Painting - how hard can it be....?

[SimNC30]

I’ve got some blank white Skidmarx fairings (both main lower panels and one centre panel) sitting in a box in my house waiting to be painted. I’ve found out what the colours I need are called and where to get them from, and I’ve got a few quotes from people on how much it would cost to have them sprayed, but all the quotes have been really expensive (I think), with the cheapest being around the £300 mark, which seems ridiculous. So I am leaning more toward the idea of spraying the panels myself – how hard can it be?

From what I can gather I need to get panel wipes and clean the surface, then prime with plastic primer, then paint, add decals and lacquer. Easy! But it probably won’t be as easy as that. I’m pretty confident about masking off different section where the colours are different etc but really I want to know how hard it is to do – am I being incredibly optimistic?

I know you have to get a good even covering of paint – so surely that’s achieved with a steady spraying action at a constant distance and that preparation is key, but I want to know from anyone who has had experience of spraying bodywork what the problems are – like am I likely to end up with shoddy looking patchy paint because I’m not a professional?

Also, I’ve read about west sanding down the paint after it’s dried – what’s all that about? If I’m using non-metallic paint and it’s going to be lacquered then that is what gives it the finish I want isn’t it?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated because I am willing to paint myself but I’m really not sure if I actually should.

[viper_biker]

Give it a go, but don't expect pro results. £300 is decent money for a pro job, but if you've nothing to loose then work away at it. I painted my own track-bike to look standard and it came out OK, but certainly not road-worthy. I never lacquered either though.

[alexwitham]

I'd tear the painters arm off at £300....

[CMSMJ1]

I'd tear the painters arm off at £300....

How much would you charge to break a leg? Sturdier than an arm ripping and less messy....


I Painted mine myself too...using halfords rattle cans and it looks wicked from 10 feet away!!

[CMSMJ1]

Just to say that bottom pic is wicked G...

Love it!

[viper_biker]

Just to say that bottom pic is wicked G...

Love it!

Cheers Mark. That was from the day I fell off the bike (was actually the corner before that one)

[SimNC30]

yeah, viper, that bottom pic looks cool, and also the paint on your bike looks fine - obviously i can't see it up close but from the photos i wouldn't look at it and think you'd done it yourself. Maybe £300 for a paint job is a good deal then, but i am leaning toward doing it myself to see if I can actually do it and what the results will be. I just need to do some research on paint technique, although advice still appreciated.

[Drunkn Munky]

Its pretty easy but good preperation and somewhere big enough to do it is vital. Ive had pretty good results with the proper paint cans you get from paint suppliers. There quite pricey compared to halfords but their match any colour you want and the spray nozzle's used on these cans give a much better spray.

[viper_biker]

I never really like the paint job much so I decided to do this LOL

[SimNC30]

I never really like the paint job much so I decided to do this LOL

The last photo - ouch. What was the damage to yourself and the bike?