Alright, I bought a frame (20" S&M) and some parts from my friend a couple days ago, and I am planning on re-painting the frame red. I've never painted anything on my bike before, and I want to do it as cheaply and as nicely as possible. Basically, I am obviously not expecting a professional finish, but I don't want something that's going to wear off after a week of riding.

Aside from taking everything off the frame and scraping the current paint off, how exactly should I approach this? What paint should I use, how many coats, what should I use to finish, etc...

Thanks in advance, I have one more week in a cast (healing a broken wrist), so hopefully I will have a freshly painted ride by the time I am back in action.

-bs

Cheap, nice, and durable...a tough combination to achieve on your first try.

I've painted many frames but I am not a professional painter. Take this advice at your own risk. First tip: Have a pro do it.

second tip: the more care you take in prepping the frame the better the finished product will look.

This takes a long time to explain thoroughly. I'm going to see if I can find more info for you on this. I'll be back.

check this out!


https://www.mindspring.com/~d.g1/paint.htm

Since you are not stripping the old paint try this:

Get scotchbrite and scuff the old paint. The primer will need something to stick to. You need the primer so that the paint will have something to stick to as well. If you spray the red directly over the old paint, it will practically fall off after drying.



Here is another informative link

https://bicycling.about.com/gi/dynami...ainting.com%2F

Check out "answers" and " the painting process"

Remember, paint fumes can be harmful. Insure proper ventilation and use protect yourself.

Now I´ve never painted a frame my self, but since I have just read about respraying a frame this is the basic things:

1, Get hold of the nastiest paint stripper you can find. Coat thoroughly whole frame with it. Wear rubber gloves. Leave paint stripper on for slightly longer than recommended. Then rinse off while brushing lightly with a wire brush. Re-apply as many times required to remove traces of old paint. Clean with plenty of water.

2, Let frame dry. Do not use degreasers, they affect the paint when you apply it later.

3, When spraying move the can in smooth, even strokes.Apply many thin coats instead of a thick one. Gives a better finish.

4, When finished painting it´s time to prevent corrosion. Waxoyl is a classic corroision preventer to use. This is very flamable, take care. Spray inside the frame.

5, Grease and fit parts.

Paint and frame preparation:

Waxoyl: rust prevention (inside tubes).
Halfords Paint remover.
Halford spray paint.
Rubber gloves.

Hope this can help you in any way.

Regards
Anders K

I repainted my commuter 4 years ago and it has survived outdoor living over winter.
Assuming the bike is steel, (if it is Al then dont do it)
Take the old paint off by sanding. You may want to leave the old primer if it is sound. (it is the light coat under the colour.
Wash and clean and dry the frame.
Put bolts into the threads.
Smear some grease onto the BB threads if you sont want to chase out the paint later.
Suspend by a wire through headtube /BB or dropouts.

Apply primer, then topcoat.
Aim for a speckle effect, rather than a complete coating in one go. Too much paint will run and drip. Several speckle coats will make a complete coat
When you are reassembling the bike, put aname and address label on the steerer tube, and in the bottom bracket.

Think about rustproofing inside the tubes. I use a good spraying of WD-40 into every tube I can.

Thank's everyone for your quick replys! Looks like I have some great information to work with. I'm going to start disassembling my bike right now.

-bs

well... did ya paint it yet? I'd love to know how it turned out.

urban_assault, I haven't painted it yet. It's taken me a bit longer than expected to remove everything from my frame. I will be sure to post on this thread with before/after digital photos. I should be finished by the end of the week.

-bs

cool, good luck!

My neighbor asked me to paint her bike. She turned it over to me yesterday. BWAHAHAHA!

Anyway, she wants an Urban camo paint scheme. This will be a fun project I'm sure. I've removed all of the parts and I'm prepping for paint now. I'll post a pick when I'm done.

Later!

I heard about how some paint removers are damaging to aluminum or carbon...if your frame is al or carbon, you may want to look into this!

I use Klean Strip Aircraft Remover. If it's ok on airplanes it should be ok on aluminum.

Carbon fiber is a whole different story. That should be left to the professionals.

you should read the directions, applications and warnings before usindg any type of paint stripper.

Urban camo bike painted. I'll have pics shortly.

Hey xlr8r, how did it go with your paint job?

Painted the frame, and I have started to put my parts back on.

I will upload before/during/and after pics soon

-bs

A friend of mine is in the middle of repainting his 20 year old Trek touring bike.

First, he sanded off all the old paint and primer using paint stripper (or was it paint thinner, or are they both the same thing?). It took about 3 weeks to do this.

A proffessional painter told him to use spray cans and told him which brands of primer and paint to buy, I forget the name brands but will find out and let you know.

He has the frame primed now and is ready to paint. So far it looks really good- totally blew my theory that amateurs have no business painting bicycle frames.

Im curious how it turned out?

William, did you see the fallowup thread to this one? https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...threadid=11302

Xlr8rbmx posted pictures of the painting process, looks really nice!

Thanks Joe!!!

I should say that mine didn't come out so wonderfull. But it's a play bike, so I'm not too concerned. My daughter picked out a shiny silver colour. It looks very BLINGBLING shiny.