Car Paint Restoration Tips and Techniques - Paint Stripping and Sandblasting

Auto body Repairs Using Sand Blasting Equipment:

A restoration requires you to make a choice as to which method you are going to use. In order to do this you really need to categorize the levels of restoration.

Category One - Light to Medium fix ups

Mechanical repairs and repainting

The basic mechanical work is done first to ensure safety of the vehicle components. This followed by minor body works and refinishing touch ups.

Mechanical repairs with replacements and refinishing

Some mechanical parts are replaced as needed. Little more detail is required in the bodywork.

Category Two - In Depth Restoration

Similar to the mechanical repairs with replacements with the refinishing more in depth. Some taking apart of the vehicle is required to attend to rust and corrosion of key parts. Items have to cleaned, refurbished or replaced such as drive train parts, suspension and underbody parts. Close color match of body is required and trim may need replacing. Cars restored under this category are often pampered and not used on a daily basis.

Category Three - Just off the Assembly Line

Restoration here entails making the car look like it's just been manufactured. Showroom quality. No body fill can be used in these restorations as well as fiberglass body panels except for some Corvettes.

Category Four - Show Piece

This is the museum category and is really not applicable because they are those that are only found in the Museums.

Getting Down to Sandblasting

Sandblasters work off of compressed air and are either pressure feed or suction feed which are the cheaper of the two. The only drawback is that part of their energy goes into drawing up the material however; they don't require an expensive pressure tank. Pressure feeds do require a pressurized tank, but they work extremely well.

Sandblasting is effective cost saving and messy. Should only be done outdoors. With the right grade of sand the results taking it right down to the metal and removing the rust pits. It works effectively on other parts as well. Make sure you apply a flash rust treatment to prevent rust till you get the primer on.

The one thing to remember about sandblasting is do not over do it. As soon as you hit the bare metal stop.

You can use silica sand for various other grades just be sure to be careful with what you use. For light touches, you can use the ground or English walnut shells.

The siphon blasters are a lot less expensive than the pressure blasters. Remember to remove the hardware and trim before blasting and make sure you wear the proper body protection as well ensuring you have a proper hood and gloves. Preferably, a supplied air hood would be ideal.

Sandblasting can be extremely effective provided the right techniques, tools and materials are used in a safe environment. Many individuals are against sand blasting because of the damage it can cause. They are right it can work against you but only if you go beyond what is required. The whole key to success is stopping when you hit the bare metal.

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Epoxy Garage Floor Paint Prep Tips

Do you spend time working in your garage? If you are like a lot of men, and more and more women, the garage can be a great work area and also a refuge from that maddening world. But it can also be a place that is difficult to work in if you have a damp concrete floor or it has cracks and fissures. Maybe you even have some divots that have been knocked out when you or the previous owner dropped something sharp and heavy. Well, if this is your situation then be aware that there is a great solution to your problem.

Applying an epoxy garage floor paint can go a long way toward making your floor easier to work on and more attractive to boot. There are a couple of things you need to know first before you get started if you want a result that will last for years.

It Is All In The Prep

The most important step in the application of any floor paint, and especially a concrete floor paint, is the preparation of the floor surface. It must be absolutely clean in order for the epoxy to bond properly with the surface. Start by sweeping all the large debris up. Next, if you have a pressure washer it will work great for this next step but if you don't you can still use soap and water and wide floor broom. You have to get all the contaminates off of the concrete.

If you have a pressure washer then use it to apply some detergent and then blow it off with the high pressure setting.
If you don't have a pressure washer then spread out water and detergent on the floor and then scrub it real well with the broom.

Either way you have to get down to bare concrete. If you still have oil stains after all this then you will need to apply a degreaser to lift up the petroleum. If you don't, your coating will be susceptible to lifting and buckling.

Ventilation

Don't forget, these are hazardous materials you are working with and the fumes can make you sick. Be sure to have cross flow ventilation while you are working. If it is so cold outside that you must have the windows closed then you probably will want to actually do this job in the spring, summer, or fall instead of in the dead of winter.

Once the floor is all cleaned do a water bead test to make sure there is no remaining contaminants. Spray a fog of water on the surface. If you see water beads in spots then you will need to do more cleaning. If the entire floor shows beading then you have a clear coat which will need to be removed. Use a muriatic acid solution you can purchase at your local home improvement store.

The last step is to dry the floor at least overnight. Run a space heater in the room to help with evaporating the water.

The application of the epoxy garage floor paint also requires that you follow certain steps. Visit us at the Floor Paint Store and find out everything you need to know about getting a job that is long lasting and that you will be proud of.

Paint Protection Tips

Many people are doing paint protection for their cars themselves nowadays. One of the reasons why this has caught on so much nowadays is because paint protection sealants have really made the job quite simple. These sealants are chemical based solutions that are meant to be applied on the surface of the cars in two phases, one coat each time, and can be done by anyone, even a person who has never professionally applied paint protection on a car before.

