Top down, Whoever told you to paint from the bottom up must have been a frikin ape. I don't know about him, but if I sprayed bottom up I think I'd be repainting after my entire body rubs off the fresh paint while I'm trying to spray the roof. Yes, I'm 6' with short arms and long legs, but unless your a 6'4+ knuckle dragger, paint from the top down, everything goes from the top down, go with gravity my son.

 

I agree the person who told you bottom up is a goofball.

Vince

 

To.p to bottom. I don't know how they get less overspray from bottom up. You are going to have overspray no matter what and gravity takes it down. You start at the bottom and go to the top and I guarantee you will have a dull looking car. And no matter how big of a body shop he has, he's painting backwards.

Kevin

 

It seems to me that it would make it harder to paint from the bottom up with the newer "Down Draft" paint booths. Sure would help give overspray on the lower parts of the car by having it sucked down past wet paint.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I am painting outside, under a tarp, not in a spray booth. Whats that?? No downdraft there!!!!! Just mosquitoes, and other flying bugs and a occassional leaf.

jimmy in nc

 

Thanks for the replies.

I am painting outside, under a tarp, not in a spray booth. Whats that?? No downdraft there!!!!! Just mosquitoes, and other flying bugs and a occassional leaf.

jimmy in nc

And you're worried about overspray? ....Jay

 

gravity. overspray.

 

Jimmy....Sorry! I didn't realize that you had a "side draft" booth!:evil: Mosquitos aren't that bad. Usually only end up with the legs left when you buff them out. Be careful of the Dragon Flies. Them wings are something else to get out of paint. Also make sure that you use something on yourself to keep the sweatflies off of you while spraying. They cause real bad runs:thumbup:

 

You guys are GREAT!!!

I am getting ready to re spray my 51 one more time. Will let you know what happens.

I am using my "side draft" booth again.

If I make an ugly face , you reckon the bugs will run??

Really dreading it this time guys. Its a lot of work and a lot of $$$$ when you screw it up.

Jimmy in nc

 

I have heard two different stories. One who had a big body shop in NY says to start at the bottom and work up(less overspray).

must be MAACO lmao:spank:

 

yep, always start at the top, one side then the other, so on and so on untill you get to the bottom.

 

Jimmy.... You're in North Carolina. You can't screw up a paint job there. It's just a "custom" job. Also painting from top down makes it easier if you get a run. You can just chase it down to the floor/ground. Just cut the grass around the car before you start painting.

 

You're in North Carolina. You can't screw up a paint job there. It's just a "custom" job

 

Jimmy....Sorry! I didn't realize that you had a "side draft" booth! Mosquitos aren't that bad. Usually only end up with the legs left when you buff them out. Be careful of the Dragon Flies. Them wings are something else to get out of paint. Also make sure that you use something on yourself to keep the sweatflies off of you while spraying. They cause real bad runs

This reminds me of a number of years ago I "loaned" my garge to a friend to paint his car. Each weekend was on the learning curve for him and he spent weeknights at home sanding out the previous weekend's mistakes. Despite my suggestions to start early in the day, he again arrived at 3PM to begin masking off the car.

Anway, he finally had a decent smooth couple of coats on the car and it was now after dark again. The garage doors were both open for cross ventilation and the flourescent lights were bringing in the bugs en mass.

He was standing back admiring his handywork when a huge moth landed up side down on the hood. It wasn't so much the moth wouldn't sand out to well, as much as it was the flailing last moments when the moth tried to escape the skinning over enamel paint.

It was at that point, thankfully, that he decided enough was enough and picked the moth out with needle nose pliars. My garage will never be the same; The floor was sticky with blue overspray.

 

Paint the roof first. I use a couple 10 foot long benches to paint the roof, and I have a nasty habbit of dragging the hose on the car, so if I can, I like to do the roof a couple days before I do the rest of it. If there is a belt line trim, I mask the car there. this keeps the dry spray off the trunk and hood.
The roof is much easier not to dry spray when you are doing the rest of the car than the hood and trunk.

 

I have always painted from the bottom up, the overspary issue is the reason.......................just the way I was taught.

 

I had a fly land on a 59 Volkswagen deck lid after all the clear was sprayed. Worst thing was the fly split open and little baby maggotts started crawling through the clear. They all buffed out Ok though.

 

Hey
This is like hard for me to explain but I'll give it a try, when you're painting the sides of the car you go across not up and down but when you're painting the bonnet. (Say you're facing the front of the car, do you go across or up and down? ANd same question with the boot? And roof. Have a good one all! Great post!
Thanks
Troy

 

I paint the top front to back, one side then the other, so there is no dry strep in the center. The hood is the same way. The trunk I go side to side, depending on the body style.

Troy

 

hk! empty your mailbox

 

I wonder if the guy who suggested bottom to top had an 'updraft' spray booth. Maybe the electrician hooked the 3-phase power up backward. :spank:

 

I work in a body shop that is pretty big and I always paint from the bottom up, and never had a problem with overspray. You will have the same results going from top down too. either way you are going to get some overspray. not like the paint just magically floats over the panel if you spray from the top down. You always have overspray.

 

If you start at the bottom, then the top will have over spray dust on it and you will be spraying paint over the dust.:nono:

Troy

 

I say go from top to bottom, don't fight gravity, work with it. If you have a run, you can chase it down and clean it up.

Also, what if your body or clothing brushed up agains the car when you are painting the roof, would be a lot nicer if there wasnt already paint on that side.

 

Most interesting answers.

I think everybody is right!

I never start in the same place but I always start at bottom only for reason of I can do final gun adjustment if not laying right and second just in case something was in the gun and want to shoot out. I'd rather screw up on a rocker than in center of roof or hood.

Sometimes flow of booths could demand where you start and finish.
But really, who gives a crap as long as the job turns out the way you want it to??

Over spray on roof? I've really never ran into that problem since lacquers.