Standout Formulas For Your Diy Project
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Painting the walls of your home does not need to be a major project. It used to be that you had to prime the walls, wait for that to dry for a day, then paint a few coatswith considerable waiting in between each layer.
Modern interior paint has solved this issue by offering a single primer/paint solution. Plus, it usually dries quickly and is generally easy to apply. We have searched for the best interior wall paints, looking at color selection, different finishes, specialty paints, and more.
Here are the best paints for every budget and interior aesthetic.
How To Paint Your Car
Painting a car is one of the most misunderstood parts of our hobby. It can be a daunting process to sand off the paint on your car, determine what primer to use on the car and then paint and finish it, but its one of those jobs where things must get worse to get better. Below are the basic steps and methods for painting your car along with what you should use for certain situations.
Preparing a Car for Painting
There are a few ways to prepare your vehicle for paint. Each method depends on how extreme youre going with your paint job or restoration. The most common methods are below.
Strip to Bare Metal
This truly is the most correct way to prep a vehicle for repainting, especially a classic or older car. This method will allow you to uncover any potential rust or corrosion that will need to be addressed before you put on any top coats. Below are the most common methods used to strip a vehicle to bare metal before painting.
- Stripping or Cleaning Disc These come in a couple of sizes and are good for removing paint in large areas or in small areas without damaging the metal.
Scuff and Shoot
Repairing Body Damage
Before repainting a car, we suggest trying to repair any damage found on the body. This includes rust, dents, paint chips, etc. The more time you spend fixing damage on the car, the better your final paint job will look when its done. Below are a few of the essential methods and tools needed to repair body before a paint job.
Applying Primer
Color and Top Coats
Determine What Sort Of Paint You Spilled
Once you have removed the majority of the paint spill, you will be left with a tough-to-remove stain on your pride and joy. Before you can remove this paint, you need to establish whether you spilled water-based paint, oil-based paint, or acrylic paint.
All forms of paint feature three primary components: pigment, vehicle, and a binding medium. The pigment is the color of paint, which changes with the color you choose, while a vehicle carries the pigment and binder until the paint dries. A paints binding medium is the liquid that holds in pigment which is either oil, acrylic, or water-based. You can see this composition below:
Oil-based paint
Oil-based paint uses oil as a binding medium for the paint color. The majority of oil-based paints use linseed oil, which is obtained from seeds of flax plants. Oil-based paint can be cleaned using mineral spirits, which is a cleaning liquid derived from petroleum. Some regions call mineral spirits vegetable-based turpentine.
An example of a mineral spirit is below.
If you do not have a mineral spirit cleaner on hand, oil-based paint can also be cleaned with:
- Dishwashing liquid
- Coconut oil
- Lemon juice
- Turpentine .
If you skip ahead to here, you will find our tips for cleaning oil-based paint.
Acrylic paint
Generally, acrylic paints are manufactured with cadmium sulfide, pure cobalt powder, iron oxides, and titanium dioxide. When removing acrylic paint, we recommend one of these household cleaning agents:
Water-based paint
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Removing Or Masking Components
Can You Paint The Inside Of A Garage Door
You can and should paint the inside of a garage door! Whether you use your garage for your home gym, workshop, a place to hang out, vintage car, or heck, your everyday ride, putting a fresh coat of paint on the inside of your garage door will instantly add to the atmosphere in your garage.
Although the inside of your garage door is technically on the interior of your home, we still recommend using an exterior paint if possible because , it is still exposed to extremes in temperatures, moisture, and wear and tear.
If you rarely open your garage door and have a climate-controlled garage, you might be able to get away with using interior paint.
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How To Prepare Rims For Paint
Before you can paint your rims, you must remove them from the car and prepare them for a new finish. Sure, you could just spray them as they sit, but the result will look awful and youll probably get overspray on your cars paint in the process.
Obviously, youre going to need to find a way to support the car after you remove the wheels and while the painted rims are drying. So, make sure youve got that part of the plan figured out before you buy any materials.