There are DIY kits sold by almost every paint protection sealant manufacturer which have full instructions on their packaging and some of them also come with their own manuals. This makes the whole application process much more easily doable. The job is not time-consuming and it manages to cut down costs of paint protection by as much as three-fourths. That is the reason more and more people are going ahead with this activity.

Though there are several people looking for tips and pointers for making their job easier and more efficient, it must be said that paint protection is so simple and so much of a guaranteed process that reading tips is not all that necessary. However, there are paint protection forums on the Internet from where you can get some of the best tips if you are really interested. You will also find several videos on the Internet (youtube)and all the websites of the paint protection manufacturers will have some tips that will be best suited to the kind of application they are selling.Even try contacting them and just asking for advice the good ones will be more than happy to help because you may possibly use their products and services.

Here are some tips that you can use.

1. When applying a chemical sealant, you do not need to actually hose down your car before the process because the first phase of the sealants will take care of removing the embedded dirt and grime on the surface of the vehicle. However, you can wipe it clean with a cloth before you begin to make the process a tad bit simpler and more efficient.

2. You do not need to apply your paint protection sealant all over the car. You have to take particular care of the rims of the cars such as the window rims. It is best to mask these rims with tape before you begin. A plastic based tape will be the best because they will keep the sealant from spoiling them very efficiently.

3. Remember that there are different kinds of sealants available for different purposes. Hence, if you are trying to apply some protection on the vinyl and leathers of your car, you will need to take a different kind of solution. The same one that you apply on the painted surfaces won't work here.. Most such tinted sealants have ultraviolet protection too. Mask up around all plastic areas as you will get the best possible finish and not get some of the sealants on the plastics which is hard to get off in some cases.

To Learn more about Paint Protection, just click here

Concrete Paint - Some Tips and Tricks to Dress Up Your Concrete With a Little Color

Perhaps you have grown tired of looking out or down at the same drab concrete surface. Don't despair. There are some easy solutions that will allow you to reawaken the washed out patio, driveway, walkway, or any other surface. The answer -- concrete paint.

That's right. For the DIYer on a tight budget, concrete paint is the perfect answer. These are generally easy to apply and only require a small amount of surface preparation before their application. Whether it's a concrete floor, patio, or even a pool that you want to bring alive, there is a special concrete paint to help you complete the task.

Take the patio as the most common example of something that may need addressing. Give the surface a good cleaning before you go wild with paint. Use a power washer to free the surface of grease and grime. You might need to apply a chemical-based cleaning solution if there are some areas that are particularly dirty or troublesome. A good overall cleaning will open up the pores and allow the paint to adhere better.

For best results, you might want to try an epoxy paint. Its application will be slightly more difficult (not exceedingly, so not to worry) than a simple concrete paint, but it will help protect the surface against a large amount of foot traffic. Inquire at any hardware store or home improvement center about the proper applicator tools you will need to paint the patio. Using the correct tools is a must so as to avoid streaking, clumping or blotches.

Dress up your garage floor too. For the classic car aficionado, a freshly painted garage floor can help you turn a run of the mill garage into a showroom for your prized possessions. To properly prepare this surface for painting, you may need to use a bit more chemical solution to remove any extra grease or grime buildup. Once the surface has been prepared, the application process is the same as it is for the patio.

For the best protection, try adding a sealer on top of the concrete paint coat. If you opt for the sealer step, wait a week or so before adding it so as to allow for the paint to completely dry. Adding the sealer too soon may cause some of the paint to lift up and mix with the sealer, which will effect the appearance of your patio or floor.

If you go to the trouble to apply paint to spruce up any concrete surface, don't skimp on quality. Buy good quality paints made by reputable and established manufacturers. Behr, Sherman Williams and Kemiko are just a few of the brands that you should consider.

So for whatever surface that is in need of help, concrete painting is the quick and effective solution. Why invest unnecessarily on heaps of new materials when a simple can of paint can give new life to a trusty, sturdy surface? Get started today and redo some or all the surfaces of your home for just a few bucks.

Joey Shepherd writes about Concrete Paint [http://www.workingwithconcrete.com] at [http://www.workingwithconcrete.com]

Do-It-Yourself Painting Job Tips Using an Auto Spray Paint

Automobiles have been part of our everyday lives. Whether you like it or not, you have to own a car these days, because this is the best way to get to your point of destination. Hence, it is indeed a necessity which every family has to have because transporting from one place to another has always been a way of life. Your car has its own life span. Since you have to use this everyday, you also have to consider that your car needs some care in order for it to live longer. Apart from the usual cleaning and auto maintenance check that you do for your car, you also have to look at the exterior body part of your car because this is the part which is always exposed to all weather types. With this, the concept of auto painting job comes in. Usually, auto paint mechanics use an auto spray paint gun to do the paint job.

