The standard colors of the cheapest stamped wheels do not always satisfy buyers of modern cars. Therefore, the possibility of painting these parts is increasingly being used. You can do the procedure yourself, but painting this element is not as easy as you might think. This will require a special type of painting material, as well as preparation of the stamping itself for the procedure. In order for painting stamped discs with your own hands to be successful, you will have to carry out all the processes efficiently.
Any paint job on your car can be overwhelming if you don't have any experience. In addition, it will not be easy to do all the work with discs from a simple cheap aerosol can. It is highly desirable to have access to good materials and proper equipment. Otherwise, it will not be easy to achieve your goals and complete the painting work really well. So, let's look at some features of high-quality and durable wheel painting.
Methods
There are several methods for restoring the appearance of these wheels:
- With rubber removed.
- No removal.
The first method involves a trip to a tire shop, after which paint is applied to bare rims. Yes, it is much easier to apply enamel to such a surface. But there are also some problems. If you rush to change shoes and take such wheels to a tire shop ahead of time, there is a risk that the enamel will be damaged when installing the tire. You need to wait until the surface is completely dry.
In addition, not every motorist has a set of spare wheels. And the cost of tire fitting itself can be up to a thousand rubles. If we are talking about painting stamped wheels from a spray can on a budget with your own hands, then this method will not work.
Wheels are painted in two colors. Materials and technology for self-repair.
If you want to not only restore your rims, but also give them a special look, then you should take note of such a technique as painting the rims in two colors. This is used as an accent for the car, and the technology for applying the materials is not complicated, which encourages drivers to paint them themselves. Thus, by slightly repairing the surface of the discs and choosing a visually beautiful combination of paint colors, you can achieve a bright effect, which is what many car enthusiasts do.
Materials and tools
Before starting work, you will need to collect the necessary set of tools and supplies.
There really aren’t that many of them, and there shouldn’t be any problems buying them.
- sandpaper. You will also need a drill with a metal stripping attachment. Both fine and coarse abrasives will be needed.
- degreaser.
- rags and napkins.
- primer.
- masking tape, film or paper.
- paint in a can, or in a jar (for a spray gun with a compressor).
- varnish (optional).
Most car owners spray primer, paint and varnish using aerosol cans, since a spray gun and a compressor are not always available in the garage.
Prepare more masking tape and protective film, because when painting either cast or stamped wheels in two colors, you will need to gradually cover the unpainted areas of the surface using these consumables.
Another type of paint that is used when updating paintwork, according to a scheme that includes two colors on disks, is powder paint, which is applied using a special spray gun and then baked in an oven. The quality of such coating is high, but this cannot be implemented at home, since expensive equipment is needed, and in a single case it is not cost-effective.
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Several photos of examples of work.
Preparing the surface
Preparation is an important stage on which the quality of the paint layer and the appearance of the disc surface will depend. This process can be divided into several stages.
- We remove the wheels from the car and either dismantle the rubber or cover it with a protective film if you do not want to remove it.
- Washing with automotive chemicals to remove dirt, dust, resins and grease stains.
- Removing damaged layers of old paintwork using a drill with an attachment and sandpaper. If desired, you can clean the entire surface.
- Washing and degreasing using white spirit.
- We repair deep scratches and chips with putty, applying it gradually in several layers, drying and sanding. And again we degrease the surface of the disk.
This completes the preparatory stage.
Technology of painting wheel rims in two colors
Now we proceed directly to applying the paint layer itself. Here the whole process is also divided into stages.
- Surface primer. The primer is applied in 2 – 3 layers, with a drying period between layers of 15 – 20 minutes. Next, wait until the part dries for 3 to 5 hours. This process can be accelerated by using an industrial hair dryer or IR heater.
- Final coat of paint. Before applying the main color, you need to decide in advance on the treatment scheme and seal all untreated areas with masking tape and film. Next, apply 2 – 3 layers of paint of the main color, with a drying period of 15 – 20 minutes. We wait until the surface dries, usually about 1 – 4 hours.
- We remove the previously sealed tape and glue a new one onto the already treated area of the disks, tightly covering the surface from drops of a different shade. We also apply 2–3 layers of material of a different color and wait for it to dry.
