strokes(not circular). If there is rust - that is sanded out completely(that may mean using heavier grit sanding disk(initially, I used a 5" 36 grit disc with rubber backing pad on a 3/8" electric drill and sanded it away -lots of sparks- but got it back to shiny metal. Now whatever had to be done to fix it. If it needed welding, it could be done first( now plastic body filler such as Bondo brand. They all are basically fiberglass resin mixed with flour so you get a paste. Read instructions on the can or bodyworking book and you get an idea of how to use it. And then after overnight drying and hardening you sand the filler smooth to match the body. Using 60 grit and go upward (I did not mention you may need a heck of a lot of sandpaper of various grades depending if you have damage. No damage? Then start with 150A grit and dry hand sand it...to break the glaze. Then move up a grade to 180 and hand sand everything you did in 150. You could go to 220, but I doublt you are going to put on lacquer. So for enamel and most other paints, 180 is fine enough. Wipe or blow or both everything off with another clean rag. No water. Now tape off the rest of the car in dropsheet plastic. Be fussy. Overspray looks like an amateur did it. Then it is painting technique. Either you know how to spray, or you don't. If you spray too heavy it will run. If you spray to light it will be foggy. This is the reason for cigarettes. It is a timer between coats. And you should do 3. You cannot paint in 1 pass. Initial fog coat the door . Walk away for 15 minutes. The second coat will be somewhat heavier as it is the main body coat(call it a heavy fog) Walk away again for 15-20 minutes and the final fog coat. If the color is not hiding the color difference underneath, not to worry. Give it 20 minutes and spray on another fog coat. and walk away and clean your gun. No one touches the car overnight. Not even in the same room. It dries by its lonesome. Next day check it before ripping off the plastic using a hand held light. You might see runs, sags, and flat spots. If you used something like acrylic enamel or alkyd enamel there will be a high gloss to the finish. It will take 72 hours to fully cure.. I suppose you could spend the extra money and get some clear coat and spray that on top but really, it is good right now. If you sprayed perfection, clear won't do anything better for the looks. If you got lots of foggy or flat spots, then the clear will help. spray that now, overtop without sanding. Wait till next weekend before buffing out the runs.

Answer 4

It all depends what type of finish you want. Stripping the paint will give you a better finish and bring out the body lines with more detail.

Answer 5

For the new paint to properly bond you have to strip the old paint down to the steel and start from scratch with primer and all. If you skimp you paint job won't take.

Answer 6

You don't have to, but you will end up with a better paint job if you do.

Answer 7

You will get a really good finish if you do, and if you don't it is going to look bad (with exper.)

Answer 8

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