Reveries of an Undergraduate: DIY : How To Spray Paint Your Bumper at Home Using Aerosol Cans

As I mentioned before in my previous post, I would like to share how to spray paint your bumper at home using aerosol cans. Sending your bumper for paint at workshops would set you at least RM200 including GST (that dreaded bloodsucker), but I did mine for less than that inclusive of the new bumper.

As my Viva is a standard version, I’ve always been in love with the design of the Viva Elite. It looks much more appealing if compared to the standard Viva. Back then, if you have noticed in my previous posts, the bumper is a Viva Elite bumper but it’s black. It’s not painted black, but the colour of the material (polyurethane/PU) is black. Being the thrifty person that I am, I had not painted the bumper for 2 years and it has gone through quite a beating. It’s plain ugly. So I decided to get rid of the old one and opted for a new bumper instead.

Viva Elite bumper

I’m using the Taiwan Viva Elite bumper which costed me RM72.10 including GST, and I bought it at Standards Kuching, Mile 3. I always get my parts there because it’s the cheapest that I could find.

What do you need if you plan to do this DIY? Here I will list down the items you need.

1. Plastic Adhesion Primer (RM23.10)

2. 1K Primer (RM18)

3. Aikka colour-coded paint (Rm31.60)

4. Samurai 2K Clearcoat (RM26.50)

5. 1200 grit sandpaper (RM2)

6. Soap and water

7. Patience

All and all, this particular project will set you back RM173.30 inclusive of GST. I managed to save a bit as I found a bottle of 1K primer in the store, a leftover from my previous project. I did this entire project in the span of 2 days as the weather was not that friendly and I really don’t have time to spend to do it in one day.

First of all, before starting with anything, clean the bumper with a cloth. I was too excited to bother washing it with soap, as I will need time for it to dry. What I did was, I wiped the entire bumper with a microfiber towel. Next, after wiping, cover all the parts that you don’t want to get spray on with masking tape and newspaper. The hardest part in masking is to cover the grille and the holes where you put the foglights at.

After masking it all off, spray it with the plastic adhesion primer. This is a MUST when spraying a new bumper because there is simply no grip for the paint to adhere on. When there is no adhesion, the paint won’t stick. If it does stick, the paint will crack and peel off in a matter of months. The plastic adhesion primer is clear, and one can is enough for the entire bumper. It dries off very quickly, and it leaves a rough surface on the bumper.

After spraying with plastic adhesion primer

Once the plastic adhesion promoter is completely dried, the 1K primer comes next. Give the bumper a thin coat of primer, and once it flashes off, a thick second and third layer of primer is sprayed on. After the primer has dried, it is then wetsanded using a 1200 grit sandpaper and soap. The purpose of wetsanding it is to make sure that the primer is smooth. Some may disagree with this part, but I’ve noticed that when I don’t sand at this stage, I have to sand the clearcoat which is much hassle and I need a polishing machine to get it right. Once it is sanded and the primer is smooth, let it dry before the next stage.

First coat of primer

3 coats of primer done, and wetsended

The colour stage is done the following day. It is a good practice to shake the can vigorously for at least a minute before spraying and shake the can for 15 seconds after spraying each coat. It is to make sure that the paint inside is mixed properly and when you feel that the spray nozzle is clogged, turn it upside down and spray it somewhere to clean the nozzle. I managed to do 2 coats with 1 can, and it is sufficient for me. Good coverage, even spray pattern, is all that I need.

"Medallion Grey" is actually Bluish Gun Silver S33

Paint shop

Once it is done, let the paint settle for few hours before clearcoating it. I’ve used Samurai 2K clearcoat which I got from a local motorcycle workshop. Even though it says that it is for motorcycle use, the quality of the clearcoat is as good as using a spray gun. It has 2 parts, the clearcoat itself and the hardener, combined into one can. This is a very good product, as my last 3 projects, I had been using Aikka clearcoats that is mixed in an aerosol can, and it only lasts for 45 minutes. And if compared to Samurai, Samurai is better.

Samurai 2K Clearcoat

The trick of getting a smooth finish for the clearcoat is to make sure that the winds are not blowing and the paint is clean. No dust, no cat fur, no sand. (I have cats here). Spray the first coat lightly and the following coats heavy. Not too heavy, as you may end up with a runny clearcoathich may turn ugly. I did it in less than 30 minutes, inclusive of time between coats, and the clearcoat was dry to touch within 3 hours in cool conditions. What I’ve read online is that the clearcoat doesn’t need much heat to cure as it is a chemical reaction that takes place during the curing process.

Once the clearcoat is dry, I installed the newly painted bumper onto the car the same night because I was that excited to see the car finally get a new face. The old bumper was uninstalled and came the new bumper. It is simply marvelous.