How To Touch Up Car Paint

Small rust spots on your car surface can be annoying at first. However, they can grow to be much more than just annoying. If a rust spot grows to a certain size, it can start to rot through the actual car surface and become a serious problem. Luckily, you can identify and repair small rust spots before they become an issue. This article explains how do use touch-up paint to seal a rust spot and stop it from growing.

Getting the Right Supplies

Before you start to do any work, make sure you have the right touch-up paint. You can usually get factory replacement touch-up cans from your car dealership or auto repair store. These touch-up cans are quite small and they are only suitable for small spots. However, they have a built-in brush that allows for clean and easy application. You will also need auto sandpaper. Investing in a sandpaper sponge makes the sanding a little easier. It is similar to normal sandpaper, except it has a much finer grit and it needs to be wet when sanding.

Sealing the Rust Spot

If the metal is exposed and rust is visible, you will need to do a fair bit of sanding. Of course, it will be impossible to just sand the rust to spot. You will inevitably sand some of the paint off around the rust. The key is to use your fingertip or just the edge of the sandpaper sponge and make small, circular motions when sanding. You won't be able to make the rusted spot as smooth as the actual paint, but just try and make it as flat and even as possible.

Using Touch Up Paint

Applying the touch-up paint is simple, but you need to have a steady hand and work slowly. You don't want to slop the paint all over and create a bigger mess than you started with. It will probably take two or three coats to get full coverage with the paint. Then, you will have to wait for the paint to dry and buff out the painted spot to give it a little bit of shine. You can use fine steel wool or an actual electric buffer if you have one.

As you can see, this type of auto body repair is simple and affordable. The sooner you fix small rust spots, the less likely that you will need to make more expensive repairs later on. Click here for more information about custom paint for cars.