I live in northern wi, and was wondering what a good temp would be to start painting my plastics? Its like 30 now and will hit 40's next week sumtime. I dont have a heated garage..or basement...just let me know. Thanks.
Whats a good temp for painting?
- Thread starter Linton_Wade87
- Start date
i like to have it around 70 painting cars but if your spraypainting you can do it down to around 50 as long as you dont put heavy coats on. maybe even colder than that just test it on something first to see how long it takes to dry.
Paint Spraying-Humidity and Temperature Warning!
Make sure you do not spray in wet or humid conditions! Do not spray in direct sunlight. To test the humidity, spray some of the clearcoat and see how it dries. If it dries with a whitish haze or streaks, it's too humid to paint! Spray paint should be applied when the temperature is at least 70°F and the humidity is below 50%.
Drying Times
It is important to let the basecoat dry before applying the clearcoat and letting the clearcoat dry before polishing. Usually letting the paint dry overnight is sufficient. Drying times can really vary depending on the temperature. If the temperature is below 70°F, the paint can take much longer to dry.
Paint Compatibility Warning
If you have had your vehicle painted at Maaco, Earl Schieb or any other inexpensive paint shop within the last two years, our paint will lift your paint. If in doubt, you can paint a small inconspicuous part of the car and check for lifting.
Key Scratches
The paint pens work well on key scratches as you can easily control the amount of paint and apply it to the scratch. Try to follow the scratch as closely as possible with the basecoat. Apply the clearcoat and use rubbing compound to smooth and shine the area.
Primer
If you have an unpainted surface, either bare metal, plastic, rubber, etc., APPLY PRIMER! Primer is made to stick to unpainted surfaces and paint is designed to stick to primer! Primer can also be used to fill small imperfections in the surface.
If you are painting a flexible surface (such as a rubberized bumper) and you are spraying the paint, you should order the SEM Adhesion Promoter as this is required for proper adherence for the primer to the surfaces. The adhesion promoter is only required when you are spraying the paint and not for the touch up bottles and paint pens.
Clean the area of all dust with a tack rag and apply primer to the unpainted surfaces. Make sure you let the primer dry thoroughly before applying the color coat. Lightly sand the primed area with #220 grit sandpaper followed by #600 wet and dry.
Obtaining a Glossy Finish with Rubbing Compound
Our clearcoat requires a final polishing with rubbing compound (which we sell on our site) to make the finish glossy. Do not use polishing compound, it is not aggressive enough to polish the clearcoat. There is a big difference between rubbing and polishing compound. Also, do not use heavy duty rubbing compound as this is too aggressive and will dull your finish. If you are spraying a large area, we recommend having the area machine polished as trying to polish the area by hand would be time consuming and require considerable pressure to obtain the proper gloss. You can use polishing pads with your electric drill, or go to your nearest detail shop and have them polish it for you. Machine polishing takes skill and it's very easy to burn right through the finish. Our rubbing compound can be applied by hand or machine.
Bumpers and Non-Metal Surfaces
If you are painting a flexible surface (such as a rubberized bumper) and you are spraying the paint, you should order the SEM Adhesion Promoter as this is required for proper adherence for the primer, basecoat and clearcoat. The adhesion promoter is only required when you are spraying the paint and not for the touch up bottles and paint pens. The adhesion promoter is used over the surface just before applying the primer.
Fiberglass
If you are painting a sturdy, rigid fiberglass part, you can treat it just like metal. However, it never hurts to use the SEM Adhesion Promoter on any non-metal surface for maximum paint adhesion.
Powder Coatings
Our paint should be fine but make sure it will not lift or wrinkle the existing finish. Apply some automotive lacquer thinner by wetting the surface and giving it a couple of rubs with a damp cloth. If the existing finish does not soften or wrinkle, our paint should be okay to use. It wouldn't hurt to also test a small area before recoating the entire piece.
Powder coatings are urethane, cured and baked at high temperatures. Clean the area with wax and grease remover then wetsand the area with first 220, then 600 grit sandpaper. Use primer if the area has scratches you want to fill and then apply the basecoat.
Make sure you do not spray in wet or humid conditions! Do not spray in direct sunlight. To test the humidity, spray some of the clearcoat and see how it dries. If it dries with a whitish haze or streaks, it's too humid to paint! Spray paint should be applied when the temperature is at least 70°F and the humidity is below 50%.
