Painting your car’s plastic fixtures is an excellent way to refresh its appearance. From side mirror caps to bumper trims, these elements can be spray painted to personalize your car and give it a fresh, new look without the extensive work of repainting the entire vehicle.
But what do you need to get started? How should you prepare plastic car parts for painting, and what methods are involved in completing the job effectively? This guide provides all the essential information on how to successfully apply automotive paint to plastic car parts.
Identifying Plastic Car Parts Suitable for Painting
A wide array of plastic trims and parts on your car’s exterior can be painted. It’s important to recognize that the types of plastic trims can differ across car makes and models, which may influence the parts you can paint.
Here are several common plastic car parts that are typically paintable on most vehicles:
- Trim Pieces
- Door Handles
- Side Mirrors
- Bumpers (plastic sections)
- Wheel Covers
- Spoilers
- Mud flaps/Mudguards
Essential Items for Car Parts Painting
To paint plastic car parts effectively, you’ll need to gather the right equipment and tools. Here’s a comprehensive list of what you’ll need:
- Sandpaper: A selection of sandpaper grits is crucial for achieving a smooth finish on plastic. Start with coarser grits like 220 to remove texture, move to 320 for smoothing, and finish with 400 or 600 for an ultra-smooth surface before priming.
- Spray Paint: Opt for automotive spray paint specifically designed for plastics. These paints are formulated to adhere properly to plastic surfaces, offering better durability and finish. Consider acrylic lacquer or urethane paints for their resilience and finish quality.
- Protective Mask: When working with spray paints and primers, a respirator mask is essential. This protects you from inhaling harmful chemical fumes. Choose a mask rated for organic vapors and particulates.
- Plastic Primer: Primer is critical for ensuring paint adhesion to plastic. Use a primer specifically formulated for plastic car parts. This type of primer is designed to bond to plastic and create a surface that top coats can adhere to effectively, preventing peeling and ensuring longevity.
- Masking Tape: High-quality masking tape is vital for protecting areas you don’t want to paint. For intricate trim work, consider Perforated Trim Masking Tape for curves or Flat Orange Precision Masking Tape for straight lines and sharp edges. Ensure it’s automotive grade to prevent residue and clean lines.
- Clear Lacquer: A clear coat lacquer is applied over the paint to add shine and protect the color coat. It enhances the depth of color and provides a durable, glossy finish. Choose an automotive clear coat for UV protection and scratch resistance.
- Microfiber Cloths: Have several microfiber cloths on hand for cleaning, applying plastic cleaner, and polishing the painted parts. These cloths are lint-free and won’t scratch the plastic or paint.
- Plastic Cleaner/Degreaser: Use a dedicated plastic cleaner or degreaser to thoroughly clean the plastic parts before sanding and painting. This removes mold release agents, waxes, and contaminants that can interfere with paint adhesion.
Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing Plastic Car Parts for Painting
Proper preparation is key to achieving a professional finish when painting plastic car parts. The initial step is often to remove the plastic part from the car. This is generally the most efficient method for preparation. Plastic trims can usually be detached from the car body by carefully using a razor blade or a specialized trim removal tool to separate the part from the panel. Exercise caution to avoid damaging the underlying surface or breaking the plastic trim itself.
If removing the part isn’t feasible, thorough masking of the surrounding car body is necessary to prevent overspray and ensure a clean paint job. For curved parts, JTAPE Perforated Trim Masking Tape is highly recommended. Its perforated edge is designed for easy application around bends and contours. For plastic parts with straight edges or gentle curves, Lime Precision Masking Tape is ideal for creating sharp, clean masking lines and preventing paint bleed. When masking, meticulously check for any gaps where paint could seep through. Press firmly on the tape to ensure it is securely adhered to the surface.
Next, sanding the plastic surface is crucial to create a smooth base and ensure proper paint adhesion. Start with a coarser grit sandpaper to remove the initial sheen and texture from the plastic. Gradually progress to finer grits to refine the surface. The goal is to eliminate the glossy finish of the plastic, as this sheen can prevent primer and paint from adhering effectively, leading to peeling or flaking over time. Sanding creates a “key” for the paint to grip onto.
After sanding, thoroughly clean the plastic part with warm, soapy water to remove any sanding dust or debris. Follow this with a plastic-specific cleaner or degreaser to eliminate any remaining contaminants like oils or silicone, ensuring a pristine surface ready for primer.
Painting Plastic Car Parts: A Detailed Process
With the plastic parts properly prepped, you are now ready to proceed with painting. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to spray paint plastic trims to achieve a professional-looking finish.
Step 1 – Priming for Plastic
Apply a high-quality plastic primer to the prepared part, holding the spray can about 6-7 inches away from the surface. Ensure you are wearing a respirator mask during this step to protect yourself from primer fumes.
For optimal application, keep the spray can upright and apply several thin coats of primer rather than one thick coat. Apply three to four light coats, allowing approximately 15 minutes of drying time between each coat. This method helps prevent runs and ensures even coverage, giving the primer layers time to properly adhere to the plastic.
Step 2 – Applying the Color Coat
When applying color paint to plastic, you might need additional coats, especially when making significant color changes, such as painting black parts white. However, the spraying technique remains similar to priming: maintain a distance of 6-7 inches from the part and apply in thin, even coats.
Apply 2-3 coats of your chosen automotive paint, again with 15 minutes of drying time between each. Ensure each coat is fully dry to the touch before applying the next to avoid lifting or wrinkling the previous layer. For best results, maintain consistent spray speed and distance to achieve uniform color distribution.
Step 3 – Lacquering for Protection and Shine
Once the color coats are dry, apply a clear lacquer over the paint. This step enhances the shine and provides extra protection to the painted surface. Apply four to five coats of clear lacquer, again allowing about 15 minutes of drying time between each.
After the final coat of lacquer, let the part dry for several hours, or ideally overnight, before removing any masking tape or reattaching the plastic trim to your vehicle. This extended drying time ensures the lacquer fully hardens, providing maximum durability and gloss.
Step 4 – Polishing to Perfection
The final touch is to polish the painted plastic part using a clean microfiber cloth. Gently buff the surface to enhance the shine and remove any minor imperfections or loose particles. This polishing step will leave you with a flawlessly smooth, professional-grade finish, completing your Car Parts Painting project.
Powder Coating for Plastic Car Parts: An Alternative
While less common for DIY enthusiasts, plastic car parts can be powder coated. However, it typically involves a different process than powder coating alloys due to plastic’s sensitivity to high temperatures. Standard powder coating processes expose materials to high heat, which can damage or melt plastic. Instead, a UV-cured powder coating method is used for plastics. This process uses ultraviolet light to cure the powder coating at lower temperatures, making it suitable for plastic trims and offering a very durable and robust finish.
We trust this detailed guide helps you refine your technique for painting plastic car parts. For more expert advice and information on automotive painting and masking solutions, explore our JTAPE blog.
