If you have a section of your car that you need to repaint, remember that the preparation that you put into getting your car ready to paint is just as important as the time that you spend actually painting your car. The right preparations will ensure that your paint job looks magnificent.

Wash Your Car

The first thing you need to do is wash your vehicle really well. You don't want to start with a dirty vehicle; that will compromise the paint job. Clean your vehicle from top to bottom and be sure to scrub away any dead bugs and debris that are hanging onto your vehicle.

You should also hose down the ground around your work area. This will help keep dust from getting stirred up onto your car. Keep the ground wet as you work to keep dust from getting in the primer and paint that you put on your vehicle.

Remove Old Paint

Before you paint your vehicle, you need to get rid of the old paint first. The easiest way to do this is with a power sander. It will effectively and quickly remove the old paint from your vehicle. Move the sander in a circular motion to remove the old paint. Go over the area until all the paint is removed and the area is smooth. Although you can sand away the old paint by hand, that can be really time consuming. Only hand sand corners and tricky areas to save time.

After you sand the area, you are going to need to get out your hose and cleaning tools again. Quickly clean and dry your vehicle to get rid of the sand. Be sure to rinse away the dust particles on the ground as well.

Tape Off Your Work Area

Finally, before you apply any primer, tape off your work area. Put blue painters tape around the area that you want to paint. Then, cover up the rest of your vehicle so that you don't get paint on the glass, tires, or other surfaces where you don't want to apply paint. You can cover up your vehicle with brown paper used for covering spaces when painting or you can use newspapers or plastic to cover the area.

If you want your vehicle to look great when you are done repainting it, you need to make sure that you properly prepare your vehicle. Wash your car, sand down and remove all old paint, tape off your work area, and cover up the rest of your car before you apply any paint or primer. Taking the time to properly prepare your car before you paint it will help ensure that your paint job looks great. If you'd rather leave the job to the professionals though, you can always contact local auto body repair services.