What kind of paint paint car wheels. How to paint old wheels with high quality

Every car owner wants the car to be beautiful, aesthetic and, if possible, exclusive. They provide a lot of space for this. Someone at the same time adds certain elements to the exterior of the car, painting the hood, fenders and other parts. And someone achieves the desired result, giving an unusual appearance to the rims.

However, the painting of discs can also be caused by a more prosaic reason - the nondescript appearance of the discs acquired during operation. The result of this is the formation of various kinds of chips, dents and scratches on the surface of the discs.

There are two ways to paint car rims:

1. Contact specialists for the purpose of painting discs in industrial conditions by applying powder paint.

2. Paint by hand using acrylic paints.

Of course, working in a high-quality specialized workshop gives excellent results, but not every car owner can afford it in terms of financial capabilities. But applying paint in a garage is quite within the power of almost everyone who knows how to paint properly. This does not require any special education or specific skills. You just need to stock up on the necessary materials and patience, because the work ahead is painstaking, requiring increased accuracy.

Materials and equipment

To perform high-quality painting of car rims, you must prepare the following:

· Sandpaper. You will need 4 sheets of fine and large sandpaper. It is better if it is immediately prepared for fixing to a grinding wheel installed in a drill.

Two rolls of masking tape, medium width.

· Paint (preferably acrylic) - four bottles, can be of different colors, if there is an intention to make an original tuning.

Acrylic primer - 2 cans.

· One bottle of automotive varnish, designed for outdoor use.

Respirator.

· Thinner and rags to degrease and remove stains from discs.

The color palette of acrylic paints is much richer than that of powder paints. Depending on what quality the paint and primer will be purchased, as well as on the conditions in which the painting will be done, the whole process takes from two to five days.

The sequence of operations necessary for high-quality painting of disks

Before starting the work directly related to painting discs, it is important to understand well what needs to be done and in what sequence. The whole process is carried out in several stages:

1. First you need to make sure that the surface of the disk is even. This stage is best entrusted to specialists who have special equipment for detecting irregularities on the discs and straightening them.

2. Purchase all of the above materials and the necessary tools, in case of their absence. When purchasing a primer, paint and varnish, you should make sure that they are from the same manufacturing company. Only compliance with this condition can give confidence that they will be compatible, which means that they will lie down securely and will hold well. Experts recommend buying acrylic paint in cans. This will avoid the need to purchase such special equipment as a compressor or spray gun.

3. You should start work with a thorough washing of the disk. This will get rid of the remnants of sand and dirt, even if they are in places where access is difficult. The washed discs are wiped dry with a rag, if possible, blown with compressed air and dried for several hours.

4. At this stage with discs and primer. You can do this without the use of technology, that is, manually, using sandpaper, but it is best to use a special nozzle that is fixed in a drill. Cleaning must be carried out so qualitatively that the old paint does not remain even in the most hidden places.

5. The cleaned disc must be degreased with a solvent. After this procedure, the surface of the disc should dry well.

6. On a dry and clean primer is applied. The best result is achieved if the primer is applied in three layers. Allow the treated surface to dry after each coat.

7. Now you can start painting directly. Like a primer, paint is applied layer by layer, and drying is also necessary for each applied layer. If you are too lazy to remove the tire and you decide to paint the rim on the assembled wheel (although this is not recommended), the surface of the tires should be covered with cellophane film or molar tape.

8. Scotch tape will also be needed if you need to paint the disc in several different colors. In this case, with the help of adhesive tape, the required pattern is laid out, and each paint is applied according to its own patterns. This must be done very carefully to prevent smearing of the borders of the painted surface.

9. After finishing work on painting in one or more colors and completely drying the surface of the disc, varnish is applied to it. This is done to give the paint layer additional reliability and strength. After applying the varnish, the disc should dry for at least a day. After that, tires can be mounted on it and the finished wheel can be installed on the car.

When performing each stage, it is imperative to use personal protective equipment, since both the dust of the old paint being peeled off and the vapors of the primer and acrylic paint are harmful to the lungs.

No one ever bothers with painting ordinary ones, they paint as best they can, often with a brush, or from a spray can. But when the question arises of alloy wheels, namely the restoration of the paintwork, there are a lot of doubts. Is painting even possible? Or do they already come from the factory? But what if you want to change their appearance and give them a different look, for example, yellow-black or black-red, etc., can they be painted? And also is it possible to do the work with your own hands, let's figure it out step by step, there will be a detailed video ...


