Paint costs

[Devin]

Local paint shop wants to charge me around $300 for two quarts of paint + clear coat/hardener.
I'm looking at painting my spare decklid and bumpers this summer, and they thought that I couldn't get it done with a single quart. No idea if that is accurate, either.

Thoughts?

 

[rubydist]

$300 for two quarts means its pretty cheap paint - is that what you want? I think that one quart is not enough for the trunk lid and bumpers, unless you are really good.

 

[luigisho]

Can't speak to quality as I haven't bought paint in many years but I agree with above regarding quantity.

 

[SHOdded]

Wow makes you wonder how MAACO is able to price the way they do!

 

[sperold]

Check for comparisons sake the cost of a quart at this place, which will be an exact match and is shipped to your door.

automotivetouchup.com

 

[luigisho]

Above could work but you have to be thinking about also mistake remedy. I dealt with this with rockauto (who I really like and who has better customer service than most places) and getting incorrect/incomplete parts. If there is a mistake with distance delivery stuff it becomes a pain in the butt at best, and impossible at worst to remedy. I like a local guy I can look at if things don't go perfectly with the product (color mix) for certain items

 

[Devin]

So the guy did say this was the cheap stuff, and the better paint was going to be twice that. I am not really good, so I guess it'd just be best to go for the two quarts. Maybe depending on how far I get through the second quart I can add another body panel to the job.

What does "cheap" paint mean? I am not a body work specialist by any means, so does that mean that a crappy job will look crappier? Or the paint won't hold up well?

I don't have any issues going online for supplies, but these guys are literally up the street from my house.

 

[luigisho]

cheap means lots of things so my general answer to both questions will be yes. A great painter can make cheap paint look good although generally it will peel, chip etc early. An occasional painter will benefit from better paint during the process and will reap the benefits of quality product going forward. Is your local paint guy just a counter guy or someone who really knows paint? they should be able to help you. Also poke around youtube and google for tips before you buy everything. I would get a higher quality PPG, BASF or similar product. Alot of the brands and lines out there are either direct tiers from the mfg or use big paint for base and/or blend

 

[Devin]

Thanks. I have plenty of time as I don't to tackle it until the summer, and I have to put together a sort of paint booth to keep from wrecking my garage.

 

[rubydist]

a couple of points to consider:

in my experience, the cheaper paint can look just as good as the top quality stuff, but will oxidize, fade, chip, etc. much sooner. the cheaper stuff is usually easier for a novice to work with, as it is not as sensitive to everything being controlled perfectly to look right.

the cost of a quart is nearly half of the cost of a gallon, so getting two quarts will cost you almost as much as getting a gallon. if you think you may need more paint work in the future, just buy a gallon now for nearly the same money as the two quarts.