Home/Sitemap  ·   Search  ·   you are here: Forum =>letter 7359 How to paint plastic + If anyone can tell me how to paint onto plastic, please reply a.s.a.p. Thank you. Jenni F - Bury, Manchester What kind of plastic do you have? I am trying to find a way to paint plastic molded chairs and I have gotten a variety of responses form local artists that might help you. Some hobby shops carry paint for painting plastic models (airplanes, cars, etc.), but it depends on the type of plastic that you are trying to paint. If you could give more details, I might be able to help. Myra S - Loveland, Ohio Jenni, as Myra said, you really should know WHICH plastic you are talking about. There are many 'plastics' just as there are many 'metals'. Some don't take kindly to painting, ie. Teflon but also Polypropylene and Polyethylene (PE), and PE has a waxy feel, anyhow (super for fridge ice cube holders etc. etc) So what have you got? PP or PE will both slowly burn and will both drip. PE will always smell of candle wax. Cut off a sliver and put a match to it to try this out. If you have PVC, Acrylic (ie. plexiglass) or ABS or variations of these, these thermoplastics can be cemented so then consider a paint that will 'attack' the plastic, ie. a lacquer and not a latex. The test for these is simple. PVC doesn't burn, it just gets soft and stinks. Acrylics burn slowly and smell sweet. ABS burns quite well and gives off black fumes and it pongs. Myra's deck chairs are made, I'm pretty sure, of an impact modified PVC although perhaps manufacturers might use a UV stabilized ABS. ABS is weaker than PVC (not as rigid) but is much better on impact. Anyhow, dammit, when the chairs were bought, the packing would SURELY show what material they were made from. Fortunately no one is making items from a super plastic called Cellulose Nitrate (hence the film name of celluloid) as that REALLY burns. Dangerous. But super for ping pong balls which, although modified with Naptha, cannot be excelled by any other known plastic. Lastly, please preclean before painting. To get a better job of adhesion, sand down very slightly, too. Cheers! Freeman Newton - White Rock, British Columbia, Canada ++ A 2K urethane works on most plastics with the exception of polyolefins (polypropylene or polyethylene) these require a special epoxy that needs a 250 ƒF bake to activate after application. Ron Zeeman continuous coating - Brampton, Ontario, Canada +++ Jenny, Krylon Fusion [linked by editor to product info at MisterArt] paint for plastic comes in a can and I bought some for my plastic chairs. Catherine V - Eureka, California +++++ I stunt motorcycles. Meaning I break plastic on a daily basis... first off, like Mr Freeman said, know what you are painting. and hope it is ABS... abs is most common for sportbikes/snowmobiles. Polywhatever is used on dirtbikes/atvs... obviously, this is not written in stone. I wouldn't recommend painting a poly part, just replace it; it is a lot cheaper than abs. If you're not sure, abs is quite rigid, poly is malleable to the extent that you could almost bend it in half without breaking it, depending on thickness of course. What's going to happen if you paint something that's hella flimsy? Kurt Lammon writes the best book I've seen about plastic repair/painting... if you want to save some cash and experiment a little... here's a tutorial http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0204_body/ this is one of the cheapest places to get plastic welding supplies, short of finding the crap on ebay ---> > http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/plasticrepair.php you'll have better luck if your plastic doesn't have pigment in it. sand it smooth, soap and water, weld your cracks, krylon primer, Krylon Fusion , and then throw it on the pavement at 40 mph again... repeat... David Nelson - Beale AFB, California +++++ ...Funny...I was just tackling that very job and ran into the same problem. I called a friend of mine and he said you have to sand any plastic surface before you attempt to paint it. Then apply a plastic primer, then your paint. (specifically made for plastic). Good luck. I am taking his advice, and will let you know the results. Ruth Coleman - Aliquippa, Pennsylvania +++++ I am planning on painting a stripe on a Sears cartop carrier. I have been told that there is a hardener to use that is for plastic car bumpers. Anyone know anything about this? Tony Hallum - Hobbs, New Mexico ++++++ How should I paint motorcycle plastics? Sand, Primer, and paint?? Patrick Hill - Mesa, Arizona ++++++ I want to paint these plastic cubes that I use to teach in a math class. The material is somewhat shiny and smooth. I've tried acrylic and it peeled off. Any suggestions? Kristin Wiese Teaching - Palatine, Illinois ++++++ Krylon Fusion [linked by editor to product info at MisterArt]Plastic Paint claims there's no priming, chipping, it adheres and dries in an hour. Maybe this will work.... Robyn Peterson - Nashville, Tennessee +++++++ I want to paint and decorate a plastic see thru sheet, like a vinyl shower curtain! Does anyone know what I can use so that the paint doesn't crack or chip? Thanks! Eliza Lee hobbyist - Vancouver, BC, Canada +++++++ I just bought a 98 ez-go golf cart. It has some scratches on it and one actually dug a little into the plastic body. I want to repaint it but not sure of how to fill in the scratch that dug in the body or how I should go about painting it and what type of paint to use. Mike Winegar consumer - Indianapolis, Indiana +++++++ I am having a problem getting a durable finish on ABS body panels off a motorcycle. I am thinking of trying the Krylon Fusion and if it is durable topcoating with a clearcoat for better protection against chemicals that might come into contact with the finish. I see suggestions to primer and then use Krylon Fusion. Isn't the whole idea behind the Krylon Fusion