Very often, alloy wheels are painted precisely to restore their appearance, for example, they were scratched from a long process of operation, or they were scratched on a curb, etc. Also in the metropolitan regions there is such a problem when the paint swells and goes blisters from an aggressive environment, it also needs to be repainted and restored, because it looks terrible. However, it happens that they repaint to match the design of the car, but this is only 5 - 10% of the total mass.

Maybe buy a new one?

The question is logical, a scratched one can be deformed, and significantly, so before you paint it, you need to determine its serviceability. Moreover, it is quite simple to do this if there are several points:

  • We check the surfaces from above and below for cracks, if there are none, there is a high probability that it is “alive”
  • We check the breaks, they should not be on the rims of the disc
  • Checking jams. If the disk is “beaten”, then there will probably be strong jams, this is also bad, because if you try to straighten them, then the surface can simply burst
  • Looking for places to sleep. The thing is that now the disks can be soldered, you should not do this, I advise you to use this option in the spare tire, or on the edge on the rear wheel. Yet the structure is broken, and the surface can collapse at any moment.
  • Balancing. You can check the balance, again a crumpled or broken disk will show poor results, if the deviation is not so large, this is normal

After checking, you can make a decision, if everything is fine, there are no cracks or breaks, you can start painting.

Maybe powder and sandblasting?

There are professional repainting systems, that is, companies remove old paint with sandblasters, and then apply powder paint, varnish, etc.

But this is not our method, because doing it yourself, in this way, is quite problematic! And if you give someone the cost will be about 10,000 - 12,000 rubles, per set. It all depends on the diameter of your disk.

Therefore, he will look for another method of painting, with his own hands, for a start, we determine the materials.

What will be needed?

At the very beginning, it is worth stocking up with all the necessary materials and tools. So what do you need:

  • Sandpaper, usually fine (60 - 80, also 400 - 600) to remove the old paint layer
  • Paint remover
  • Brush for applying cleanser
  • Degreaser. Possibly white spirit or thinner

  • masking tape
  • Paint 2 - 3 cans
  • Varnish - 1 can
  • Detergents
  • And of course, special clothes and a respirator, if you paint indoors

This is the most necessary thing, we definitely buy it in stores, almost everything is sold in special paint or body shops.

About paint and primer

Now, probably, many are concerned about such information - what kind of paint to paint, how much is needed? How much primer and varnish to take?

In general, like this:

  • The paint is car enamel, but it is advisable to take a heat-resistant paint, sold in cans, sprayed like an aerosol! Of course, you can take car enamel in cans, but for its even application you need an airbrush, which incurs additional costs, so this is not our method! Take paint heat-resistant enamel, in spray cans
  • About color. Many people think that there are only basic colors like white, black and silver. However, this is not entirely true, you can repaint the wheels in absolutely any color you want, even purple, green, yellow, etc. There are no restrictions here.

As for primer and varnish.

Take along with the paint, usually they are already in the line, that is, one manufacturer has both primer and varnish for your paint. Ask the seller a question, they will pick you up. The soil is also desirable to take heat-resistant. Lacquer is only needed to keep the shine, it also protects the paintwork.

Consumption of materials

So, there are two ways to paint. The first is to paint the entire disk completely, that is, both the back and front parts, plus the rim itself. Just a lot of paint will go away, about 4 - 5 spray cans, plus the same amount of primer, and varnish about 3 points.

However, this is not always necessary, because often only the outer part of the disk is painted, in fact, we will do the same.

If we take the expense in this method, then here it is approximately:

  • Primer 1 can
  • Paint 2 spray cans, it will be needed the most
  • Lacquer - 1 point.

Training

First we need to remove the old layer of paint. There are several ways to do this, but I will advise you the only true one.

  • First we need to wash off the paint, there are special compounds that remove the paint and even part of the soil. We just need to apply it with a brush, wait 15 minutes, and the paint will begin to swell, that is, move away. It is easy to remove with a construction spatula, it is peeled off like old wet wallpaper from the wall.

  • But with the soil that is under it, not everything is so simple. The “wash” has a worse effect on him, so you have to “sweat” with the skin. One more thing, if there are deep scratches on the paint, say to the metal, then it is also desirable to remove them along with the primer. If in some places it does not move away, you can leave it, the main thing is to understand that it is holding up well.

After the top layer is removed, an almost clean disk surface appears before us, well, with places of soil in hard-to-reach places.

If you have wheels with rubber, then you need to seal the contour with masking tape. In order not to stain the rubber with paints and varnishes.

