Im about to start painting my front bumper and ive never painted urethane before so id like to know the steps to painting it. I dont need to add the flex agent to the primer or the base correct? Just the clear? Please fill me in on this, thanks!
Paint questions
- Thread starter stprorolla49
- Start date
Heres how we do it at work...You already sanded the primer down with 500 or 800 grit I assume.....use wax and grease remover on the bumper right when you get it in the booth. Spray you sealer on it. After the sealer has flashed you spray your 1st coat of base...after the base has dried check for any dirt or scratches or any blemish in the bumper..sand the dirt out...shoot next coat of base on it..clear coat and then do a 2nd coat of clear and you should be ok. You really dont need flex agent with good paint. I heard that flex agent wears off after time as well. Thats what Ive been told while I was at tech school,through paint reps and even some painters ive worked with. Now if the bumper is "raw plastic" then you need adheshion promoter before you put sealer on it but ford bumpers always are primed and usualy have scratches that need to be d/a out any how...Thanks Ford lol
fastgtfairlane
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- Apr 7, 2006
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i would start by either wetsanding it with like 320 grit or clean it with scotchbrite pad. you will want to put a sealer on it before you paint it. if you dont the paint could fisheye like it did when i painted my urethane bumper. i would definatly seal it first
fastgtfairlane
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- Apr 7, 2006
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Alright so far i have sanded down the bumper. Some spots are down to the plastic, but most of it isn't. After priming it, seal it? Sorry because im new at painting urethane, but can you lead me to a site where i can get sealer? Since i have sanded it down to raw urethane in a few spots, does that mean i need an adhesion promoter? Where do i get that, and does it get mixed into the primer? Sorry for all the questions, im just trying to learn about painting plastics cause ive never done it before.
You shouldnt need adheshion promotor since its just a few spots. Depending how big those spots are Id hit them with like 2 coats of primer and wetsand those primer spots again with 500grit wet. We use adheshion on new raw bumpers usually toyotas,kia/hyundai,mitsubishi and a few others coem this way. Its basically just deal ya put in and spray lightly over the raw plastic...since your bumpers been painted and is small spots dont worry youll be ok.
As for sealer its best to use the same brand sealer as your base if you cant or just stick with a good name brand..PPG..DuPont..Glasurit..Akzo Noble/Sikkens or if yoru ona budget Omni should work well.
I know this is sort of unrelated but a lot peoples bumper paint flakes off and they assume its lack of flex add it usually is in the prep where the bumper wasnt sanded well.
As for sealer its best to use the same brand sealer as your base if you cant or just stick with a good name brand..PPG..DuPont..Glasurit..Akzo Noble/Sikkens or if yoru ona budget Omni should work well.
I know this is sort of unrelated but a lot peoples bumper paint flakes off and they assume its lack of flex add it usually is in the prep where the bumper wasnt sanded well.
actually its really funny you mention that because before i hit the curb with the current bumper, the paint started flaking off on the same side, and i was convinced that it was a lack of flex agent...i guess that cleared up my suspicions, thanks! heres a pic of the bumper, let me know if you think i need adhesion promoter...
Thanks buddy, sounds like a plan. After the wax and grease remover, then seal it? Then 2 coats of base (wetsanding in between if necessary), then 2 coats of clear?
pwcracer
Founding Member
Our paint company gave me info on how to paint a new urethane bumper and the first thing he told us to do was wash the bumper with very hot water and Spic and Span soap. He said this will ensure all the mold release agents are removed before we start any sanding or spraying. Of course you are not dealing with a new bumper, but thought I would mention it.
95BLKGT5.0
Founding Member
This is very true
Release agents on molds are very tricky even after the part has been painted. Sanding a urethane part can sometime reactiveate the release agents. They are water based so sometimes wax and grease removers don't work. Always wash the part to be painted in hot water and spic-n-span or Dawn dishwashing soap to remove any release agents before and after sanding.
This is very true
Alright, this is really good to know because i wasnt planning on this...thanks guys!
Urethane Adhesion
The trick to painting plastic and urethane bumpers can be found here
EasyPaintYourCar.com
Essentially you need to apply an ADHESION primer-- otherwise, the urethane
will just peel off, especially the second you touch or hit something.
Otherwise, urethane is totally flexible-- so its not cause the paint doesn't flex, its because it doesn't stick to the bumper. Flexing agents are totally unnecessary because modern urethane paints flex like crazy without anything added.
The site (above) is REALLY good for a lot of things, and I REALLY got a lot out of the download manual and video which was straight forward and very easy to follow.
All the good tips in this thread are covered on the EasyPaintACar site.
The trick to painting plastic and urethane bumpers can be found here
EasyPaintYourCar.com
Essentially you need to apply an ADHESION primer-- otherwise, the urethane
will just peel off, especially the second you touch or hit something.
Otherwise, urethane is totally flexible-- so its not cause the paint doesn't flex, its because it doesn't stick to the bumper. Flexing agents are totally unnecessary because modern urethane paints flex like crazy without anything added.
The site (above) is REALLY good for a lot of things, and I REALLY got a lot out of the download manual and video which was straight forward and very easy to follow.
All the good tips in this thread are covered on the EasyPaintACar site.
WOW, back from the dead hahah! Thanks man, the bumper is already done actually. A buddy of mine who works at a body shop was going to get me the materials cheap to paint it myself but when he figured it out, it was only about $40 more to have him do it, so I let him do it.
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