Why is an auto spray paint gun important? For some reason, one of the best way to make your car look fresh and new is to have a well-taken cared of exterior body paint. Since it is impossible to do away from scratches and dents, there are do-it-yourself tips to keep up with the same color and shiny body of your car. Having a full body paint job is an option for some car enthusiasts, however, for small scratches seen in your car, using an auto spray paint is the best remedy.

Using an auto spray paint is not as simple as spraying the paint directly to the scratched area. There are also procedures that need to be followed. First, you have to bring your car to an auto paint center and buy a color paint that exactly matches with the color of your car. They usually do this by mixing different colors of paint until the desired color is reached. Second, focus on that body part which you want to fix by putting some newspapers or plastic surrounding that part so as not to affect other body parts. If that part can be removed from the car, then procedure can be easier.

Third, you have to use the right sand paper with the use of a sanding equipment to rub on the desired part. This part takes quite a lot of time since the surface has to reach its ideal smoothness. Fourth, as soon as the right smoothness is achieved spraying begins using an auto spray paint gun. This takes a number of coatings depending on the right thickness. Fifth, let the part dry completely. Sixth, a colorless coating shall be applied in order to keep the color protected and of course to make it shiny and glossy. Seventh, once the colorless coating has dried, waxing and buffing is the last step. These are but some of the do-it-yourself steps to follow in painting a part of your car. You can also opt to have this done by a professional auto paint mechanic. Your car's exterior part has to taken cared off because this serves as the best protection to the interior part of your car.

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Paint Applicator Tips For the Novice Painter

Paint applicators come in three basic forms; rollers, brushes and pads. It seems that lately, there's been a huge interest in interior decorating. It's been fueled by all of those do-it-yourself decorating magazines and books as well as countless TV home-makeover programs. Here are a few tips to get you started on your DIY paint projects.

Paint Rollers

Rollers can be used with both solvent and water-based paints. They apply paint much faster than brushes and are best used for covering large areas. They are available in a wide variety of sizes and textures to suit different purposes. Use a long-pile roller for heavily textured effects, a medium-length pile for lightly textured or smooth walls.
Prepare new rollers by soaking them in warm, soapy water for a few hours before use to release any loose fibers that could spoil a finish. Rinse and dry them thoroughly before using them.
You will need to load a roller from a special paint tray. Lightly dip the roller into the paint reservoir and then roll it gently over the tray's ribbed part to coat it evenly.
When painting with a roller, use zigzag strokes so that you cover the surface from all angles.
To avoid spraying paint all over the floor and adjacent surfaces, don't let the roller spin at the end of a stroke.
Attach an extension handle to the roller handle to enable you to reach ceilings and the tops of walls.
Before painting walls or ceilings with a roller, first use a small paintbrush to cut in at the corners and edges because the edge of the roller won't fully reach into such small spaces.

Paint Brushes

There are many things to bear in mind if you prefer to use paint brushes.
Choose a good-quality brush with which to paint walls and ceilings because cheap brushes tent to shed their bristles.
A brush that is about eight inches wide gives the quickest coverage, but if you are not used to painting, your wrist will soon tire when using it. Although the job may take a little longer to complete, you may find a brush that is 6 inches wide, along with one that is two inches wide to use when cutting in at the edges, more comfortable to use.
Rub the bristles of newly purchased brushes in the palm of your hand to remove any loose dust and bristles.
Soaking new paintbrushes in linseed oil for 24 hours before use will make them both easier to work with and easier to clean. Although please note that you'll need to remove the oil with white spirit before starting to paint.
Although professional decorators hold their brushes like pens, the important thing is to hold the brush in the way that you find the most comfortable.
When painting walls with a brush, start at a top corner. If you are right-handed, work from right to left and vise versa. Rooms should be painted from top to bottom, starting with the ceiling, then the walls, doors and window frames and lastly the base boards.
Paint an area measuring about two square feet at a time. If you're using emulsion paint, paint in horizontal bands. If you're using solvent-based paint, painting in vertical strips means that the junctions are less likely to show (that is, unless you blend in the wet edges quickly.)
Always finish painting a wall before taking a break or you may find that there is a visible change of tone in areas that have been painted at different times.
Keep a set of brushes or pads and a roller for use only with white paint. This is because no matter how thoroughly brushes are cleaned, remnants of colored paint that was previously used will always end up being deposited on newly painted white paintwork.
Dip only the first third of the brush into paint. Overloading a brush causes paint dribbles. IF paint is allowed to run into the base of the brush, the bristles will be ruined.