Painting

The most crucial moment, here everything is divided into three points:

  • Primer. It is applied by spraying at a distance of 30 - 35 cm from the surface of the cast disc. Apply either two or three layers. We apply not greasy, so that it does not flow. Wait 15 minutes after application. What I want to note is that for a really good result, after applying the last layer, you need to wait a couple of hours, and preferably 12 hours, to completely fix the soil. So it will hold on more reliably, yet 15 minutes is not enough, as I think!

The question of how to paint alloy wheels with your own hands is not idle, but very relevant. The fact is that sooner or later every motorist has a dilemma: buy new wheels or repair old ones. Usually this is solved as follows: new disks are bought and the car is completely changed shoes, however, old disks are not thrown away, but repaired. How? Now we'll figure it out.


How to properly paint alloy wheels

In order to paint alloy wheels, they must be prepared. Preparation is necessary so that the paint lays evenly and does not peel off during operation. If the tires are removed, then repairing and painting the rims will not be a problem. If they are still on, you need to cover them with tape in order not to paint the tires themselves. Repair and painting of alloy wheels is still better and more reliable when the tires are removed.

Alloy wheels during operation receive various damages:

chipped;
. exfoliation;
. abrasions;
. cracks;
. scratches.

How to paint alloy wheels: repair

In the case of chips and cracks, sadly, the discs need to be repaired, which means that they will need to be taken to specialists, since they are not repaired at home.

In case of peeling, scratches and scuffs, you need to stock up on the following materials and tools:

Aerosol paint;
. painting equipment;
. primer;
. varnish for coating discs;
. sandpaper;
. an electric drill with a brush head or a brush for metal;
. solvent or degreaser;
. putty;
. rags;
. wire for hanging the disc (if necessary);
. hair dryer, you can build, you can ordinary home;
. respirator;
. gloves;
. detergents;
. rags;
. kerosene;
. chalk.


Cleaning

The first thing to start with is to remove dirt and soot from the disc. This will allow you to identify defects and either send the disc for repair or start painting. To do this, wearing gloves on your hands, it is necessary to completely clean the disc with a rag of detergent and a brush for metal or a drill with a brush nozzle.

After cleaning, before painting the alloy wheels with your own hands, you need to dip them in kerosene or moisten them liberally with a rag with this kerosene. The fact is that this liquid easily penetrates even the smallest cracks. After that, it is necessary to cover the disc with a thick layer of a water-chalk solution and allow to dry.

cracks

If there were microcracks in the disc, they will be visible in the form of black stripes on a disc that is white from chalk. Such discs are rejected and not painted, but are given for repair. Any microcrack grows over time and can lead to an accident. A crack, even the smallest one, needs to be welded. But the matter is complicated by the fact that alloy wheels are always made of light metal (aluminum or magnesium), and it will not work to weld them with simple electrodes, this can only be done with the help of special equipment.

If, nevertheless, there are no defects, then the disc is degreased and dried (you can use a hair dryer, you can naturally). Then the disc is cleaned with a metal brush and sandpaper. If necessary, a layer of putty is applied to level the defects. After drying, a layer of primer is applied, and the disc is dried again. You can dry it in limbo (by tying it on a rope) or simply on some stump). Primers are very different, and for this reason, drying can take from 20 minutes to a day. Read the instructions for use.

There may be one primer layer, if there were no dents or scratches. If they were, then even when applying putty primer layers, a minimum of 3 is required.


Let's get straight to the point

Next comes the direct painting of alloy wheels with your own hands. With the help of an airbrush, the first layer of paint is applied and the disc is dried. Then the second and third. But that's not all. The question of how to paint alloy wheels has not yet been resolved. Without fail, they must be covered with a layer of varnish, preferably colorless (transparent). Then the paint will play in the sun in all its glory. The varnish helps from small cracks, dust and dirt. The lacquered surface repels water, oil products, dust, dirt, particles from brake pads, etc.
The varnishing process is the same as for paint, but both paint and varnish require a well-ventilated area, free of midges and mosquitoes. Otherwise, insects will stick to fresh paint, and the process will have to be repeated.

The role of varnish

The lacquer protects the paint from the environment, reagents, salt, oil products, stones, etc. In addition, the lacquer also protects from the bolts that you use to tighten the discs. At the point of contact, scuffs and even dents are always formed. The varnish also protects the paint from fading in the sun. Therefore, do not neglect the varnish, it helps a lot during operation. Not even dirt clings to it. But the sticking of dirt on the wheels nullifies all the balancing, and the car starts to “shake”, which is not very pleasant for both you and the car.

Layers of varnish must be applied as much as it is not a pity. Recommended three to five.

