There Are Choices for Car Painting
Maybe you have been thinking about getting your car painted because you would like to get it back to how it looked in years past. Or maybe you want to freshen it up to pass along to your teenager who has just learned to drive. Whatever the reason, one thing is for certain, go to a professional automotive paint and body shop for your auto painting. There are people who will offer to paint your car for a cheap price in their backyard. This is something best to avoid. Although the initial price might sound good, when something goes wrong (think wind blowing yard debris onto your newly painted car) and more paint needs to be purchased, the bargain price isn’t such a bargain. Using a professional auto painter is always going to be the smarter choice.
A friend of this writer actually did have a “shade tree” painter do a spot job on a VW Beetle (he had come highly recommended). The first go around, the paint was the factory color and was a perfect match but…the body repair was awful. The second time around he improved the bodywork, slightly, but the color didn’t match. Likely he had blown the paint budget on the first can of factory paint and then had to cut corners and got it wrong. The end of the story was the bodywork was terrible (nobody ever said a painter can do body work!) and the paint didn’t match. What can you do when you have no guarantee? For this reason, we have put together a short list of the 5 reasons to see a professional when it’s time to get your car painted.
#1 The Right Equipment
This should seem like a no brainer, but some people just might not realize the extent of equipment that is necessary to paint a car properly. Special paint guns are just one piece of equipment. You need a properly ventilated paint booth, paint mixer, a compressor, body materials and tools, sanders, tape and paper, etc. Not the kind of thing most “home” painters have invested in.
# 2 Expertise
If you’ve ever painted a wall or a piece of furniture you know that it takes experience and skill to do it well. Auto painting is a skill not to be compared to others and one that takes many years to get right. And then there is the body tech who spends years learning the back-breaking work of fixing dents and replacing bumpers. You can have the best painter in the world but if the bodywork and the preparation aren’t done by a pro, the car won’t look good. Period. Even if the car doesn’t need body work, the preparation is critical – the car must be sanded, primed and taped properly in preparation for the paint.
#3 Color Matching the Paint
Professionals have computers that tell them the factory colors and help match the paint on the vehicle. This is particularly important for a spot job like a bumper replacement since you don’t want two different colors on your car (unless you are going for a two-tone!).
#4 Indoor Environment and Proper Ventilation
At a paint and body shop, your car will be painted indoors in a paint booth. This is a dust-free, clean environment with regularly inspected ventilation. After completion of the paintwork, the car will be allowed to dry indoors, away from airborne debris that can mar the paint job.
#5 Environmentally Safe Disposal of Materials
A properly licensed paint and body shop will have contracts with companies who pick up and dispose of all solvents, left-over paint and other materials hazardous to the environment. No, they don’t just pour it down the drain or into the dumpster!
Hopefully, you’ve learned about the merits of deciding to use a professional auto painter once you’ve made the decision to get your car painted.
If you are thinking about painting your car, you can check here for an Econo location near you. Estimates are always free and good for 30 days.