that it bonds with the plastic better than conventional paints (and presumably primers)? If you primer then the Fusion paint technically never touches the plastic so what would the point be? Couldn't you use just about any flexible paint if you bothered to use a good primer that bonded well to the plastic? In a nutshell - Why would you use Fusion after primering? Stanley Jablonski hobbyist - San Antonio, Texas +++++++ For those of you out there trying to paint shower curtains, vinyl tablecloths and the like, Plaid has a paint line for plastic. It has like 37 different colors. I can find a small assortment at my local craft store.....but you can buy the whole line primer sealer and all at their web site. I recently made a custom picnic set table cloth, dishes and all. It has with stood even the dishwasher! Hope this helps. LISA FONNESBECK - Las Vegas, Nevada +++++++ I have decided that a large water tank in small garden is an essential but it is sticks out too much, thought i would paint a scene on it so it blends in more with the garden setting, it is plastic corrugated and cream colour any ideas what sort of paint i would need,we have reasonably extreme temps here down to minus 7 C and high as 40 C.Appreciate any advice thanks Linda Mawbey hobbyist - Goulburn N.S.W. Australia +++++++ hello there... I was wondering if anyone could help me as I want to paint something onto a plastic bass drum skin and I have no idea what kind of paint won't ruin it. If not paint i thought maybe cellophane with adhesive glue.... thank you x Melanie Heslop hobbyist - London, U.K. August 11, 2008 I am trying to paint marine life rings (the kind you toss to a drowning person). They are white, slightly textured and what I thought were a plastic of some kind. I am hoping to use them as address markers along the highway. I considered using Kilz [link is to product info at Amazon] or BIN Primer [link is to product info at Amazon] as I've had good luck with that on many unusual surfaces, but this was about the time the spray plastic primers came on the market. I could swear Krylon was the first and had a plain white primer. Unfortunately I used the whole can and tossed it, since I painted four rings. I have no way of knowing the brand! Well, the paint crazed (alligatored) as soon as it hit the primer, but not in all places, just spotty. Now, after a year later it *still* isn't dry! It's tacky and sticks to anything it sets on for more than just a few minutes. The paint is peeling down to the original surface and can actually be peeled off in strips---like it never stuck in the first place and just formed a flexible film. I contacted Krylon and they claim they never made a primer, only their Fusion (colored) product. I'm almost certain it was Krylon! The only company I can find that makes a "primer only" now is Rustoleum! I'm pretty certain it couldn't have been that company or I wouldn't have been concerned about the compatibility issue. So, I'm stuck! Help! I've already detail painted the one painted ring (Dumb, I know! I thought the "tackiness" was going to eventually dry, and the top-coat detailing "is" dry) which means I've lost the work that went into it, but I have three more to do. Does anyone else remember the "Plastic Primer" when it first hit the market a year or so ago? I remember it's claim was it could be used to prime any plastic, then you could topcoat with any paint! Was there another company making it? Any idea what might have gone wrong and any suggestions for how to proceed now? Like I said, I still have 3 rings already primed---I'm afraid to topcoat them, I *hate* stripping paint, and I'm not even sure I could on plastic! Really, REALLY appreciate some input!! Thanks, Linda L - Hoodsport, Washington August 13, 2008 Hi, Linda. It could have also been Bulldog Tie Coat [link is to product info at Amazon]. Obviously it's hard to guess what you might have used, and anyone's recollection of the market situation is going to be colored. But I think your recollection has perhaps exaggerated their claim to work on any and every possible plastic. But at this point you have paint that won't dry, and unfortunately that's not really unusual nor readily curable.I think you should strip and repaint one ring with the primers you have more confidence in, and wait until it dries before you make further decisions. Good luck. Regards, Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey August 13, 2008 Thanks Ted! I checked out the Bulldog Tie Coat and I seriously doubt that was what I used! It looks like that is probably an automotive primer and costs way more than I would have spent. I would have bought it at somewhere like Lowe's, Home Depot or WalMart. After receiving the response from Krylon, I Googled "Krylon Plastic Primer" and found several references to it. I suspect it was on the market for a short time (gee, I wonder why???) and they replaced it with their Fusion line. I have replied to their response and asked them to "look deeper" into their discontinued stock. Not sure they will, I usually find answers like the one they gave me are just boilerplate---but *sometimes* they will follow-up! I told them I need to know what the base is and what it is compatible with. In the meantime, I guess all I can do is strip this one off and start over. For the other 3 I will try a small area with a different paint to see what happens. I didn't really want this to be an expensive project, since the first life ring is for an address marker on a busy highway and stands a good chance of being stolen! I only paid $4 apiece for them several years ago, but I'd like to use the remaining ones on my dock. I had hoped the Rustoleum paint would be good to use as I have had good luck with it in the past. Funny, I almost used a cheap, $1.99 rattle can I had here! Wonder if it might have worked better ;-)! I'll let you know if I hear back from