What are the steps of painting a car?

What are the steps of removing paint and painting a car. I want to learn so please list the details step by step of removing paint off a car and then painting it such as sanding,primer and etc.. Thanks for this help!
What are the steps of painting a car?
I co-own a customs shop,so I see this done on an every say basis.





1. My shop first off completely disassembles the car before we start to paint it. This means doors, windows, emblems, everything, (We would replace badges and stuff later)





2. Then we look for any imperfections. (rust, dings, knocks, scuffs, scratches, etc.) We would take as many of those out as possible and or fix them up with bondo and fiberglass.





3.. Then you would need to dry sand it, get off all of the gloss off of the original paint. Smooth it down especially on imperfections.





4. Then comes the wet sand, the smooth it down even finer but wet down the finishings so the next step will go down a little smoother.





5. Next is primer. Sometimes it's better to use several coats of primer to ensure the paint's luster.





6. Next comes the first coat or base coat. If you're doing a simple one color, you may do one or 2 base coats and that is it. If you're doing metallic or pealescent paint, this can be far more complex.





7. Then you add another base coat of paint (if you are sticking with that color) If not, add the flashiest color in the middle, and the mediating color last.





8. Lastly, clear coat. Our shop does 4 layers of clear coat to make sure the paint doesnt get scratched up real easy.





9. Then we re-assemble the cars doors and windows when it's dry and they are off! It usually takes us about 4 days to complete a paint job when we're busy.





Our shop does it the professional way, no Maaco paint job here. Our paint jobs run anywhere from 2000-10,000 on occasion.





This is probably more info than you needed, but hope it helps.
What are the steps of painting a car?
Painting a car can be a daunting task, so I'll go through everything as a beginner's guide, with error prone methods and complicated procedures aside for later discussion.





These methods assume you will be using a urethane basecoat / clearcoat system.





First you'll want to remove the old paint, or at least prepare the original finish to be painted over. I do not recommend the latter, but you can scuff the original paint with 320 grit sandpaper and prime over it due to the way manufacturers apply their paint.





The best way, however, is to strip the car down to bare metal. Use a 3M paint stripping disk and a corded drill, as it will make the process a lot less risky and a lot quicker. You will wear 2 or 3 disks out in the process of refinishing an entire car. Work in sections and completely remove the paint in smooth circular motions, this will minimize the amount of prep work after the primer is applied. You will want to mask your windows, chrome trim, and headlamps with green or blue painters masking tape and a heavy gauge craft paper or plastic. I use plastic drop cloth myself, as it's less likely to bleed through and conforms better to the curves and crevices of older cars. You may also want to use a cleaning product at this stage to remove silicone, wax, and oils. Remember, even the oils on your hands that occur naturally can lead to a poor finish.





Priming. I am assuming you're using a spray gun, and not rattle cans. So you'll want to use straight primer as a surfacer. This will be unmixed, un-reduced primer. spray evenly with 50% overlap, meaning with every pass, you should have half of the spray on top of the pass you sprayed last. This will ensure even coverage without runs or sags.





You will want to sand your primer after it has dried with 320 grit sandpaper to remove any imperfections and to smooth the finish for the next layer.





And the next layer is primer sealer. This is a 10% reduced primer, this is also where the color of your primer becomes important. Your basecoat color will be affected by the color of the primer surfacer underneath it. a red oxide color will show blues, greens, golds, and purples well, white or grey should be used on yellow, red, lighter colors, such as pastels or neons, and orange. Black should be used on metallics and pearls, as well as very dark colors such as maroon or midnight blue, and silver should be used on light colored pearls and all candies.





Spray your primer sealer in the same fashion as your primer, 50% overlap, walking along the entire length of the object being painted. Again, you will want to sand this finish, use 400 or 600 grit sandpaper for a smooth and level area for your base coat.





Ahhh, the base coat, where the magic starts.. You will want to reduce your base coat according to the manufacturer's specs for better flow and color. 10% means 10%... so don't judge it by eye. Remember if a color doesn't suit you, you can tint it with a concentrate to change the hue before spraying.. Buy a sheet of metal and mask it off before tinting custom colors, as you can spray a square of the color, let it dry, and spray another square next to it to decide on the proper mixture you want. On the base coat, you'll want to use a very shallow overlap, 25%, you also want to spray lightly, the first pass should look speckled, the next pass will fill more in, and the next will complete the coat. Spraying a wet, heavy film on will lead to curing problems, wrinkling, and fish eyes as the solvents in the paint rise to the surface during the cure.





Once your paint is dry and ready, as long as it's not a metallic or pearl color, feel free to wet sand the color with 2000 grit or 2500 grit sandpaper. This will smooth out the finish for the most important part of a urethane base/clear coat. Wet sanding is little more than sanding the finish under a constant stream of running water to remove particles and lubricate the sandpaper so it doesn't load up. Remember that the color coat on a urethane system will not be glossy, and will flash (dry) dull or eggshell.





The Clear Coat.





Spray your clear with a fresh, new gun, or a gun dedicated to clear coat, as the slightest bit of primer or paint will mar your finish forever. Spray evenly with a 75% overlap, lightly, as with the base coat. You may want two or three full coats, but no more than four, at four, your clear will start cracking or peeling.





Wet sand this with 2000 grit sandpaper, and use swirl mark remover or polishing compound on a random orbital buffer to bring the clear to a glorious shine.





Once the clear coat has dried, it MUST cure before waxing or before harsh chemicals and cleaners are used.





One other thing. ALWAYS use a respirator, and always use gloves and goggles while spraying paints and primers. Some of the compounds in paints and reducers can be extremely hazardous to your health, and can lead to long term respiratory problems. Certain formulations also contain isocyanides, which ARE cyanide and can lead to a quick trip to a hospital. Use adequate ventilation, and try to maximize airflow across the vehicle... make sure your booth is well lit and large enough to work comfortably.





Good luck, and if you need a heads up on where to get your paint, I get mine from TCPglobal.com.