Quality paint job

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

OP
OP
SRQYukon

SRQYukon

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2012
Posts
197
Reaction score
276
Location
Sarasota, FL
drakon543...... It appeared the painters were not "old school" technicians.....

( Which was why the Cadillac shop only hires the old guys )

That's what they told me, why my paint job was so well done.
Thanks for the recommendation. I check them out again. I had not considered them because of a bad experience with collision repair on my wife's caddy. The car was never right after that. But that was 20 years ago. I'm sure they have none of the same staff. Probably not even the same ownership.
 

latvius

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2014
Posts
341
Reaction score
437
Location
Ariton Alabama
If you want it done right do it yourself. You could paint it for around $1500 including paint gun and compressor. I painted my 95 Bronco and while it is not show quality it is better than what they do from the factory.
 

91RS

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Posts
2,482
Reaction score
1,846
Location
GA
If you want it to look good, plan on spending $5,000-$10,000. It’s all in the prep work and the prep work is time consuming. All moldings, emblems, mirrors, door handles, trim, wheel liners, etc. need to be removed. A lot of time will have to be spent taping off stuff that can’t be removed. Then after it’s painted it will need to be wet sanded and buffed. That’s all the stuff you don’t get in a $2,000 paint job.
 

fireboat

TYF Newbie
Joined
Nov 8, 2010
Posts
19
Reaction score
11
Location
Miami
One possibility is going somewhere like Maaco.
Before I get flamed, places like that skimp on prep work. But their painters are usually decent as they crank out paint jobs one after another. Pay for whatever premium paint they offer.
The key is for you to do all of the sanding, filling, taping and trim removal. The biggest part of a paint job is the prep.
 

latvius

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2014
Posts
341
Reaction score
437
Location
Ariton Alabama
One possibility is going somewhere like Maaco.
Before I get flamed, places like that skimp on prep work. But their painters are usually decent as they crank out paint jobs one after another. Pay for whatever premium paint they offer.
The key is for you to do all of the sanding, filling, taping and trim removal. The biggest part of a paint job is the prep.

I did this a LONG time ago it was good for the dollars spent but doing it yourself gets much better paint product quality and the knowledge of how to do and how to fix it if you need to in the future.
 

91RS

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Posts
2,482
Reaction score
1,846
Location
GA
A paint job is not for the faint of heart and definitely isn't something I'd recommend someone jump right into on a vehicle they care about. On another note, there's absolutely nothing wrong with paying someone to do something that you don't have the skills to do yourself. There's no need to make someone feel bad for not knowing or not wanting to do something.
 

latvius

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2014
Posts
341
Reaction score
437
Location
Ariton Alabama
A paint job is not for the faint of heart and definitely isn't something I'd recommend someone jump right into on a vehicle they care about. On another note, there's absolutely nothing wrong with paying someone to do something that you don't have the skills to do yourself. There's no need to make someone feel bad for not knowing or not wanting to do something.


I think you are reading things that were not there, nobody is trying to make anyone "feel" bad about anything. It is a time and money decision as most things in life are. If he doesn't want to spend 5-10K on a paint job i offered a suggestion to paint it himself for a fraction of that price. It takes no special skills to paint a vehicle, it takes time and desire with the reward of knowledge and accomplishment.
 

91RS

Full Access Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Posts
2,482
Reaction score
1,846
Location
GA
It absolutely takes special skills to paint a vehicle. If it took no special skills there wouldn't be so many vehicles running around out there that look like they were painted with a roller in the Home Depot parking lot.
 
OP
OP
SRQYukon

SRQYukon

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2012
Posts
197
Reaction score
276
Location
Sarasota, FL
I have painted many vehicles in the past. And the base-coat/clearcoat systems are much easier than what I used to do. I have the skills to do it myself, but not the time or place. It would take one person two weeks to do it right. And here in Florida, painting in a small garage or carport is not an option except maybe one or two months out of the year. The temperature an humidity will kill you and mar the paint job. Even then there's dust, overspray and bug control to deal with. I really appreciate every one of the suggestions and advice provided. Don't think I can go the Maaco route, even though I know there guys can spray. They just don't use quality paints, in my experience. I will look for a good shop that will do the prep and spray and then I can do the color sanding and buffing myself.
 

mountie

Supporting Member
Joined
May 9, 2018
Posts
3,578
Reaction score
5,912
Location
Wellington, Fl., (formally Kalifornia)
If you don't own a clean 1,500 squ ft shop behind your home.........

1/2 cash, 1/2 credit card. Rent a car for 2 weeks.

Better deal than a new Yukon or Tahoe for $75,000. Look at the money you save, and you have a beautiful SUV again!!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
129,265
Posts
1,813,018
Members
92,367
Latest member
agmanw8n
Top