Revitalize Your Ride: A Comprehensive Guide to Spraying Plastic Car Parts

Want to give your car a fresh, updated look without breaking the bank? Spraying Plastic Car Parts is an incredibly effective DIY method to revitalize your vehicle’s exterior. From faded bumper trim to tired-looking mirror housings, a fresh coat of paint can make a world of difference. This guide provides you with all the essential information and step-by-step instructions you need to master spraying plastic car parts, achieving a professional finish right at home.

Which Plastic Car Parts Are Ideal for Spray Painting?

The beauty of modern automotive design lies in the extensive use of durable plastics for exterior trim. Many of these plastic components are perfect candidates for spray painting, offering a fantastic way to customize or restore their appearance. While the specific plastic parts vary across car manufacturers and models, here are some of the most common elements you can easily spray paint:

Trim Pieces: This includes window trim, rocker panels, and various decorative strips that often fade or become scratched over time.
Door Handles: Refreshing door handles with a new color or simply restoring the original finish can significantly enhance your car’s side profile.
Side Mirrors: Mirror caps and housings are prime targets for painting, allowing for customization or a simple refresh to combat sun damage.
Bumpers: Plastic bumpers and bumper trims are large, prominent parts that greatly benefit from a fresh coat of paint, especially after minor scrapes or fading.
Wheel Covers: Give your wheels a new lease of life by spraying the plastic wheel covers, offering an affordable alternative to replacing them.
Spoilers: Plastic spoilers can be painted to match the car’s body or to create a contrasting sporty accent.
Mudguards/Splash Guards: These functional plastic parts can also be painted to maintain a cohesive and clean aesthetic.

Essential Items You’ll Need for Spraying Plastic Car Parts

To ensure a successful and professional-looking paint job, gathering the right tools and materials is crucial. Here’s a comprehensive list of what you’ll need before you start spraying plastic car parts:

Sandpaper: A range of grits is essential. Start with coarser grits like 220 or 320 to remove the existing sheen and imperfections, and gradually move to finer grits like 400, 600, and even 800 for ultra-smooth finishing.
Spray Paint for Plastic: Specifically choose automotive spray paint formulated for plastic surfaces. These paints are designed for better adhesion and flexibility on plastic, preventing cracking or peeling.
Mask: Always prioritize safety. A respirator mask is vital to protect yourself from harmful paint fumes and particles during priming and painting.
Plastic Primer: Primer is not optional! A high-quality plastic primer is the key to paint adhesion on plastic. It creates a bonding layer, ensuring the top coat adheres properly and lasts.
Masking Tape: Invest in good quality masking tape, such as perforated trim masking tape or precision masking tape. These are designed to create sharp lines and protect areas you don’t want to paint.
Clear Lacquer (Optional but Recommended): A clear coat of lacquer adds a protective layer, enhances the paint’s shine, and provides extra durability against weather and minor scratches.
Microfiber Cloths: Keep several lint-free microfiber cloths handy for cleaning surfaces, wiping away dust, and polishing the final finish.
Degreaser or Plastic Cleaner: A dedicated plastic cleaner or degreaser is important to remove grease, wax, and contaminants from the plastic surface before sanding and painting.
Tack Cloth (Optional): A tack cloth is a slightly sticky cloth that effectively removes any remaining dust particles just before painting, ensuring a flawless finish.

