Diy spraying advice.

[chrisdebois]

I did say I'd be making some sort of polythene garage on the driveway, but it will only be a canopy to stop stuff from above dropping on the car - it will be open all around the sides so plenty of air movement (although it will have to be a very calm, non windy day for me to do this job.) And I will have a mask on.

I'm using lvlp simply because this is the first time painting a whole car and, after some investigation and watching youtube videos, feel confident I can get a really good finish by taking my time with this kind of set up. Maybe I'll upgrade to a 'proper' setup when I'm all growed up.

[Redmoggy]

You could always make ends and sides for your spray booth but slightly wider than the roof to allow ventilation.

As best I understand it the biggest down side with LVLP is the reduction in fan width due to the low volume. I would think paint consumption would be a little higher and the job may take more time than with a traditional gun but you do have the advantage of less bounce and consequently less over spray. When your practising under the bonnet have a play with the fan width and set to give you nice coverage with your overlap making sure you maintain that wet look for the final coats.

Normal practise would be to start from the top down, I've known painters do the opposite claiming it helps prevent runs. I think this might be difficult for a first time. For your first Grip coat it's not to important, you can simply run long lengths down each side of the car with a wide fan. The next coats will need to be wet to avoid dry lines on your overlap so I would be inclined to work a panel at a time. After the first full coat you should have picked up a feel for the gun and shape of the car.

Regards
Rod