Drying Times
It is important to let the basecoat dry before applying the clearcoat and letting the clearcoat dry before polishing. Usually letting the paint dry overnight is sufficient. Drying times can really vary depending on the temperature. If the temperature is below 70°F, the paint can take much longer to dry.
Paint Compatibility Warning
If you have had your vehicle painted at Maaco, Earl Schieb or any other inexpensive paint shop within the last two years, our paint will lift your paint. If in doubt, you can paint a small inconspicuous part of the car and check for lifting.
Key Scratches
The paint pens work well on key scratches as you can easily control the amount of paint and apply it to the scratch. Try to follow the scratch as closely as possible with the basecoat. Apply the clearcoat and use rubbing compound to smooth and shine the area.
Primer
If you have an unpainted surface, either bare metal, plastic, rubber, etc., APPLY PRIMER! Primer is made to stick to unpainted surfaces and paint is designed to stick to primer! Primer can also be used to fill small imperfections in the surface.
If you are painting a flexible surface (such as a rubberized bumper) and you are spraying the paint, you should order the SEM Adhesion Promoter as this is required for proper adherence for the primer to the surfaces. The adhesion promoter is only required when you are spraying the paint and not for the touch up bottles and paint pens.
Clean the area of all dust with a tack rag and apply primer to the unpainted surfaces. Make sure you let the primer dry thoroughly before applying the color coat. Lightly sand the primed area with #220 grit sandpaper followed by #600 wet and dry.
Obtaining a Glossy Finish with Rubbing Compound
Our clearcoat requires a final polishing with rubbing compound (which we sell on our site) to make the finish glossy. Do not use polishing compound, it is not aggressive enough to polish the clearcoat. There is a big difference between rubbing and polishing compound. Also, do not use heavy duty rubbing compound as this is too aggressive and will dull your finish. If you are spraying a large area, we recommend having the area machine polished as trying to polish the area by hand would be time consuming and require considerable pressure to obtain the proper gloss. You can use polishing pads with your electric drill, or go to your nearest detail shop and have them polish it for you. Machine polishing takes skill and it's very easy to burn right through the finish. Our rubbing compound can be applied by hand or machine.
Bumpers and Non-Metal Surfaces
If you are painting a flexible surface (such as a rubberized bumper) and you are spraying the paint, you should order the SEM Adhesion Promoter as this is required for proper adherence for the primer, basecoat and clearcoat. The adhesion promoter is only required when you are spraying the paint and not for the touch up bottles and paint pens. The adhesion promoter is used over the surface just before applying the primer.
Fiberglass
If you are painting a sturdy, rigid fiberglass part, you can treat it just like metal. However, it never hurts to use the SEM Adhesion Promoter on any non-metal surface for maximum paint adhesion.
Powder Coatings
Our paint should be fine but make sure it will not lift or wrinkle the existing finish. Apply some automotive lacquer thinner by wetting the surface and giving it a couple of rubs with a damp cloth. If the existing finish does not soften or wrinkle, our paint should be okay to use. It wouldn't hurt to also test a small area before recoating the entire piece.
Powder coatings are urethane, cured and baked at high temperatures. Clean the area with wax and grease remover then wetsand the area with first 220, then 600 grit sandpaper. Use primer if the area has scratches you want to fill and then apply the basecoat.
Thanks...i'll wait for it to warm up a bit first..i'll post pics and what not when i do paint it.
LASX is right on the money , 70 degree's minimum and low humidity . Plastics take time to get looking right , don't hurry the job , or it will look that way . I've been cutting and sanding my Banshee Plastics for a few weeks now , still have some stubborn adhesive to remove from a couple parts . They won't get painted until June , I'll make hanging racks and spray them while hanging . Light coats , and allow them to dry overnight per coat , and sanding in between . I'm going to imbed some graphics below the clearcoat as well , so getting the clear over that , and looking good also takes time and patience .
Good luck .
Good luck .
It's not just the ambient temperature , the material being painted must be at the proper temperature . Warm paint won't coat well on a cold surface it will run . If he has a garage you can use a spaceheater and make a mini paint booth .
