- One of the most, if not the most, important steps in painting a car is the preparation of the car body. The end result of a paint job is largely determined by the amount of "prep" work put into preparing the car's surface body for painting. This preparation includes lightly sanding the car's sufrace, filliing in any dings or dents with body filler and applying a coat of primer to give the new paint a solid adhesive with which to stick.
- Prior to applying a new coat of paint to a car's surface, all the areas of the car which are not being painted--windows, doorknobs, chrome pieces--are masked off, or covered, to prevent these areas from being sprayed with paint or paint overspray. The careful masking off of these non-paintable areas is a critical step.
- After the car is fully prepared for painting, the car is sprayed with a thin layer of paint over its entire surface. When painting a car, the goal is to spray the surface in an even fashion, taking steps to prevent the accumulation of too much paint into any one area, which can cause an uneven appearance or dripping. After the car is completely covered with a thin layer of paint, the car is layered with a second coat of paint to achieve adequate paint depth. Depending on the cost of the paint job or on the desired results, additional paint coats may be applied.
- The majority of paint jobs will include a thin layer of clear coat protectant applied to the finished paint job. After a car has been fully painted and the paint allowed to set, or dry, a clear coat application, which is a chemical used to prevent weather-related paint decay, is sprayed over the entire paint job. This clear coat application adds further shine to a new paint job and prolongs its life.
