Cost of a Do-It-Yourself Paint Job
Cost of a Do-It-Yourself Paint Job I am thinking about tackeling my first paintjob.
I think I've got a grip on the tools cost, but really don't know how much money I need to save up for the cost of the Primer/Paint/Clear coat.
So, what do you guys think?
Ryan K.
I think I've got a grip on the tools cost, but really don't know how much money I need to save up for the cost of the Primer/Paint/Clear coat.
So, what do you guys think?
Ryan K.
gallon of primer-around $120
2 quarts of sealer and hardner-around $100
Basecoat (the color plays a pretty big role in the cost, but we'll say somewhere around 3-4 quarts)-$300-400
gallon of basecoat reducer-$50
gallon of clear with hardner-around $150
sandpaper, tape, paper, etc-around $100
You can definately do it cheaper and also much more expensive. Just depends on how durable and good you want the job to come out.
2 quarts of sealer and hardner-around $100
Basecoat (the color plays a pretty big role in the cost, but we'll say somewhere around 3-4 quarts)-$300-400
gallon of basecoat reducer-$50
gallon of clear with hardner-around $150
sandpaper, tape, paper, etc-around $100
You can definately do it cheaper and also much more expensive. Just depends on how durable and good you want the job to come out.
Teching In
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 40
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good bondo (rage extreme) 40.00 a gallon
good primer/hardner (upol) 125.00 a gallon
sealer (i would use a two part catalyzed sealer). 125.00 a gallon
base coat (some people dont believe the base coat is as important as the top coat, depends on the budget i suppose but base will run you from 130-600 a gallon, depending on the color (reds are higher)
clears are the same, you can get a kit (clear and hardner)of highsolids clear for for as little as 120, but if you go with some of the more highline clears (dupont, ppg) your costs will more than triple on the clears.
plus the costs of various sand paper from prep to finishing paper i would set aside 100 for that aswell.
obviously depends on how much you want to spend and how much work you are doing to the body, how straight it is and how the original paint is, some things like bondo/primer can be bought in smaller portions but i would buy no less than a gallon of sealer, color and clear. so the costs of materials can run you anywhere from 500 to 1000 or more, depending on what you are looking to do, what color you are spraying, so on and so forth.
Ryan, there are different levels of quality for paint. If you can try do do a basecoat clearcoat paint job. It cost a little more than single stage but it is well worth the extra money. A basecoat job will last longer and ia actually easier to spray. Make sure that you use a catalyzed primer and not a lacquer based primer. The less expensive basecoat system primer paint and clear should run (depending on the color, red is the most expensive) will run between $200-$300 give or take. The better paint could run up to $800 or more for the whole set up. Good luck, i ran an automotive paint store for 12 years and was a painter up until 2 years ago. If you have any questions give me a call.
There's such a broad range of choices when it comes to paint and body materials it's overwhelming. You can buy filet mignon or you can buy squirrel burger, it just depends on how much you want to spend.
You're on a budget, you can use off-brand primers and clears, but if the color is a metallic, don't buy cheap basecoat... it never looks right. Matrix is about as cheap a basecoat as I would put on anything. IT's a PPG rip, but the metallics and pearls still have the right sparkle and the price is right.
You could probably spend about $700 and have a nice job that will hold up in the sun well. Double that and you could have top-shelf everything. (2 stage)
You're on a budget, you can use off-brand primers and clears, but if the color is a metallic, don't buy cheap basecoat... it never looks right. Matrix is about as cheap a basecoat as I would put on anything. IT's a PPG rip, but the metallics and pearls still have the right sparkle and the price is right.
You could probably spend about $700 and have a nice job that will hold up in the sun well. Double that and you could have top-shelf everything. (2 stage)