So, you are already practically an expert on how to paint alloy wheels with your own hands. You can, of course, solve the problem in another way: give them to the workshop, let the experts puzzle over your problem. If you have enough funds, then this is exactly what you need to do. Otherwise, you can manage on your own. We hope that our tips on how to paint alloy wheels with your own hands will be useful to you. We wish you success in this difficult work!

Wheels are an important element of a car. They provide not only functionality, but also give the car a special appearance. But when alloy wheels are in a worn and damaged state, then there is no need to talk about the appearance of the car. You can replace them with new ones, but it is more profitable to paint the wheels yourself. How to do it correctly is discussed below. To better understand the technique, it will not be superfluous to watch a video on the topic. Before you start the painting process yourself, you should remember that this procedure can be entrusted to professionals. If there is no self-confidence, then special disk recovery services will come to the rescue. But if you still decide to paint the discs yourself, then you should start with the preparation of tools and consumables.

Tools and Consumables

In order to paint alloy wheels with your own hands at home, you need to prepare the following tools and materials:

  • Sander;
  • nozzles on it in the form of metal brushes of different hardness;
  • sandpaper of different grain sizes;
  • special primer for non-ferrous metals in cans;
  • automotive putty;
  • dye;

Particular attention should be paid to the room where the painting will be done. It should be free of dust and other debris. The temperature should be the one indicated on the cans of paint and varnish. Light sources should not be neglected either, since good lighting from different sides will allow you to apply paint better and avoid defects in advance.


Disk preparation

First of all, alloy wheels should be removed from the car and tires removed from them. Many car enthusiasts do not do this - someone paints the wheels right on the car, some take them off, but the tires are not dismantled. All this greatly speeds up the painting process, but experts believe that this is unprofessional.

If, nevertheless, it is decided to take the accelerated path, then the tires and the car itself should be protected from dust and paint. To do this, most often use the most common packaging film and masking tape. Do not forget about protecting the inside of the wheels - this way self-painting will be much better.

For painting alloy wheels, it is best to prepare special hooks on which they can be hung at a level just below the eyes - in this case, the work will be more convenient and of high quality. But before hanging the discs, they must be cleaned of old paint and other defects.

Cleaning of paint and traces of corrosion

Since alloy wheels are made of special alloys, they are not susceptible to corrosion. But some discs have aluminum in their composition, which readily reacts with water and air. As a result, traces of oxide can be found on them, which must be carefully removed.

Old paint can be removed by surface treatment with a grinder equipped with a wire brush. In this case, you should be extremely careful with the selection of the brush and its pressure on the disk, as some of them can be easily damaged. After processing with a grinder, the surface is brought to a perfectly smooth state with sandpaper. In this case, you should start with processing with paper with a larger grain, gradually moving to the smallest one.

The final step in preparing alloy wheels for painting will be cleaning them from dust and other adhering debris. To do this, they can simply be washed with water and dried thoroughly. After drying, the discs are treated with a degreasing agent; for this purpose, solvent or gasoline can be used. Then they are carefully hung in place of painting. At the same time, sudden movements should be avoided so that debris does not cling to the metal surface again.

Padding

The primer from the can is applied to the discs according to the manufacturer's instructions. In general terms, the technology is as follows: the container is thoroughly shaken and its composition is applied to the surface from a distance of 25 cm. In this case, smudges or gaps should be avoided, and the primer is applied in a uniform, fairly thick layer.

Elimination of defects

After applying the first layer of soil, you need to inspect the surface. If there are large and noticeable scratches or metal chips, then they can be covered with automotive putty. The quality and durability of the disc coating also depends on the correct choice of this material. This is where testimonials from experienced users can help.

The technology of applying putty is quite complicated, so it will not be superfluous to watch the movements of the masters on the video on the topic. After applying the putty, the surface of the discs is rubbed with sandpaper until an ideal shape is obtained.

Painting and varnishing

The technology of painting at home is very simple. The paint is applied to the surface of the discs from a can according to the manufacturer's instructions. To achieve a good result, it must be applied in several layers. Each previous layer is given the necessary time to dry. The technique of applying paint can be viewed on the video, which will help you master the correct movements and paint the surface more efficiently.

A few words should be said about two-color discs. To paint them, you first need to paste over the area with a different color with masking tape. After applying several layers of the same color, the disc is left to dry. And only after that, adhesive tape is attached to the painted surface, and the paint is applied to areas with a different shade. In conclusion, the discs are varnished in the same way as painting.

Today you can see alloy wheels, even a golden hue. Click on photo to enlarge

Automotive alloy wheels differ from stamped wheels not only in a more aesthetic appearance, but also in greater practicality and durability. On the modern market there is a huge variety of different models that differ in shape, size and color.

