Painting handles, grills, vents etc

[bmouthboyo]

Iv had my van sprayed recently but to keep costs down I hoped to do the Poptop roof, handles, 2 front grills and the rear vents myself.

The previous owner slapped paint on everything so I will sand them back as best I can.

Could I paint everything apart from the Poptop to a reasonable standard with just sanding, primer and black rattle can? Or should I really get these done professionally? Iv never painted using cans myself before.

Are the handles tricky? Do they ideally need powder coating?

Cheers

[Winchweight]

You should be fine, just use automotive paint. Warm the paint and shake well. Thin coats, that begin off the item and sweep across and off the other side. Don't rush it, many thin coats are better than one thick one.

[CovKid]

From experience, rattle can paint on door handles doesn't tend to stand up to the rigours of everyday use and an enamel or at least 2-pack is better on those but otherwise, all the plastics can be painted easily. Just prep them well.

[300CE]

I use one of these when i'm spraying as well - clips onto the can to make the spraying easier and seems to give a bit more control:

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/ ... 0wodpf4OtQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bmouthboyo]

Perfect, thanks for the advice everyone.

For the handles I might get them done by a paint shop then. Is powder oat or 2pac spray best? And how much would I be looking at roughly?

Cheers

[bmouthboyo]

My mate has a air compressor I can borrow. Is it worth buying a spray gun and bits I'd need to spray the grills and vent? Or given its such a small amount just use rattle cans?

[gary1998]

i painted bumpers, grills ,vents and door handles with halfords truck bed liner spray paint
it gives a nice textured finish and is pretty hard wearing

[AlandAnn]

I sprayed my Vents n Grills with Radiator Paint from a spray can and finished it off with aspray of clear lacquer to protect the surface.

Unless you're thinking of selling your VW I wouldn't worry too much about whether the finish is that great, although if you're not confident you could practice spraying on a flat surface to see how you get on.

[New Kentish Campers]

Perfect, thanks for the advice everyone.

For the handles I might get them done by a paint shop then. Is powder oat or 2pac spray best? And how much would I be looking at roughly?

Cheers

I'd have them use a drop of 2 pack, likely cheap than power coating. When I did my grilles and handles, bumpers, etc, I used a drop of cellulose matt black, mixed in a little 2 pack clear lacquer and hardener and sprayed the lot, using about half a litre of mixed product and they look fine. I expect you can buy 2 pack semi matt black ready for use, but my effort worked dandy and I had the paint and lacquer spare anyway. As always, preparation is everything

I also removed the lock barrel from the handles as masking them is tricky