Touch-Up Paint Instructions

The difference between a professional's work when painting a car and an amateur's work often lies in the details. Professionals make sure that their paint job includes attention to the small details that an amateur will bypass. A first-timer can give a car a professional-looking paint job by taking a little extra time to complete all the small tasks that, in the end, complete the job nicely.

Instructions

Large Area of the Car

1

Obtain the exact paint color needed. Contact the car's manufacturer to ascertain which paint the manufacturer used for the original coat. Manufacturers supply paint to match their cars' colors. Many auto supply stores have paints that match the paints car manufacturers used.

2

Wash the car and let it dry thoroughly. Wash the entire car, or at least the area where you intend to paint, plus a large surrounding patch. You don't want dust particles from the surrounding area to adhere to your new paint job.

3

Sand the area that you intend to paint with a special automotive sandpaper. You can buy this sandpaper at an auto supply store.

4

Lay a clear base coat layer on the area that you intend to touch up. Different brands of base paint have different instructions, so read your instructions carefully and follow them exactly.

5

Spray the new paint on the paint area, using straight back and forth patterns. You will overlap the rows as you spray.

6

Allow the paint to dry and then wax and buff the car.

Scratches and Nicks

7

Cover the exposed scratch with a high-build, high-quality epoxy-based primer surfacer.

8

Dab on at least three coats of paint (making sure that each coat dries before putting on the next).

9

Sand the area lightly, wax and buff it.