Preparing Plastic Car Parts for Spray Painting: The Key to Success

Proper preparation is arguably the most critical step in spraying plastic car parts. Rushing this stage can lead to paint adhesion issues and an unprofessional outcome. Follow these steps meticulously to prepare your plastic parts for painting:

Removal or Masking: Ideally, remove the plastic part from the car for easier and more thorough preparation and painting. Carefully detach trim pieces or components using appropriate tools, being mindful not to damage surrounding areas. If removal isn’t feasible, meticulously mask off the surrounding car body panels using masking tape and paper or plastic sheeting to prevent overspray. For curved trim, perforated masking tape is excellent for achieving clean lines around bends. For straight edges, precision masking tape provides a sharp, defined edge. Ensure there are no gaps in your masking to prevent paint bleed-through.
Cleaning: Thoroughly clean the plastic parts with warm soapy water and a plastic cleaner or degreaser. Remove all traces of dirt, grease, wax, and any contaminants that could interfere with paint adhesion. Rinse thoroughly and allow the parts to dry completely.
Sanding: Sanding is essential to create a surface that the primer and paint can grip onto. Begin with a medium-grit sandpaper (around 320 grit) to lightly scuff the entire surface of the plastic part. The goal is not to remove material but to eliminate the glossy sheen. Work your way up to finer grits (400, then 600, and optionally 800) to smooth out the surface progressively. Sand in consistent, even strokes, and ensure you reach all areas, including edges and corners. After sanding, wipe down the plastic part with a damp cloth to remove sanding dust and let it dry completely before moving to the next step.

Step-by-Step Guide: Spraying Plastic Car Parts for a Professional Finish

With the preparation complete, you’re now ready to move on to the exciting part: spraying plastic car parts. Follow these steps carefully for a smooth, even, and durable paint finish:

Step 1: Applying Primer

Apply a thin, even coat of plastic primer to the prepared plastic part. Hold the spray can approximately 6-7 inches away from the surface and use smooth, sweeping motions, overlapping each pass slightly. It’s crucial to wear your respirator mask during this stage. Apply 2-3 light coats of primer, allowing each coat to dry for about 10-15 minutes in between applications, or as per the primer manufacturer’s instructions. The primer should create a uniform, slightly textured surface ready for paint.

Step 2: Applying the Color Coat

Once the primer is completely dry, you can begin applying your chosen automotive spray paint. Use the same technique as with the primer: hold the can 6-7 inches away, use smooth, even strokes, and overlap each pass. Apply thin, even coats to avoid runs or drips. For significant color changes, such as painting black plastic white, you may require more coats for full coverage. Allow each coat of paint to dry for approximately 15-20 minutes before applying the next. Typically, 2-3 coats of color paint are sufficient for good coverage and depth of color.

Step 3: Applying Clear Lacquer (Optional)

If you desire a high-gloss finish and extra protection, apply a clear lacquer coat after the color paint has fully dried (refer to the paint manufacturer’s drying time recommendations). Apply 2-3 thin coats of clear lacquer using the same spraying technique as before, allowing 15-20 minutes drying time between coats. Lacquer enhances the shine, provides UV protection, and adds durability to the paint job.

Step 4: Polishing and Finishing

After the final coat of lacquer (or paint if not using lacquer) has thoroughly dried, you can enhance the finish further by gently polishing the plastic part with a clean microfiber cloth. This will remove any minor imperfections, dust particles, and bring out the full shine of the new paint job, leaving you with a flawlessly smooth surface. If you notice any minor imperfections like orange peel texture in the paint, you can carefully wet sand with very fine grit sandpaper (e.g., 2000 grit) before polishing for an even smoother finish.

Considering Powder Coating for Plastic Car Parts

While spraying is a popular DIY method, powder coating plastic car parts is also a viable option, offering a more durable and chip-resistant finish. However, standard powder coating processes involve high temperatures that can damage most plastics. For plastic parts, a specialized UV-cured powder coating process is used. This method utilizes UV light to cure the powder coating instead of heat, making it suitable for certain types of plastics. UV-cured powder coating can provide exceptional durability and a factory-like finish, but it typically requires professional equipment and expertise.

By following this comprehensive guide, you can confidently tackle spraying plastic car parts and achieve a professional-looking transformation for your vehicle. Refreshing your car’s plastic trim is a rewarding DIY project that boosts its appearance and your pride in your ride. Explore our JTAPE blog for more expert tips and guides on automotive painting and masking techniques to further enhance your car care skills.