Paint Pads

Paint pads are designed to apply paint to large, flat surfaces and are supplied with their own special paint trays. Their rectangular faces, which are covered with short, mohair fibers, are backed with plastic foam, which ensures that the pad is always in contact with a wall's surface, even if it's rough.
To apply the paint, first load the pad by drawing it across the paint tray and then sweep the pad gently and evenly against the wall. Although you can generally move the pad in any direction, when working with emulsion paints, use crisscrossing strokes. If you're using solvent-based paints, finish with vertical strokes to avoid leaving streaks.

Paint applicators are never even mentioned in many home makeover programs. It's probably one of the most overlooked topics. I hope these tips will clear up some of the confusion.

If you've been interested in a recent infomercial called the Point and Paint and wondered if it actually works, please see my Point and Paint review. I also have other hardware product reviews at my blog HonestInfomercialReviews.com.

Painting Walls - Paint Brush Tips & Tricks

Painting walls is an important part of painting your house. From cutting-in to rolling. This article is a brief summary of best practices for wall painting focusing on cutting-in and general brush usage. The way to paint a wall is to do the edges first (cutting-in) and then fill in the middle. There are a few different methods of cutting-in but the most popular is using a brush. When applying paint with a brush it can be hard to get a straight line, but there are a few tricks to help you along the way.

First is loading your brush, when 'loading' your brush with paint it's important to make sure you've got enough paint on your brush. You don't want to over load it but you also don't want to be dry brushing. Stab your brush into the paint a few times to load it up, it will quickly fill up with paint, glide your brush over the edge of the can to remove excess. It's important to make the distinction between squeezing it against the edge and gliding it against the edge; the goal is to remove just the outside paint and you do not want to squeeze out the inner-paint, this is the paint you are going to apply to the wall.

Brush control is very important and comes with experience, however, there are a few things you can actively do to improve your performance. Always use your full arm when controlling the brush, you paint using your shoulder and not your elbow or wrist. Using your body in this way helps to maintain a better overall control of the brush allowing you the paint a straight line on that wall. It also helps you to complete your painting work faster and reduces overall strain from the repetition of painting. Another trick I've used when cutting-in is to exhale slowly as you bring your brush in-line with the cut. This not only increases your focus and concentration on the task at hand (painting the wall) but serves to relax your body at the same time, increasing your painting accuracy and thereby your overall painting efficiency.

Sometimes you run into the problems when cutting-in the wall, typical problems vary but these are minor situations such as too much paint in one spot that creates runs and drips or you've got a spider that's trying to get involved in the painting project. Typically when you've got too much paint on a spot it's because you haven't back brushed the area properly, or you've overloaded your brush. When applying the paint always use a minimum of three strokes. First stroke is from the dry wall back into the fresh paint, the next stroke is back out of the previously painted spot back to where you started and past that point, and the last stroke is back into the wet paint (back brush) past where your initial stroke went. Usually you'll do more than three strokes to fully spread the paint but the important part is the final stroke back into the wet paint, this is more important than just to spread the paint and essentially 'combines' the whole painted surface. With a strict practice in hand you can help to minimize these sort of paint problems.

A H Young is an owner & operator of Painter for Hire, a Toronto area painting contractor specializing in residential and commercial painting.

Toronto Painters

Paint Stain Removal Tips

Paint is always messy, and will always end up getting on your clothing somehow. There are many different types of paint that you could remove from your clothing. Make sure you try to remove the paint stain as quickly as possible after it happens.

Dried paint stains are the hardest to remove from clothing. If the paint is already dried, glycerine can be used to soften it. Before trying to remove the paint that is there, use a knife to scrape of the hardened parts first. For oil based paint stains, you must try to remove the stain when the paint is wet. Blot the paint with absorbent paper towels to soak up the stain. Make sure not to rub the stain because it will spread the stain even more. For oil based stains, you can use a thinner for that type of stain. After that, treat only the stained area with some detergent so it can easily be washed away. Following the detergent step, run the clothing through the washing machine to totally get away the paint stain.

For water based paints you could soak the clothing in cold water for a few minutes. It would be easy for this type of stain to remove since it is water based, then it could easily be washed away by the water. Next, soak the affected area with a stain remover and let it sit there for about five minutes. This allows the stain remover to soak into the fabric and loosen the paint from the fabric.

Residual paint stains can be removed by bleach. Make sure to check and see if the fabric is bleach-safe so it will not harm the fabric. Wood alcohol can also be used to remove residual stains.

For very heavy paint stain removal, lay the stained portion of the fabric down on a clean cloth. Apply a dry cleaning fluid on the other side of the stain. Let the fabric then air dry, do not put in the dryer! Lastly, rinse and wash the stain thoroughly.

With these easy paint removal directions, you should be able to tackle that stain and quickly remove it! Good luck with the stain removal and make sure to stop back to this website for more tips!

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