Once you know how you will safety support your car while youre painting the wheels, unbolt them and remove them from the car. Degrease and clean the rims thoroughly on both sides, and with a level of detail that youve never used before. Every speck of grime must be off of the wheels before you take the next step in the process.
If the wheels have rust, or the existing finish is damaged or chipped, youll need to scrub them with a wire brush, sand them with the extra-fine and then the super-fine sandpaper, and then rub them with steel wool to create a smooth, blemish-free surface.
Next, wash the wheels again, dry them, and apply the rubbing alcohol, paint thinner, or mineral spirits. Inspect the surface. It should be completely clean and smooth. If not, youll need to repeat the wire brushing, sanding, and steel wooling process.
Oh, and paint fumes are also hazardous to your health.
Vinyl Paint For Car Interior
Painting the interiors of a car is an easy job, and nothing can be better for this than vinyl paint. You will be able to change the entire look of your vehicle from the inside. This article takes you through the steps of painting the car interiors.
Painting the interiors of a car is an easy job, and nothing can be better for this than vinyl paint. You will be able to change the entire look of your vehicle from the inside. This article takes you through the steps of painting the car interiors.
Vinyl paint can give your car a new look from the inside. Moreover, you will get that feel-good factor while driving your vehicle. You can get a dashboard color you always wanted to have. If you want to do an affordable makeover to your vehicle, then you can opt for painting the interiors, especially the dash, door panels, leather items, and other plastic areas. It promises to give your vehicle a new life.
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How Do I Paint My Garage Walls
Garage walls need the same preparation and technique as interior walls, with maybe a little more cleaning beforehand.
Your garage walls arent so different from the other rooms in your house. As with any job, preparation is the most crucial part. When you rush the prep, you may end up with a sloppy or uneven paint job. Garage wall paint will go on the same as any other room youve painted in your home. The preparation will look a little different, however:
Youll be shocked by how much a professional-quality DIY paint job will transform your garage. Its easier to keep painted garages clean and organized. After you paint the garage floor, you can use the additional space in your home as a craft area, home office, or the workshop of your dreams.
The Spruce Best Home Paint: First Frost
The Spruce has partnered with KILZ to come up with their own line of interior paints thats exclusive to Amazon. Although the Spruce may be very new to the paint scene, KILZ has been making paints since 1957.
This interior paint & primer combination is a low-odor acrylic paint that is mildew-resistant when it dries. To keep things simple, The Spruce limits the color palette for this line of paint to only 32 colors.
I recommend First Frost, which is a cool white with a slight grey-ish tint. Its available exclusively on Amazon.
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Protecting The Wheels And Trim
The final step of the typical car detailing job is to polish rims and apply a treatment or shine-enhancement to plastic trim, badging, and the tires. There are several products that can be used for this task, which are based on the material needing protection.
With tires, most detailers will opt for a hand applied treatment that is meant more for protecting. But there are some tire shine products that are meant to keep them looking wet. Plastic trim pieces are also important to enhance and protect, but usually are the last to be touched.
What About The Paint Gloss
In general, there are three types of fiberglass paints that can be used high gloss, regular gloss, and low gloss.
All of them will have their respective pros and cons.
So you should be deciding based on various factors.
- Choose a high-gloss paint if you wish to attract attention
- Go for a regular gloss paint if you dont want your front door to stand out
- Pick the low gloss paint if you need to get a more conservative-looking door
Regardless of the type of paint gloss you choose for the exterior fiberglass door, make sure it is rated as an exterior paint that can resist different weathering conditions.
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What Color Should The Trim Be
Garages usually have trim around them, and there are a couple of different things you can do with the trim. We recommend buying some sample-sized paints and trying them out to see which fits better.
- Paint the trim the same color as the house.
- Paint the trim the same color as the door.
- Paint the trim a lighter or darker color than the door.
- Paint the trim the same color as other trim on the home.
The last option is the one we most commonly see, but plenty of people go for the other options and have great results.
Typical Stage 1 Preparation
Remove whatever part you plan to paint. Be careful not to scratch or damage it, youll only be making yourself more work.
