Paint Prep for Success
Paint prep is the key to success in any paint project. Whether your painting the outside or inside of your car you need to have a good grease and particle free area for your job to be a success, and success is what it’s about when your trying to make money at what you do. Here a few tips for you to use in the interior of your vehicle, where most of your “slime” is located. The “slime” as I call it is all the silicone dressing that has been put on your cars interior to make it look new, and I use the word “new” very loosely too, to me if your car is clean you don’t need all that slime juice sprayed all over. Besides some of the new dressings are ruining the interiors, thats a whole other article.
- Prep products: I’ve used several types of cleaners, but I’ve found that rubbing alcohol, acetone, ammonia and TSP substitute mixed with water is the best. Sometimes if an area is really dirty I will clean it first with an all-purpose cleaner then follow up with the alcohol mix. I’ve found that the alcohol mix removes dirt, grease, grime, and silicone and actually works in your favor with waterborne dyes. When used with sandpaper or a scotch brite pad it breaks down the edge of your repair to help feather edge the area to be repaired, it works a lot like Sem Sand Free.
- Prep the surface: Mix your solution in 1/5’s into a spray bottle. Spray the entire area needed painted, if your spraying a bolster on a seat back, clean and prep the entire seat back, this when you blend your repair it will stick and won’t come off when you finish your repair. Using a scotch brite pad (I use the red pad, it’s a little more abrasive then the green ones you get at the super market) scrub the areas needed while wet and then wipe with a lint free rag, and follow with a tack cloth. This process will clean and scuff the surface just enough that the dyes will stay put.
- Primers: Depending on the surface you are painting will depend on your choice of primer. Most of the products I use are waterborne, so of course I use waterborne primers. Primers are a part of prep, so the selection of products is critical for a long lasting repair. I use the “Sticky Primer” as much as I can, it creates a great bond between your paint and repair surface. If your dying leather mix the sticky primer with your flex additive to give you flex and adhesion.
Preparation of the area you are repairing is definitely needed for a good repair. If you don’t prep then what is the point, your repair won’t last and we all know we can’t make money doing re-do’s. So make sure you prep your project and have success in painting. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me on Paint Prep for Success.
Tags: dyeing leather, dyeing vinyl, how to prep, paint prepping, painting plastic, prepping leather, prepping solution, what to prep leather with
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