painting grille

['Buru in the Burgh]

So I'm going to paint my stock grille in a couple of weeks.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/

I hate the chrome trim, plus how the grille isn't black, it's like a dark gray color. I found some advice for painting plastic grilles on NASIOC, this is the best I got:



1. sand through the chrome with 220 grit
2. clean & dry
3. primer for plastic 2 or 3 coats
4. dry
5. sand with 600 grit
6. clean & dry
7. paint (your color of choice)
8. dry
9. smooth out paint with rubbing compound
10. clean & dry
11. clear coat 3-5 coats
12. dry
13. polish & wax


From everyone's experience from paintings grilles on here, anything you would add or subtract from that list? I'm also looking for paint options, I don't want a glossy shiny black but also don't want like super flat black. Suggestions?

Thanks,
Lee

[dodik]

i'd also recommend you use adhesion promoter right before primer to make sure it all sticks, and make sure you degrease all the surfaces before painting

[Reason]

Wet sand #9, my grill came out pretty Damn good. I would have wet sanded the end if I did a clear coat which I should have done.

[chuckthefuk]

between 11 & 12 you can wet sand with 1200 to make it really smooth and shine like it was OEM :-D same with 12 - 13

-Chuck

['Buru in the Burgh]

I'm not familiar with wet sanding, anyone care to fill me in. I'd rather hear it from my dudes on here instead of google!

[Huffer]

Get sandpaper in the grit you want, making sure it can be used wet. Wet grille, wet sandpaper, sand. Keep dunking the sandpaper in water to keep it wet.

[skippymo]

i would recommend 1200 grit...think of it like this. once you have all the dust in between the grains of the sand it won't sand anymore, that's why you need to keep dunking it. also a drip of dish soap in your rinse water will make things a bit easier (breaks the surface tension) anytime you paint you want to use prepsol or alcohol to wipe down the area that is getting paint. it will help the stick of the primer / paint and also remove any residual dust. also side note, don't worry about if the coats are a little lite. let them dry and re-coat. have more than one layer of paint is better than paint runs. if you want a super gloss you can also sand up to 2500 grit, prep it, clear coat, clear coat again, buff with polishing compound, apply a shit ton of wax...then you will be able to shave in the reflection.

['Buru in the Burgh]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm not trying to make it shiny, so I may cut out some of the waxing or whatever.

[Reason]

Its also to make it smooth like it was done by the factory. If you don't care about shine don't wax it too much at the end. It's very easy, I can't remember the grits I used but I can say the steps I used doing a grill. Sand paint off, wet sand a few coats of primer wet sand another.2 coats.of primer wet sand then clean. Let dry then.stat to paint. Light coats are good like what was said above. I wet sanded after every few coats, but not too much or it will come off. I did this till I was satisfied with my results. Then I rink I did use a clear coat. One I was done it was.awesome, then I noticed a big thumb print and got pissed. I ended up not liking how it looked with my car so I sold the grill to slaytara (not the band).

[httrdd]

I would recomend this primer and this expoxy grill guard paint (last two cans). This shit is tough and will withstand all the gravel and dirt that hits. I have this on my wheels and not a chip yet.

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/10/utf8BSU1HMDA0OTEtMjAxMDEwMDgtMDkxMi5qcGc-1.jpg

[BigWillieStyles]

I did this a few weeks back because my grill had the chrome chipping off. Finished off looking really good. I went for a matte black look.

Just make sure you use wet and dry sandpaper with a fine grit. Otherwise you will scratch the surface and it will show up more when you paint.

[BG5guy]

i use flat black bumper coating, last forever and doesnt come off as long as you sand the crap outta the grill to give it a clean surface to stick to

[Reason]

You can use regular sand paper to wet sand if you have to. I did this when I polished the from on my motorcycle. The paper obviously doesn't last as long az the wet paper.

[beeda]

hey bigwillie or bg5guy. could we get some pictures to see how they turned out?

['Buru in the Burgh]

Wow guys, thank you all so much for the helpful responses! I can always count on SL-i : )

What paint would you guys recommend? I'm looking for black paint in spray form that's not too glossy but not too flat. Suggestion? Cheaply priced if possible.

I'm a little intimidated with this painting, I've never been very good at painting, and I'm always afraid I'm gonna efff something up. That's why I haven't painted my headlights yet haha.

[chuckthefuk]

Your looking for a "SATIN" finish. Its pretty much Semi-Gloss with a bit less gloss.

Tremclad Pro Series is my paint of choice for everything. As long as you seal it with some flat/glossy clear your good to go.

[scubydu]

I've used plasti-dip spray with great success. makes a super durable finish with exactly the right sheen. Also works great on interior pieces. Just my 2 cents.

['Buru in the Burgh]

What about this in satin:
http://www.plastikote.com/products/Spec ... Paint.html (http://www.plastikote.com/products/Specialty/Chassis-and-Grille-Guard-Paint.html)

[azlegacy]

I have a hard time with it chipping. I think ill try that plastkote if I can find it locally.