So you decided you wanna do it yourself huh? Well get ready for the crash course of a life time. First I'll ask you this, how much do you expect to spend in this process? I'm talking strictly on materials. If you answered anything under $1000 then go ahead and close this window. Good paint ain't cheap and cheap paint ain't good. It will never be worth the small amount of money you save by using junk paint. You can probably save $300-500 by using bargain brand crap. That may sound good at first but ponder this: we're not talking about a part you can swap when it fails. When (not if, but when) that slop you hose your car down with goes bad you'll find out what misery is. When that paint fails and checks or peels you'll have to strip it off. How do I do that? Well you can use chemical stripper, media blasting, mechanical (sanding), or pay someone else. No matter what, any bodywork that was already done will look like crap afterward, so you'll have to redo that. All the stuff that you took off for paint will have to come back off as well. Now you're getting the picture that you ain't saving a damn thing.

You'll have to decide if the car will be kept inside or outside as well. This is important to aid you in picking a paint that will offer the durability that you need. You can choose between single or multi-stage paint systems. Single-stage includes lacquer, enamel, and acrylics. More than likely your car has a single-stage finish on it. Most cars with original paint will have lacquer. Lacquer will crack up over time and this will require stripping. Single-stage finishes have one product that handles both the appearance of color and the gloss/protection. The flaw is that the color is at the surface, so it will dull over time and require polishing to be returned to a gloss. Multi-stage is base coat/clear coat and 3-stage such as white pearl, candy apple red and many of the exotic car finishes (Ferrari and Lamborghini pearl colors). This option offers a huge advantage; a layer of polyurethane will be blanketing your color so there will not be a chalky look if you don't wax it for awhile. It also keeps the color safe from any contaminants that could stain or discolor the pigment. Multi-stage paints are more expensive but they last far longer and they are well worth the additional expense.

Regardless of which type of paint you select you'll also need reducer and activator (hardener). Some will suggest using an off name brand for these with brand name paint. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS!!! Again, we are talking a minimal difference and all products are not equal. In many cases they aren't very similar. You'll need to ponder what season you'll be painting your car, what the temperature in the space you'll be painting it is and how much area you'll have to cover. Your reducer and activator will have different temperature ranges and you'll need to select the one that is the most appropriate for your needs.

Now you'll need to evaluate the condition of the paint you'll be going over top of. More than likely you existing finish is flawed and that is why you're painting it. Look for chips, scratches, gouges, flaking, cracking, or any other irregularity that you don't want to show thru your new finish. All of these will need to be sanded out and covered with filler primer. It will be best for you to do all of your sanding and feather edge all of your defects so that you can better estimate the amount of primer you'll need.

The next product to consider is sealer primer. This is the layer that will be directly followed (no sanding) by your color. You don't have to use this but you'll need far less basecoat by using a sealer. It will also reduce the risk of sanding scratches showing through. Most systems use a sealer that is shaded, typically one of seven shades ranging from white to dark gray. This will do an excellent job of hiding whatever color was previously on your car. With sealer a car that was red can be painted white without concern of the red bleeding thru since the sealer will be in between them.

Now we're on to the part that everybody over thinks COLOR. Try to avoid basing your color choice on the fact that you've never seen a car of the same model as yours in a certain color. I was once told by a guy that he wanted his 66 Chevelle to be root beer brown since nobody ever paints one that color. THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT, THEY HAVE GOOD TASTE AND YOU DON'T. Why worry about what color everybody else has. Just go with what you want and do it right. This will be the reason that your car looks much better than the others. Also, do not convince yourself that you have the idea for the coolest color ever in your head. The paint companies pay people big money to create colors for them and those people understand moderation far better than you. They know how much of a good thing is going to give it the maximum amount of POP. Tons of pearl or metal flake and lots of candies blended turns a nice car into a train wreck. There are thousands of colors in the chip books and chances are you'll be able to find exactly what you want. There are many exotic finishes that the companies have designed for those who want something that really jumps. Just remember the fancier the paint the higher the price. Flip flop and chameleon colors can be insanely expensive. When you've narrowed your color wish list down to a few it will be time for a trip to your local paint supplier. Ask how much they would want to make you a spray out panel of each of the colors that you are trying to decide between. The cost should be very minimal but the value will come in the form of not having a color that you are unhappy with on your car.

Now we're ready for the shiny stuff. There are tons of different clears on the market. Many of them have different purposes. You'll want one that is intended for the size job you're doing. Many of them offer different levels of durability, so you'll want to consider that as well. You'll also need to decide how many coats of clear you want. THERE NO REASONTO TRY TO SKATE BY WITH ONE COAT. YOU WILL NEED ATLEAST 2 COATS. If you plan to wet sand you'll probably be better off with 3 as a safety measure to prevent yourself from sanding thru the clear.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO TAKE FROM THIS IS THAT YOU SHOULD NOT BUY YOUR PAINT ONLINE. You will be glad you have worked with someone local since they will be able to help you out of a bind. Also, if you need more material when you run short you'll be glad you can rush out and grab it rather than waiting for the big brown truck. Also consider that paint is considered hazmat and costs quite a bit to ship.

This is not a job for the faint of heart. More than likely you'll spend upwards of $1500 on your materials. Then you're going to need sandpaper, masking materials, and anything else that pops up along the way.