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How to Case Mod w/spray paint

thestrangebrew1

thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
I ordered one of those Foxconn barebone kits and it doesn't quite go with the rest of my home theater equipment. It's got silver trim on the face/front of the case that I was thinking of possibly spray painting to match. I def. didn't buy it for it's cosmetics thinking I could do something about it later. Is there any steps I should take in preparation ie primer, sanding (or equivalent for plastic pieces)?
 
Light sanding, clean thoroughly, primer, paint. Always worked for me.

Careful of dust, fibers from cleaning, bugs that seem to like to land in it, and so on. If needed you can sand with super fine grit paper and / or polish if something does happen, but best to avoid it to start with.

Also something I have learned to do is try to get paint and primer from the same company and check the ingredient list. I don't remember the exact combo but I've had some paints wrinkle the primer. Xylene, toluene, something didn't play nicely with each other.
 
tracerbullet said:
Light sanding, clean thoroughly, primer, paint. Always worked for me.

Careful of dust, fibers from cleaning, bugs that seem to like to land in it, and so on. If needed you can sand with super fine grit paper and / or polish if something does happen, but best to avoid it to start with.

Also something I have learned to do is try to get paint and primer from the same company and check the ingredient list. I don't remember the exact combo but I've had some paints wrinkle the primer. Xylene, toluene, something didn't play nicely with each other.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. I'll look into some of this stuff.
 
Just remembering that some spray paints (Krylon at least, likely others) will be labeled for being OK to go right onto plastic, might save a step that way. Forget the primer.

Some plastics don't really paint well, Delrin and such, but I seriously doubt that's what you have. Once you've sanded it, it will probably feel dry, and be just fine. If it seems like it's got a wet or slippery feeling, then there's a chance paint won't take well but again it's unlikely. This sounds like a molded piece of plastic and not something machined.

Keep in mind shiny / matte finish when buying the actual paint, not just the color. If in doubt, go for shiny, and if needed you can finish off with a really light coat shot from a bit of a distance to give it a little bit of a matte look. This would be considered a mistake anytime you wanted something shiny (i.e. automotive) but you can do it intentionally on something like this if needed.

Go w/ numerous light coats, and don't be tempted to put the parts near something warm to dry faster, the outside can dry faster than what's underneath and fool you into thinking it's Ok to handle, or worse yet warp the parts. I've done both.

LOL 1 more thing, Home Depot / Lowes / your local big box typically has the most paint. I try to do the mom & pop Ace stores when I can but the big box normally blows them away on this, and you might want that big selection to get what you need to match the other stuff.
 
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How much is silver? Is the underlying plastic black? Maybe you can just sand off the silver and leave it that way?
 
Look at the rustoleum black trim paint at AutoZone or Walmart. Its made specifically for plastics. I painted some trim on my mustang black and it has held up to power washing at the car wash.
 
You should use some sandpaper on the surface. It doesn't have to completely remove the original paint, just scuff it up a little bit for the primer to adhere properly. Then use the pain with the color of your liking, apply thin coats while keeping the distance far enough and in a swaying motion. This will prevent the layer of paint underneath from not drying up properly. Finish it off with some clear coat. I find spray can paint will not give you the finish that you would expect of an automotive paint but it should be good enough.
 
Depending on the plastic type, you might want to try an adhesion promoter like Bulldog. You should be able to get it in a spray can - if they don't have it at a hardware store, try an auto parts store.
 
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