Krylon---and thanks again for getting back to me! Linda Linda L(returning) - Hoodsport, Washington June 29, 2009 I bought a fireplace several years ago, which was white when I bought it, the surrounds turned out to be plastic which is now yellow with age, the remainder is marble, which remained white, would love some direction as to what I could paint the surrounds with. Any suggestions. help Helen Hanlon - Dublin, Ireland September 21, 2009 I have a quick question with paints having to do with plastics. I am painting a Jango Fett Rubies 2 piece helmet. I was wondering what paints would be best for this specific project. Also, what sealers would you recommend? Please respond ASAP. Thank you very much for your time. Sean Sean Michael Haas - Miami, Florida September 21, 2009 Hi, Sean. I don't know the kind of plastic it is, but Krylon Fusion [linked by editor to product info at MisterArt] is usually a good bet for plastic. I don't know what it is that you want to seal though. Regards, Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey October 30, 2009 Hello, for all of those who wish to paint a general (shiny,matte,smooth,etc.) plastic surface. I have been customizing merchandise from video game consoles to vehicles and I have used the same process for each and every one creating a brilliant result. 1st step to repainting any item is the cleaning prep. Always use a pair of powder free gloves to eliminate any oil getting onto the surface and always keep on while handling the item. 2nd, I usually just give a good wipe down with dish soap. Remove any obvious signs of dirt, grease, scum, etc. Then, depending on the size of the item, wipe it down with rubbing alcohol, preferably the clear kind, this will remove any oils unseen to the naked eye, be sure to clean all "to be" painted areas. After the cleaning is the sanding. 1st, to keep the surface in it's smooth or other original condition, sand the entire "to be" painted area with 600 grit sand paper. This will enable the paint to "stick" better to the surface. Now, the painting. KIND OF PAINT: I have always used Krylon Fusion [linked by editor to product info at MisterArt] paint for plastics. It already contains a surface adhesive chemistry which enables the paint to strongly bond with the plastic. You will also want Krylon clear coat (Krylon 1301 [linked by editor to product info at MisterArt]) to protect and prevent any possible chips or cracks. 1st, with this paint, you want to completely cover the surface with a light layer about 2-3 times. Waiting 8-10 minutes between each layer. 2nd, to prevent the not so smooth texture most people feel after painting, do not touch the surface for up to a week. This time period let's the paint "heal". A process where the paint is not only visibly dry to the eye, but the molecules have settled and fused with the item, giving you that smooth, new feeling. After the paint has healed, you need to apply the clear coat. 1st, spray 2-3 light layers covering entire surface. Let dry for as long as appointed by directions on the can between each layer, and ta-daa, a nice, luster, smooth paint job. cody tarrant - desert hot springs, California November 20, 2009 Will this process work for a little tykes car bed? Gloria Hidalgo - Wisconsin November 24, 2009 Hi, Gloria. See if there is a triangle with a number in it embossed in the plastic. That tells recyclers what kind of plastic it is. Then google "plastic recycling codes chart" to see what it is. Regards, Ted Mooney finishing.com Brick, New Jersey January 6, 2010 In case someone else needs answers, here's my 2 cents on plastics. If the plastic is not too flexible (should be fine for motorcycles, video game controllers, laptops, plastic furniture, etc) use Krylon Fusion. I know that the can says no prep needed, that simply isn't true. You need to sand the plastic lightly with 600 or so grit sandpaper. Then wash with dishsoap and warm/hot water. After it is completely dry, use cotton balls or q-tips and clean all the grease off the surface with rubbing alcohol or paint thinner. at this point, you should not touch the project with your bare hands anymore, wear latex gloves. remember: oil (even the oil in your skin) is your enemy when it comes to paint. also remember: 90% of painting is the prep. painting: use Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter [link is to product info at Amazon] as your primer. spray 2 LIGHT coats and one slightly heavier coat about 3 minutes apart. THE TIMING IS VITAL! you have to spray your Krylon Fusion NO MORE THAN 10 minutes after the last Adhesion Promoter coat. With the Fusion, spray 2-3 light coats about 10-15 minutes apart. Wait 24 hours, remove any masking you may have done, then spray 2-3 coats of Krylon Fusion Clear about 15 minutes apart to protect the paint. Remember these things: After you sand the project, do not touch it without gloves. Apply coats lightly. Heavy coats can drip and look ugly. It's important that you follow the timing! A lot of the timing information is printed on the back of the can- DO NOT RUSH IT. If you do everything correctly, your project should look wonderful and last a long time- I refinished a patio table about 2 years ago, and it still looks like the day i painted it. Good luck everyone! Ben Trumbull - Milwaukee, Wisconsin April 17, 2010 this is all such good information....I am beginning a sign project for a friend that is opening a coffee shop. She is doing it on the cheap so my plan is to reuse the plexiglass from the old sign, this is to be an outdoor sign so it needs to be DURABLE. I have much experience w/ other mediums..The stripping and prepping has been no problem... my question is What Paint Do I Use? I will be lettering by hand--no stencil so that kind of eliminates the possibility of spray paint.. Help? Chanda Rush - Beaverton, Oregon     o27

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