- Remove the tape and, if necessary, apply varnish to the entire disc. Then, after complete drying, you can polish the part.
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This completes the processing. There are several points to consider when choosing a color scheme. For example, often one of the wheel colors is painted exactly in the color of the body, and the second is made very contrasting. For example, if you have a gray car, then the base paint is applied in gray, and some of the blades and the outline of the disk are painted red. It turns out really beautiful and impressive. There are no restrictions on the choice of shades; recently, combinations of two bright and contrasting colors have been in fashion. Also, some car owners, having decided to paint the wheels in two colors, and even with their own hands, spend a lot of time on the process and make smooth transitions from one color to another, often of the same shade. For example, from bright red to burgundy, iridescent. This is done using an airbrush.
Have you tried applying two different colors to the rims of your car? If so, how do you like the result and how long did this coating last? We are waiting for your answers in the comments.
Advantages of the method without disassembly
Many motorists choose this method because it has a number of advantages:
- Save time. The work can be completed in half a day. And if you paint the rims from a spray can yourself, then it will take 2-3 hours. After all, such enamel dries in 7-10 minutes. In addition, there is no need to waste time going to a tire shop and looking for a second set of wheels.
- Saving money. To paint rims with a flange, you need to visit the tire shop twice. These are additional expenses. Also, when putting on a tire, the wheel must be balanced. You have to pay for all this.
Preparation
First, you need to carefully check the condition of the disc being painted. Agree, it will be extremely disappointing if it turns out that a disk that looks like a brand new one does not hold its geometry. That is, we go to the service station and roll stampings if they need it. Any small holes found (if the discs are in a disgusting condition) are welded. But it’s better not to let this happen, and not to restore a leaky disk at all (only if absolutely necessary).
That the wheels are removed from the car is not a question. Whether to remove the tires is up to everyone to decide for themselves. There are enthusiasts of complete dismantling, but most amateur car painters agree that this is unnecessary, unless you suspect rust under the slope - then the rubber will have to be removed without fail. If the ramp cannot be dismantled, it needs to be lowered a little to make it easier to work. The rubber is covered on all sides with polyethylene, its edges are hidden along the disk and secured with masking tape. You can completely cover it with pieces of masking tape.
Is it possible to paint on site, without removing the wheels from the car?
This is a very quick way to paint stamping discs. But it is dangerous because the enamel will roll down when sloped.
As a result, drips will form. It is quite difficult to remove them - you will have to completely remove all the enamel. Therefore, do not be lazy to unscrew the wheel and paint the stamped discs with your own hands on a horizontal surface. This is the only way to achieve the best effect.
How to paint stamped wheels yourself? Everything is not as difficult as it seems
Looking for recommendations on how to paint stamped wheels yourself sometimes takes owners of not very new cars with a limited family budget by surprise.
There is no interest in buying a new stamping - too soon it will be no different from the old one. You still need to save a lot of money for cast alloy wheels, but driving on used, rusting and bent ones is not only unpleasant, but also risky - you will forget about the condition of the rims, and you may end up without wheels at all. Spending on painting at a service station is quite illogical and expensive: it’s a fairly simple matter, it doesn’t require much intelligence, and auto mechanics will charge so much for painting work that, you see, it’s enough for one brand new alloy wheel. So painting the stampings yourself is a profitable and convenient option in all respects. How to paint stamped wheels yourself: the instructions are detailed, clarifying all possible points and offering different options.
What do you need for work?
To paint stamped discs with your own hands, you should prepare:
- Spray can. On average, four disks with a diameter of 14 inches require from 1 to 2 cans with a capacity of 400 milliliters. It’s better to buy in reserve so you don’t have to rush to the store later. And the remainder will be useful for further painting. After all, over time, chips appear on any disc. They can be hidden with the same enamel from stock. Therefore, we buy at least 3-4 cans.
- Consumables. This is masking tape, degreaser and paper.
- Jack, balloon.
In order not to prop the car up on bricks, it is better to paint the stamped wheels yourself, one wheel at a time.
