Painting with spray can paints

[dderolph]

I have an 88 Accord. I believe the trunk was repainted by a former owner due, perhaps, to collision damage. It was a poor quality paint job and the trunk looks awful, compared to the rest of the car. I wonder whether it's possible, by merely using spray paints available from auto parts stores, or maybe from a Honda dealer, to paint an area such as a trunk, and obtain a fairly decent finish that will continue to look decent for at least a year or two. The rest of the car looks fairly good, but I don't think I can justify the cost of having a body shop do this.

Granted, it's not likely one could get a really good color match, but I don't expect to get a perfect match.

[gnushit]

yes, it is possible but be sure to do a good prep job before painting (ie sand down old paint). you would need to re-prime everything and be sure to spray light coats of the paint at a time and let it dry before another coat is put on. also be sure to use a lot of gloss. good luck

[zebra123]

Originally Posted by gnushit

yes, it is possible but be sure to do a good prep job before painting (ie sand down old paint). you would need to re-prime everything and be sure to spray light coats of the paint at a time and let it dry before another coat is put on. also be sure to use a lot of gloss. good luck

How do you 'use a lot of gloss' I'm wondering..... ? What part(s) of the trunk are you painting, the underside of the trunk lid ? 98% of this job'll be prep work....Most of the trunk is covered with carpet and fiberboard (covered in carpet) isn't it ? You only need to degloss the existing paint, not sand it all the way off, assuming its not peeling anywhere that is. A flexible sanding sponge is good for curved and irregular features like inside the trunk. Be sure its totally clean of grease, etc, especially near hinges and the like- which mighta had lube sprayed on them in an earlier life, before sanding or you'll contaminate the snading media and smear the grease all over. Sand it, vacuum it out, mask it off, wipe it down with a tack cloth (see paint store) and shoot a couple light coats following mfr's recommendations for drying time, then lay the last coat on as heavy as you can w/o runs -for maximum gloss in my opinion.
Will your generic spray can of paint work, ya so-so in a trunk, not on the vehicle exterior (its simply nowhere near as durable to sun, weather, heat etc as true urethane acrylic automotive enamels). I just redid my Civic trunk in 'Gloss White' (froma can) and its allright.
Z

[dderolph]

Thanks for your input. It's the top/outside of the trunk, i.e., the lid, that I want to paint. I was wondering whether I should strip it clear down to the metal, so I was glad to see your comment about basically deglossing it as the prep. The old paint job had a clear coat layer; 90+ % of that has peeled off. I believe I must be sure to sand the rest of it. Otherwise, those spots would likely cause peeling after a new paint job.

[riccimangan]

you don't have to take off all the paint , just as long as you make sure its perfectly smooth and flat before you start painting, and when the last coat of gloss is fully dry flatin it down with a light grade of wet sand paper and your ready th laquer.

[Tranzlogic]

just clean the trunk and area to be worked with a pre paint cleaning solution..this can be bought at any automotive paint store for a few bucks ie: dupot, sherwin williams anywhere that sells body work supplies...do not use normal cleansers or wash..this will leave residue behind and you will get fish-eyes in your paint !
after the area is clean, sand the area to be painted with 320 GRIT paper no mroe no less , your gonna want to use a sander if you have access to one because doing this by hand is gonna suck..try a file type sander due to the flat surface..but an orbital will work but make you it is kept flat at all times, you dont want low spots in your work...you dont have to sand to metal, just sand away the old clear and into the paint to where it starts turning to a grey or white primer blended with a dull color fo your car.." use your best judgment " pretty much.
i reccomend you use DUPLI-COLOR everything because they havea flat spray nozzle that will spray in a fan insted of a circle so you wont have to worry about heavy spots or runs....
Prime the area with the Dupli-Color sandable filler primer !! rather gray or black it doesnt matter if your car is a lighter color go with grey, darker than black... now this doesnt have to be misted on, just apply a nice coat and let it flash for a few mins, then while it is still wet/tacky..apply one more coat...
after this has dried, go back and lighty sand/scuff it up using the 320 grit lightly and or a RED scuff pad ...i always lightly go over with the 320 and then the RED scuff pad...take a towel and wipe the area free of afterdust and apply your cleaner again on a towel or rag that is lint free and wipe the area clean
now that the area is primed, clean and scuffed up apply your Dupli-color paint or Dealer Paint ..after applying a few light coats the area should start to fill in after it if covered..let it flash dry and apply one more nice finishing coat..now if you choose to, you can apply the DUPLI-COLOR clear coat that costs the same as the paint..like 4-5 bucks and while the paint has flash dried but is still tacky apply the clear coat to give it a high gloss protected finish..apply the clear the same way you applied the paint....remember dont go to thick with the clear nor the paint or it will not have the same apperance as the rest of your body !!
Good luck bro

[Tranzlogic]

oh yeah and if your in the VA area, id be more than happy to do it for ya