Motorists quite often face the need to carry out a small repair of disks (defect elimination, casting painting, etc.).

It will not cause absolutely no difficulties for the vast majority of car owners, taking very little time and saving a certain amount of money.

Painting automobile (including cast) disks allows not only to give the wheels of your car an attractive appearance and individuality, but is also one of the most effective methods of protection against the harmful effects of corrosion.

Tools and materials

Independent (at home) painting of alloy wheels requires strict adherence to technology. Otherwise, self-restoration will not bring the desired result.

For high-quality do-it-yourself staining, you will need the following tools and materials:

  • Paint (powder in cylinders or acrylic in cans).
  • Special equipment for painting: paint gun and compressor (if necessary).
  • Lacquer and primer.
  • Sandpaper.
  • Electric drill and metal brush nozzle.
  • Solvent.
  • Putty (if necessary).
  • Thick wire.
  • Rags.
  • Construction or ordinary women's hair dryer (to speed up the drying process).
  • Personal protective equipment (gloves and respirator).

Dye

Casting must be painted by special painters. This requirement is due to specific operating conditions: road salt, scratches, stone impacts, high and low temperatures. Powder polymer paint most satisfies these requirements.

Powder paint. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Powder coating (using powder polymer paint) of alloy wheels has a unique set of properties and qualities (increased wear resistance, durability, etc.), due to which it is not necessary to restore the coating after 1-2 seasons.

Painting technology

The technology for repairing and painting alloy wheels includes a strictly regulated sequence of actions carried out in the prescribed manner:

  • Preliminary surface preparation.
  • Direct staining.

Preparing for painting

The technology for preparing for painting consists of a procedure for cleaning from dust and dirt, removing scratches and chips from their surface, degreasing with a solvent and rags inside and out. Depending on the depth of scratches and chips, various methods can be used (use of putty, an electric drill with a metal brush head, sandpaper, etc.).

Painting

Painting a cast or metal disc involves more than just the process by which paint is applied to the surface of the disc.

Priming, painting, and varnishing is a similar process. We take a gun and evenly apply a primer to the surface. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Self-painting technology consists of the following operations:

  • Primer (applying 2-3 even layers of primer).
  • Painting (application of 2-3 uniform layers of paint).
  • Varnishing (applying 2-3 uniform layers of varnish).

Self-priming, painting and varnishing of alloy wheels is carried out under the strict fulfillment of one condition - each subsequent layer should be applied only after the previous one has completely dried. It may take 3-4 cans of paint and about a liter of primer to process 4 discs. Paint and varnish should ideally be from the same manufacturer.

Do-it-yourself wheel painting

Let us consider in more detail the application of the technology described above. Do-it-yourself painting of alloy wheels will be done in a favorite place for Russian motorists - in the garage. After dismantling the disks, we proceed to their preliminary processing.

Preliminary processing

Using sandblasting, we level the surface and remove large irregularities. Click on the photo to enlarge.

The most optimal way to prepare the surface is sandblasting or shot blasting. This method allows you to make high-quality repairs, including restoration (leveling) of the surface, removal of old coatings and scale, hardening of the surface layer.

However, the application of this method is quite significantly limited by the lack of appropriate equipment in the garages of motorists. An excellent alternative to shot blasting is to use an electric drill with a metal brush head or sandpaper. Manual surface preparation is the most common and widely available pretreatment method.

Priming and painting

We hang the disk on a thick wire to paint it from all sides without touching it with our hands. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Do-it-yourself priming, painting and varnishing of the casting is carried out after preliminary suspension of the disks with the help of thick wire to various surfaces and elements of the garage: recesses, grooves, knitting needles, shelves, etc.

After the last layer of primer has completely dried, you should start applying paint. The paint that you are going to use for painting alloy wheels should be sprayed from a spray can or spray gun at a distance of 30 cm to 50 cm from the surface to be painted. It is necessary to pay special attention to staining hard-to-reach elements and surfaces.

Restoration, which includes a number of different operations, and painting of alloy wheels require the mandatory use of protective equipment (rubber gloves and a respirator) and strict adherence to safety standards and regulations when working with combustible (solvent, paint) materials.

After the last coat of paint has completely dried, the discs are varnished in the same primer and paint order. Repair and painting of cast and metal rims is completed with the tire fitting procedure, balancing and installation on the car.

Summary

High-quality restoration of any level of complexity and painting of alloy wheels is not so simple, but affordable for most motorists. Repair and self-painting in the garage will take you some time, saving you money. Compliance with the technology and features described in the article will give your car an individuality and excellent appearance for many years.