Bumper paint and clearcoat and temperature

[Nitpicker]

Young person hit my Honda Accord and popped the rear bumper with a ding - paint cracked. Ding sprung back. Visited paint shop, they want $300+ to repaint. I'm all for supporting local business but the price turned my stomach. I can do this myself as I have both airbrush and HVLP. Question is: Is there special paint for bumpers or is it the same as the body basecoat? Does a bumper require a clearcoat? With Western PA weather what is the minimum temperature for the bumper and air to do the work?

 

[RMR&C]

$300 is not really that bad......paint materials are fairly expensive

Yes it likely has clear coat. Temp of bumper, paint and air should be 65 degrees. Less than that it will run and not dry very well.

 

[pipsters]

$300 is a steal for a shop to do it.

Look into the PPE you'd need to spray 2k paint. You need a forced air system. No mask can filter out the chemicals in the paint. That alone will run you over $300.

If they hit your car they have to pay anyway.

 

[tcianci]

If they prepare, paint, blend and clear the repair for $300 bucks, consider it a bargain. If you buy the proper materials (base, clear, activators and reducers) you will likely spend close to 200 bucks for the smallest quantities and then you're on your own as far as color matching. If you're really wanting to turn this into a low buck DIY project, go to NAPA and have them mix your color in a rattle can. Typically it's under 20 bucks. You will never get that quantity of paint for that price anywhere. You will need to blend the repair to make it invisible and you will have to clear over a larger area to do that. Rattle can clears aren't as robust as catalyzed products and for the amount of clear you're going to need, the least expensive way to get that is to order a rattle can of 2K clear. you won't need any reducers or activators with the rattle can products. The 2K clear does have a pot life and once you start the product reaction, you will lose any stuff that you don't spray

 

[K13]

You will never be able to do the job for less than that at home if you don't want to be able to see it. You will need primer, base and clear to do the job properly. You may even need some filler to repair any damage to the bumper that you cannot see. When dealing with plastic bumpers you also need the proper adhesion promoters or the paint won't stick.

 

[don long]

You will never be able to do the job for less than that at home if you don't want to be able to see it. You will need primer, base and clear to do the job properly. You may even need some filler to repair any damage to the bumper that you cannot see. When dealing with plastic bumpers you also need the proper adhesion promoters or the paint won't stick.

I agree with all you have said and will add there is a flex additive needed to keep the paint from cracking as well

 

[countryroad82]

Not to be a Debbie Downer but I have to agree with the others. Not that I am saying you can't do it, it is that cost will far outweigh the shops' price. I spray Dupont products and the way I was taught to paint bumper covers is as follows
1. Clean clean clean
2. Wipe down with pre cleaner and then final cleaner (2 different products you can get away without the final cleaner in a pinch around $20 each)
3. Tac rag ($3)
4. Spray 222S adhesion promoter ($35 per quart this is the smallest amount you can buy)
5.Seal the area with appropriate sealer (Dupont Nason line around $40 a quart plus another $15 or so for a 1/2 pint of activator)
6. Activate your base with 12305S hardener (about $25-$30 for a 1/2 pint which acts as a flex additive) after you thin your basecoat ($35 for a 1/2 pint of base and about $20 for a quart of thinner)
7. Use flex additive in the clear (Duponts' is about $80 for a quart and a quart of Nason clear is about $25 for the clear and $15 or so for the activator)
As always this is just the painting process you still have to feather the busted paint out, sand a bigger area if not the whole bumper (if you don't know how to buff or have a buffer I recommend clearing the entire bumper and blend the paint), priming, masking if you don't take the bumper off. In those materials lets just say about another $60 or so if you buy good primer, tape, sandpaper, and a roll of masking paper. All in all just this guess and my prices are fairly close you will have about $400 in the ordeal. This is using products I know I don't have failures with. You can use cheaper products, but it is a crapshot. If you are willing to learn though that is great after you buy up the intiial products you can do many more projects but just for one bumper it is not feasible to me.

 

[Nitpicker]

Thanks all. Much appreciated.