There’s no denying that the best way to give your car a fresh look is to paint it. And it is not just about looks. You can even revamp the value of the vehicle with new paint.
But what about the effort? How long does it take to paint a car?
A complete car painting project can take anywhere from 40 hours and 80 hours. The total time required will mainly depend on the car's size and the bodywork. In terms of the drying time, it can be between 30 minutes to 24 hours or even more.
But what about the cost? Also, are the size and bodywork the only two things that dictate the time requirement of the car painting project? You will find answers to these and more info about the topic below!
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What Determines the Time Required to Paint a Car?
So, the size of the car and the bodywork required for the painting process are not the only factors that affect the time requirement. Instead, there are many others.
Let’s take a look at all of them to further understand the topic.
Size of the Car
As mentioned, one of the main things that will determine the time you have to put into the painting project is the model. For example, a full-body paint job for a passenger van will take longer than for a compact sedan.
Body Work
The second factor that impacts the time requirement is the required bodywork. Basically, you can not just expect to strip the old paint out and spray the new one in. To get the best results, you have to deal with dents or any other damages present.
Now, the time you have to put into these repairs will depend on the severity. For example, a standard dent repair can take a few days. But if you are working with a major dent, expect to put at least 2 weeks into it.
Prepping Phase
There are many steps in the prepping phase. That includes selecting the correct paint, sanding down the body, and covering any parts you don’t want to paint on. Generally, you can expect to put at least a few days into the prepping phase.
Quality of the Paint Job
It goes without saying that you have to put extra hours into the painting job if you want to perfect it. And this extra time is the exact reason why professional services are costlier than the DIY approach.
Additional Coatings
The base paint job or the primer coat is not all there is to it in a car painting project. You might also have to deal with multiple additional coatings. Typically, car repainting services do a clear coat on the top.
This clear coating protects the paint underneath it and offers a glossy finish on the exterior. Some might even include a special coating to make the body resistant to environmental elements.
Now, as you can expect, these additional coatings will make you put extra hours into finishing the project.
How Much Does It Cost to Paint a Car?
The total cost of the car painting project can be as low as $500. But that will only be true if you are looking to get just a basic repairing job. On the other hand, a professional car repaint and restoration can cost anywhere from $2000 to $4000.
In terms of professional service, you must consider many things to get to a final price. For example, you should consider whether you want customization and bodywork.
Likewise, the professional repainting service cost will be high if you are driving a luxury model. In fact, sometimes, the overall bill can be $5000 or even more.
Want to take a DIY approach? In that case, you can cut the cost by a significant margin. To illustrate, the average cost for a DIY car paint project can be anywhere from $200 and $300 on average.
But if you want to work with fancy paints and coats, it can cost more than $300. Still, you will not be paying as close to a professional service.
Final Words
Long story short, professionals can take anywhere from 2 to 4 days to paint a car. And if you do it yourself, it can take weeks. Also, the size of the vehicle does not answer the question of how long does it take to paint a car.
Along with that, the bodywork required, the painting process and quality, and the detailing needed will give you a proper estimation of the duration.
