How Long Does It Take To Paint A Car?
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Sometimes, scratches and nicks happen, making the paint on your car chip. If left to fester, these chips can wind up cracking your paint and making a paint job or repair much more expensive. That’s when painting your car could come in handy, helping you achieve the results you want.
But, how long does it take to paint a car and what can you expect if you take yours in to get a paint job? Find out all that and more, below.
What to Expect When Painting Your Car
When you take your can in to get a paint job, a lot more happens than just taking it in and getting it painted. There are also assessments and wait times that you should be familiar with.
The Assessment
Any paint expert that you take your car to will want to do an initial assessment. During this time, they will walk around your car and look for a number of things like your decals, the current quality of paint, and much more. The key is to get a good idea about what it would take to paint your car so both you and the painters know what to expect.
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The Paint
After an initial look, you and your technician will have a better idea about the time it will take and the necessary steps to follow. The next step is to match the paint, a step that needs to be done with care. These days, there’s a lot of technology that will do the trick, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find the color you prefer.
The Take Apart
Once things are in place and ready to go, the process of painting your car will begin. The first thing that will happen is the taking apart of all the pieces, which means, lights, emblems, bumpers, and anything that you don’t want to paint the same color. This is not a difficult task though it may take much longer than you might bargain for.
The Patch and Repair
While technicians are there, a lot of times they’ll look for dents from bumps or hail and patch them up. There is paint-less dent repair and other tools that they can use. On top of checking for chips and dents, this is the part of the process where sanding will start, making sure that there is a smooth surface for painting.
The Prime and Wait
At some point after all the small repairs comes the need to add a few coats of primer. This is perhaps the part that takes the longest, having to apply, wait, and apply again. Depending on your goal and the process of the painter you chose, they could add anywhere from 2 to 3 coats with a day of drying in between.
The Painting
With the car primed, your painter will go through one last round of block sanding to make sure all is nice and smooth, finishing off with a good scrub of your car. It’s them wiped off and smoothed over with a solvent, which is meant to remove any kinds of oils. Then, the painting will start, beginning with a sealer, a color sanding, and then a buffing. Some paint experts out there will take a break in between, giving the products time to seep in and dry before buffing the final layer.
The End
Most of the time, the process doesn’t end at painting. A lot of these guys are perfectionists and want to reveal your car in its best possible shape. So, they will take it and have it shined up before giving it a final inspection. Then, it’s all done and you can come and enjoy your new paint job.
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How Long Does It Take to Paint a Car?
So, having all that said, how long does it take to paint a car? As you can tell, there are a ton of steps, most of them need some time in between for drying or soaking. Still, there are ways to paint a car quickly, especially if it’s only a small portion.
For the method of painting mentioned above, you could be looking at a whole week until you get your car back. At the least, you may have to leave it for three days, as all of the steps are carefully passed from one stage to the next.
What’s the Cost of a Paint Job?
The cost of a paint job varies by the type of car you have, the amount of repair needed, and the area you’re in. When painting, you have to pay for labor costs, materials, and more, which could make the price add up.
As a good estimate, you may wind up spending about $4000 in labor and another $2000 on parts, coming to close to $6000. This amount changes for different reasons, including your car and your town, so be sure to get an estimate and check around before running into any surprises.
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It’s All About the Dry Time
There is a lot more that goes into painting your car than just spraying a coat on and waiting for it to dry. There are steps that all good painters will want to make it through, including letting it dry and giving it a final scrub before releasing it back to you.
Before you get any work done on your car, make sure that you go with a trusted body shop that offers guarantees for their work. On top of that, make sure that you are a part of the assessment and the selection of the color, making sure that you choose the color and style you want.
Don’t get taken aback by long wait times to paint your car. Once you see the fresh coat, you’ll realize that it’s worth it, making your car look brand new. Shop around your area and find the best deals, going with trusted painters that have a process that works from stripping to full paint to the final reveal.
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