Direct painting
At the main stage there is a subtlety: you need to process both the front side and the one facing under the bottom. People approach the issue in different ways. Some completely finish the first side (prime, paint, dry), and only then move on to the second. Others first apply a primer on all sides, then start painting, again all sides. Decide for yourself what is more convenient for you. In any case, the untreated side is covered with film while waiting, so that you don’t have to wash it again afterwards. But it is better to degrease again before immediate action.
The fully prepared disc is primed. This is done in at least two layers, but it is better to use 3-4, with breaks between approaches to allow the previous application to dry. When the soil dries completely, you can sand the surface with the finest sandpaper so that it is perfectly smooth. However, this step is not required; many people skip it.
Next step
– actual painting. The most suitable paint is acrylic. It is smoother, more economical and faster to apply it with a spray gun with an attached compressor, but you can also get by with spray cans. Acrylic is poisonous, so we follow the safety rules:
- the room should be well ventilated, otherwise it is better to do the work outside, but in the absence of strong wind and rain;
- no drafts are required. Outside you will have to wait for calm weather or find a quiet corner where the wind does not blow;
- face mask. Ideally, a respirator, but at least don’t neglect the mask.
Rust control
As we said earlier, stamped wheels tend to rust. In order for the new paint to last as long as possible, corrosion must be prevented. For this purpose, a rust converter is applied to the surface of the disc. It is best to use spray products. The composition will evenly cover the entire area of the disc and create a protective zinc layer. Pay great attention to this issue.
After all, if you apply paint to an unprepared surface (and anti-silicone cannot eat away rust), then corrosion will occur already during the first wash. If there are large traces of corrosion, use sandpaper. Try not to use a wire brush - it will scratch the factory enamel. As a result, significant risks and scratches will be visible when painting.
By the way, for those who want to smooth out deep scratches without putty on the disc, we recommend using “anti-gravel.”
Disc processing
First, it is naturally washed off road deposits and dried. Then all rust spots are cleaned off and the welds are smoothed out. To speed up the process, either buy or borrow from neighbors in garages an electric drill with appropriate attachments. Hard-to-reach curves are sanded by hand
, sandpaper. Periodically, it is necessary to wash off the resulting dust so that it does not cover untreated areas and subsequently does not get under the primer or paint. If somewhere the corrosion has eaten too deeply, you will have to resort to a corrosion converter.
After cleaning, making sure that nothing is missing anywhere, the disk is finally washed, dried (for speed, you can use a hair dryer, if you have somewhere to get it), and the disk is degreased - at least with the same unchanged white spirit. Chips, deep cracks and rust holes are smoothed out with putty. After it dries, the disc will have to be degreased again.
Rim wrap
This is the most important stage of the work. The quality of painting will depend on it. And this is where opinions differ. Some people recommend covering it the old fashioned way - using masking tape to cover the sidewall of the tire. Others insert a deck of cards along the outline.
But there are other methods:
- Installing the sidewall of an old wheel. You just need to find an unnecessary tire of the same diameter (width does not matter) and cut out the sidewall. It will serve as a kind of stencil. The method is quite fast and does not require accuracy. We install the sidewall evenly on the wheel and simply apply paint.
- Use of A3 paper. It is quite hard and does not blow away with air like A4. Place the paper horizontally in the gap between the wheel rim and the tire. Additionally, you can secure it all with masking tape. This stencil is reusable. When applying paint it does not get wet.
Applying paint
Of course, a spray can is not the best way to paint stamped wheels. It is better to apply the enamel with your own hands using a spray bottle. But since we are painting on a budget, it’s worth using this method. So, we glue the sidewall so that the enamel does not get on part of the wheel. Next, shake the can and produce the so-called developing layer. It should be the thinnest. If the factory enamel remains on the metal, you can paint it without a primer. The second layer will be thicker. Try to avoid drips - apply the composition evenly at a distance of about 30-40 centimeters.
Apply the third layer in the same way. If you need to achieve a shiny effect, use a clear varnish. It also needs to be applied in several layers using a similar algorithm. The varnish will not only add shine, but will protect the base enamel from damage.