Once you have removed the part, start by washing it with the soapy water/solvent cleaner. This removes grease, dust or any other contaminates. If there is any damage to the part, now would be the time to sort it. Next start to key the part, making sure there are no shiny areas left on it, the better you do this, the less likely the paint it to flake later. Once you have keyed the part, wash it again. Make sure it is thoroughly dry before proceeding.
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How To Custom Paint A Car Dashboard
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Painting your cars dashboard is a great DIY customization option if the interior looks faded, scuffed up, or just plain boring. Automotive spray-can primers, paints, and lacquers work well on both the rigid and flexible plastic parts of a dashboard, so long as you take your time with the prep work and use the right spraying techniques. Your final results wont precisely replicate a factory finish, but they can definitely look good enough for you to show off your cars dashboard with pride.
The Best Paint For Garage Doors
Interior or exterior, the best paint for a garage door is almost always a premium-quality exterior latex paint. If your garage door is metal, oil-based paint will hold up a bit better, but latex paint is just fine.
When painting inside your garage door, you can choose to use interior paint if your garage is climate-controlled.
Its as simple as that! Now all you have to do is pick a color!
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How To Pick A Garage Wall Paint
Picking the right paint is about more than price and hue, make sure it wont fade or stain within a few years.
Weve recommended two of the most highly reviewed, expert-recommended brands. We think theyre the best for painting your garage walls. But you dont always need to pick the most expensive paint to get satisfactory results. When you use a primer and take your time applying even coats of paint, youll have painted garage walls that will look just-painted for years to come. Here are some tips for picking a garage wall paint thats just right for you:
- Set a budget for the project. Be honest with how much you expect to spend on painting your garage. Remember, youll need equipment besides paint.
- Calculate how much paint youll need. Use our handy paint calculator to find out how many gallons of primer and paint youll need. Plan on a single coat of primer and two coats of paint. Dont forget the ceiling!
- Gather the painting tools you already have and decide what youll need to get the job done. Well provide a checklist in the next section to help you get ready.
- Find the best paint within your budget after you gather equipment. Look for low-VOC, stain-blocking, mold and mildew resistant, scrub resistant, and a hue you love!
Glidden One Coat Paint + Primer
A high-quality coat of paint will transform your garage into more usable square footage in your home.
Even though this is a two-in-one paint and primer together, we recommend at least one coat of primer before you do a topcoat. It will protect you in the long run. Think how happy youll be when you dont have to repaint your entire garage in just a few years. Damp weather, wild temperatures, and unexpected weather can all wreak havoc on your paint job.
Here are some of our favorite Glidden One Coat features:
The downside of Glidden One Coat is the price point. They promise itll take just one coat to get full coverage and a smooth finish. But prepare yourself to use up to two coats of paint to get even coverage or cover up old stains.
Its worth mentioning primer is often cheaper than paint. Doing two coats with a primer will go a long way to help you only have to do one topcoat.
Good prep work and painting techniques are the best way to get professional-level performance from your DIY paint job in fewer coats. Remember to work one wall at a time, and a single layer of edging and rolling at a time. Work the roller in three-foot sections, using a W-technique to get a smooth paint finish.
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What Kind Of Paint To Use On Car Rims
Im a wheels guy. In my opinion, any car, no matter its age or condition, looks better with a great set of wheels. You can take any basic economy car, bolt on a set of nice rims, tint the glass, and transform it into a respectable ride.
Lately, black wheels are the trending look. Honestly, I dont get it, but Im among the grayer and more wrinkled of Gen Xers, so what do I know? Perhaps you just inherited Grandmas decade-old Toyota Avalon, and youre desperate to find a way to make it look better. Black rims are the answer! you proclaim.
This decision, however, is likely followed by a quick internet search: What kind of paint to use on car rims? After all, if youre trying to figure out how to make a hand-me-down Avalon look swag, youre likely planning a do-it-yourself project.
Before you embark on this well-crafted plan, you should first determine a few things. For example, does the Avalon have rims suitable for painting? How can you best prepare the rims for paint? Only then you can answer the question of what kind of paint to use on car rims.
