[ethomps]

I'm getting ready to spray the initial base coat of primer on my convertible.
I am will be using a PPG epoxy primer.

My body guy has been telling me that I don't want to do it myself because it is very toxic/smells bad, etc.

I was planning on doing it in my garage? It is attached to the house... he is saying definitely don't do that since the smell will get into the house and I will have problems.

He is saying that it should only be done by a professional.

So, can I do this myself? It is just going to be the base coat in which the car will sit till next year when I can afford to take it to the paint shop for final prep/priming/painting.

Do I need to pull it out of my garage?
Can I sponge / brush the initial coat of primer on or does it need to be sprayed?

Now I am having 2nd thoughts about doing it myself.
Is it really that hard/dangerous?

Thanks all.

Eric

 

[topless66]

I'd do it outside on a clear, dry, non-windy day. I painted my car in my driveway.

Tree-huggers please don't flame me. ::

 

[09Frank65]

I did and it wasn't that bad, however it was primarily during the winter and spring. The good thing about primer is that small amounts of dust don't really matter. Leave the garage bay doors open. I had a 20 scfm blower that sucked the vast majority of the fumes out. Even with that however there was a boatload of paint dust that settled over everything.

I had no problem with the fumes entering the house.

Make sure you wear a nice industrial respirator.

My body guy pretty much told me that I had no choice - paint it or let it rust again as I was priming as I got the parts stripped down.

Frank

 

[hotdog]

The quick dirty answer is ----YES.
Fact, it is not good for your lungs.
You should use a fresh air mask.
Consider your neighbors..this can effect their health to.
Check this web site and ask for help.

http://www.autobodystore.com/cgi-bin/config.pl?index

 

[dailydriver]

The main thing to remember about this kind of paint is that it can KILL you. Take all required precautions per the MSDS sheet (ask for one where you buy it).

The other thing to remember is that the fumes and overspray from this stuff is EXPLOSIVE. Light switches, air compressors, hot water heaters, etc, will ignite them. Take no chances, and put safety above all else.

So, aside from the fact that they can kill you from the fumes, and can make your house explode (with you and your family in it), they are perfectly safe.

 

[65fstbk]

My brother (a bodyman) told me of a brushable primer that PPG makes. I had the same conserns when I stripped the fastback last winter, and he got me what I needed. Like he said..the brush marks dont matter at this point, as the body work wasnt done yet,I just wanted to cover the bare metal so it didnt rust any worse, and I had weeks and weeks of block sanding when I do get to that point , and that would remove any brush marks that would be missed.I still had the resperator on, as it was still a 2 part, but no overspray to worry about.

Joe

 

[Huskinhano]

Be careful! Besides being very toxic to breath, your skin needs to be protected as well! Your skin is your biggest organ!!!(respitory). If you don't breath it in, it'll be absorbed through your skin.

Now in saying that, I have used basecoat/clearcoat in my driveway. I painted a header panel and fender on my wifes Jeep Cherokee in my driveway. I used a charcol resperator and made sure I stayed up wind.

 

[stangcrazy]

You can do it. Either paint it in the driveway as someone else suggested or at least paint it with the garage door open. Also use a good HVLP paint gun this will cut way down on the overspray and some of the other problems already pointed out. By all means wear some type of respirator, your lungs will thank you for it. Problem I see with the brush on is it is going to be hard to get as good of coverage as you would with a spray gun. Good luck.

 

[65fstbk]

sent you a pm

 

[Mr_Siv]

I have done/do it in my driveway. doing it in the garage is stupid because you get paint all over everything in the garage... it doesn't matter if you get a bit of dust in the primer, or a fly lands on it, or whatever since 1/2 of it gets sanded off anyways.
just my $.02

- Jason

 

[nylhtak]

I use a very cheap spray gun and compressor and prime it in my driveway. While there is dust over everything in my garage, I pull it out when I can. I wear a respirator for ALL my spraying, even with the rattle cans. I started my project with out a respirator and small work visits in the garage would land some pretty good booger nugets. Running clear since the respirator, get one and use it often. Oh yea, don't smoke in the area :: .

 

[twotoots2]

I'm going to side with 'daily driver' on this one. PPG epoxy primers and urethane paints contain a product called isocyanate, a chemical relative to cyanide. It can kill. I spray pesticides for a living and they can kill you too. But...its all in the approach. So, if you spray paint, make sure you have very good ventilation to draw the fumes out of the garage. Paint fumes settle to the floor so a down draft ventilation system is needed to suck the fumes out of the garage. When I paint in the shop, I have incoming air positioned high up in the wall (window or fan), then a couple fans under the garage door to push the fumes/dust out. This makes a poor man's downdraft system. I also cover the walls with clear plastic as not to get dust everywhere.

Most importantly, if you paint, use an isocyanate approved respirator only. Many paint respirator masks exclude use for isocyanates and they print a big warning on the package proclaiming that. I get my respirators at Car Quest and they work fine. Just tell them you are spraying polyurethane paint and they will hook you up with the proper respirator. I wear mine tight and I cannot smell any paint fumes coming through it, so I'm happy, and alive! ::

With the proper procedure, you may be alright painting in the garage, but I would hesitate because the garage is attached to your house, and there is a real risk of getting fumes into the house. All one has to do is open the door to the garage. Then SWMBO is going to be mad! Good luck.

 

[Guest]

You should have no problems priming the car as long as you prepare for what you are doing. I worked as a painter in a body shop for many years and this is what I would suggest. First, buy yourself a disposable respirator. Go to your paint shop and buy it there. They can help you with the correct one you need for spraying paint. Also, get your self a box of disposable latex gloves (please make sure you are not allergic to latex). A box only costs $5-$7 for 100. You can use them for anything around the house. I would assume you are using the DP series of epoxy primers. Let me say that is an excellent choice. I hope you realize that this is not a primer surfacer. Talk to the paint supplier about what to use and when.

You can paint in your garage provided you follow a few safety precautions as well as usung some common sense. I paint in my garage which is attached to my home. I usually tape a pice of plastic over the walk-in door when spraying. I never use any electrical appliance or have any open flames nearby. For priming, you can keep the door open and use a fan to help ventilate. If you have neighbors that live very close, this might not be recommended. Also, be aware of the fact that everything in the garage as well as nearby things where you ventilate will be covered with overspray. Good luck and have fun.