>R.B, it seems to be a pretty steep price. I got an estimate for just paint
>for 2000U$ I think your estimate is just as pricey as mine. I am sick and
>tired of these high paint costs and feel that I should learn how to paint.
>I know I can hire a pro part time bodyshop technician to get my car set up
>for painting, then Hire an oven for about two hours and save major bucks.
>
>I am unsure if you can learn how to paint by reading books, videos seem to
>be the way to go but I still feel a good 5 day course would do the job.
>Anybody out there have any suggestions?
>
>Enriques
The only good way to learn is through a course put on by a paint supplier,
since you really need hands-on experience, and someone watching over your
shoulder the first couple of times you pick up the gun. Oh, and be aware
that every type of paint, sprays differently. To a lesser degree, this is
also true with different brands of paint. If you can find a training
class, expect to pay in the $200 range for it. They're really meant for
the guys who paint for a living, not someone who's just wanting to paint
their own car.
As to why refininishing a car is so expensive, most quality modern paints
are around $100 a gallon, plus you have reducers, hardeners, wax and grease
remover, haxardous waste removal fees, etc. As I always told my customers
when I was working in a shop, a paint job is only as good as the surface
you put it on, so factor in all the preparation time, and removal of trim
pieces. When I painted my B a few months ago, I used about $500 in
materials, and about 8 hours in the booth. I probably spent 100 hours
doing the bodywork and blocksanding everything to ensure that it was
straight.
If you want a professional quality job, hire a professional. If you just
want it to look good from a few feet away, you can try to do it yourself.
But for about the same money, you can get one of those budget paint jobs
from someone like Maaco. It's your car, and your choice.
Calvin Krug
former bodyshop estimator
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