seems pretty simple, right? think you know everything? well I thought so too, til I actually did the process, the CORRECT way. you'll know it when it takes you anywhere from 12-48 hours to PROPERLY paint your wheels.
first off. clean your wheels!
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i suggest dawn, but any mild soap and water will do the trick!
then, grab your weapons of choice!
sandpaper and painter tape and index cards! (sorry no pic of the index cards). now you don't necessarily have to have painters tape, but if you dont want to paint the wheel in full, it definitely helps, ALOT since it doesn't leave any sticky residue. sandpaper wise, i used 400grit. i found later than 100 grit came alot more in handy, then follow with the 400 grit to smooth everything out. make sure you sand all painting surfaces for best results!
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primer/clear coat. primer is an absolute MUST on any paint you want to last. i used basic gloss clear coat but there's much much more out there. pick your fave. in all honesty, my paint job only used 1 1/2 cans of clear and 1 1/2 cans of primer. and i was pretty generous on both. so you may not need the 3rd can of clear unless you reallly want it.
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uhhhhhhhh paint! pick your fave, obviously. there's alot out there. all kinds of metallics, but i just used a basic gloss paint for this job. i started with 4 cans as you can see, but only ended up using 2 1/2 cans. i was very very generous on the paint.
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before we begin, i only had 2 jack stands. soooo SAFETY FIRST! if you only have one or two, do one side at a time. it's worth the wait.
begin by sanding down the wheel. depending on surface and scraches, only should take a good 5-10 minutes. then wash again getting all loose paint and dust off. repeat on others.
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next. tape up ANY areas that you do not want paint on, this also includes INSIDE THE WHEEL! which I didn't think of the first time. heh
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obviously i taped up the valve stem too, just forgot to take a pic afterwards. just wrap a quick strip of tape around it and make sure it's a tight fit, allowing paint to pass around the stem.
now set the index cars in between the lip of the wheel and the tire where the bead meets basically. they'll just set right in. make sure they overlap so they do not allow any paint to pass through onto the tire itself.
![]()
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prime it! follow the directions on the can. every paint i learned is different. krylon itself says to apply a coat every 1 minute while priming or painting. it says it dries to the touch in 10 minutes, and you'll be able to handle in an hour. spray it down good applying anywhere between 4-6 coats evenly on the wheel.
![]()
![]()
![]()
first off. clean your wheels!
i suggest dawn, but any mild soap and water will do the trick!
then, grab your weapons of choice!
sandpaper and painter tape and index cards! (sorry no pic of the index cards). now you don't necessarily have to have painters tape, but if you dont want to paint the wheel in full, it definitely helps, ALOT since it doesn't leave any sticky residue. sandpaper wise, i used 400grit. i found later than 100 grit came alot more in handy, then follow with the 400 grit to smooth everything out. make sure you sand all painting surfaces for best results!
primer/clear coat. primer is an absolute MUST on any paint you want to last. i used basic gloss clear coat but there's much much more out there. pick your fave. in all honesty, my paint job only used 1 1/2 cans of clear and 1 1/2 cans of primer. and i was pretty generous on both. so you may not need the 3rd can of clear unless you reallly want it.
uhhhhhhhh paint! pick your fave, obviously. there's alot out there. all kinds of metallics, but i just used a basic gloss paint for this job. i started with 4 cans as you can see, but only ended up using 2 1/2 cans. i was very very generous on the paint.
before we begin, i only had 2 jack stands. soooo SAFETY FIRST! if you only have one or two, do one side at a time. it's worth the wait.
begin by sanding down the wheel. depending on surface and scraches, only should take a good 5-10 minutes. then wash again getting all loose paint and dust off. repeat on others.
next. tape up ANY areas that you do not want paint on, this also includes INSIDE THE WHEEL! which I didn't think of the first time. heh
obviously i taped up the valve stem too, just forgot to take a pic afterwards. just wrap a quick strip of tape around it and make sure it's a tight fit, allowing paint to pass around the stem.
now set the index cars in between the lip of the wheel and the tire where the bead meets basically. they'll just set right in. make sure they overlap so they do not allow any paint to pass through onto the tire itself.
prime it! follow the directions on the can. every paint i learned is different. krylon itself says to apply a coat every 1 minute while priming or painting. it says it dries to the touch in 10 minutes, and you'll be able to handle in an hour. spray it down good applying anywhere between 4-6 coats evenly on the wheel.
opcorn:
