Anyone Fully Plastidip their ride yet?
$1000 for equipment? C'mon man. $200 at most from HF, $150 compressor, $14 spray gun $30 for hose. If you have a problem buying something Chinese now a days, where everything is made, good luck craigslist.
I didn't say $1000 for equipment, I said $1000 for a paint job, which would include materials. HF or not, where are you seeing a 5hp air compressor for $150? 'Cause that's what you need to spray an entire car. So, let's say I go Craigslist, and buy used (and questionable) equipment. I'm gonna spend at least $4-500, not including primer and paint. PLUS, if I've heard it once I've heard it a thousand times: a paint job is only as good as your prep. How many man-hours is that? Dip your car -- NO prep. Period. You can spray everything, and peel away what you don't want painted. The only reason to mask is to save product. Call me lazy or "time-challenged", but that sounds AWESOME.
You can get a roll of 220 grit wet sand paper, a rubber long block, tape, ebay $20 items. Use plastic to mask it off, see where I'm going with this?
Sure I do! Sounds like a lot of time, money, and energy that you completely avoid if you dip your car.
TCP global BC/CC is around $300 shipped, good stuff. I'm not saying don't dip your car, just most folks get ridiculousness on what you can get by with doing a paint job. If you think outside the box a little, you can get it done very economically. :roll:
Um, I think dipping a car IS thinking outside the box.
Have you actually researched dipping cars? The time and money to build a temporary paint booth (what's the point of painting your car if there are bugs and flying crap in it?) and the proper respiration equipment alone make dipping cheaper and easier than a regular paint job. All in all, if I shaved every cent, knew someone with a spray booth, and or could borrow the tools I needed, I
might be able to get away with spending $500 for a "regular" paint job. Or, I could spend roughly the same amount and spray my car in half the time. Why would someone who doesn't already own all of the proper equipment for a "normal" paint job want to buy everything to spray 1 or two cars?
Plus, what about all the work involved in repairing the chipped paint when that shiny new paint job gets dinged at Kroger? Spray dip is repairable, and the fact that it's rubbery means it'll deflect more dings and chips than paint.
I'm not knocking "regular" paint jobs. If you've got $$$$, or you've painted cars before and have experience, or have buddies who can help or loan you equipment, or you're willing to save your pennies for several years (or a combination of any of these), a BC/CC paint job is a great way to go. But if you have NONE of these, dipping your car sounds like a great option.
Why do folks always get defensive when someone suggests a non-traditional paint job? I'm not saying everyone should dip their car. I'm just saying if you've never painted a car before, it's a viable, affordable option, and (unlike a roller paint job) it's completely reversible.
