A small scratch in your car’s paint job can ruin the aesthetic appeal and resale value of the vehicle. You can touch up your car’s paint job yourself easily and avoid paying a professional automotive painter to fix a small problem.
Look Over the Car
After you notice a scratch in your car’s paint job that needs to be touched up take the opportunity to look over the entire car for other scratches or fading paint. Make note of each area in need of attention so nothing is forgotten or overlooked.
The Right Paint
When touching up a car paint job it is important to get the right kind of touch up paint. There are a number of resources you can use to determine the exact color of touch up paint you need. The car’s owners’ manual, websites for different paint brands or your car manufacturer will let you know the exact paint appropriate for your car’s model year and make. Be sure to purchase enough paint to touch up all of the scratches. You shouldn’t need more than a quart or pint worth of paint, depending on the amount of work you’re going to be doing.
Wash & Sand
Wash and dry the entire car thoroughly before applying any touch up paint. This will ensure there isn’t any debris left on the car’s surface that can make existing scratches worse or create new ones. Once the car is dry, use a specialized nick sander to sand every spot on the car in need of a touch up.
Clear Coat & Top Coat
Apply a clear base coat to the spots on your car you are touching up. A base coat will create smooth, even surface for the colored paint. Allow the clear coat to dry completely before applying the colored top coat of paint. Read and follow instructions listed on the touch up paint carefully. If you haven’t used touch up paint on your car before, choose an inconspicuous test spot to try the base and top coat paints on before using the products on the main body of your car.
Touch up your car paint job to fix unattractive scratches and fades in the vehicle’s finish. The tools for touching up your car are easy to find and the process is simple to complete at home on your own.
*Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
