How to Repaint a Massachusetts Green License Plate
by Guy Gardner
License plates can age just as badly as the cars that carry them. Rain, snow, salt and dirt will strip paint and cause rust. Paying for a professional to restore your license plate can be expensive. Whether you would like to restore your green Massachusetts license plate to complete a collection of license plates or to keep it on your car, you should be able to do so without paying a professional.
Step 1
Wipe the license plate clean with a cloth and soapy water. Dry the plate with a cloth.
Step 2
Apply paint stripper to the plate to remove the remaining paint using an old rag. The old, discolored and flaking paint will need to be removed before repainting. Wipe off the paint and paint stripper.
Step 3
Bend the plate back as flat as you can with your hand and a pair of pliers if it is creased. Lay the plate flat on a piece of scrap metal and bang out any remaining dents and creases to make it as flat as possible.
Step 4
Spray automotive etching primer over the plate to protect the metal from rust and to provide a good bonding surface for the paint.
Step 5
Spray on the background gray-silver color of the green Massachusetts plate using the correct automotive paint color in a spray can. Use a paintbrush for detail work to paint in the numbers and letters and any other details with the green automotive paint.
References
Tips
- Take the license plate to an auto body shop and ask the staff if to match the green and gray-silver of the license plate to shades of automotive paint so you can get an exact match for repainting the plates.
Things You'll Need
- Cloth
- Paint stripper
- Rag
- Pliers
- Hammer
- Scrap metal piece
- Automotive etching primer
- Massachusetts' license plate grey-silver automotive spray paint
- Massachusetts' license plate green automotive touch up paint
- Paintbrush
