Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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How to paint football facemask

I am a semi-pro football player and my team is changing colors this season...so I need to paint my facemask....this may sound simple but as you may know facemasks are painted and plastic coated...so what is the best way to paint my mask? Thanks in advance for the help.

Donald Benson
Player - Stuarts Draft, Virginia, USA
2007

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Krylon Fusion [on eBay or Amazon] paint is specifically made for plastic. Clean the mask real good with soap and water, let it dry and apply the paint. Buy enough so you can do touch-ups throughout the season.

Sheldon Taylor
supply chain electronics
Wake Forest, North Carolina
2007

I know it's a late response but I've tried the Krylon Fusion on a face mask and it seems to have never really cured out. It's been months and it still feels somewhat tacky to the touch although the paint does not come off on your fingers or anything. Also the smell is still there. One of the guys on our team painted his with plain old Duplicolor black touch up paint and it dried very quickly. Obviously a facemask takes a beating so it'll need touched up regardless of what paint you use. My old team owner actually painted a bunch of them with do it yourself spray on bedliner. While it obviously gives them a rougher surface, it's very durable and sticks well.

Bill Bosworth
- Hartford City, IN, USA
June 20, 2008

Thanks for the suggestions. Well, I went with the dupli-color touch up paint, and it looks great but even while securing back on the facemask it's been chipping a little. We'll see how it goes after my son has a few more practices and games. Still got more paint left to touch it up more as I need to. Not sure if some kind of primer would have helped it to stick better to the original rubbery-surface. Next time I might try that spray-on bed liner suggestion. I can see it probably having a better stickiness to the base as well.

Quintus Schulzke
- Surprise, Arizona, USA
December 17, 2011