As a fully accredited ‘Made in Great Britain’ business we design and manufacture the majority of our product range at our Preston based manufacturing facility. We offer a wide variety of different finishes on our parts, consisting of our smooth for painting range all the way through to our concourse quality painted or hydrodipped products.
Whilst prepping and painting products we manufacture in house is something we do on a daily basis, we are also able to offer a high-quality painting service for parts sent to us.
Our meticulous prep processes, state of the art facilities and use of only the best materials, ensure that we are ideally placed to meet the needs of our customers and help them realise their vision for their project.
Whether it is a complete engine bay, some smaller interior parts or even motorcycle panels, if it can be prepped and painted then it is something that we can do for you.
The Custom Painting Process
1. First step in the prep process
Whilst it may be a cliché, the key to any long-lasting, high-quality paint finish is the preparation. It is this part of the process that takes the time and is subsequently where much of the cost is incurred.
The prep to the substrate varies depending on the material, the shape and even the variation of the material. For example, not all plastics are the same and the way in which they respond to abrasives varies which all needs to be taken into consideration before work can begin.
We take a great deal of time over our prep to ensure that the end result is the best it can possibly be, so the texture is always removed. We have heard many stories over the years about poor-quality work where the texture is just buried in primer.
Whilst this might provide what appears to be a good finish upon first glance, the paint will indeed sink and lose its lustre within a couple of months.
2. Priming of parts
Next comes the priming stage. The parts need to be decontaminated to ensure they are free from dust and any other silicone-based sprays. Again, primers are chosen on a ‘fit for purpose’ basis.
Plastic products will always be plastic primed prior to high build primer but on occasion we will also use etch primer or Epoxy primer depending on the substrate.
A guide coat is also applied before the parts leave the priming booth.
3. Second step of the prep process
Once the primer has cured the item will return to the workshop where wet-sanding and final prep will take place. The primer is carefully sanded back (often using multiple ‘grits’) to create the super smooth surface which is ready to take the basecoat.
The workpiece is closely inspected under high intensity lighting and any imperfections highlighted. More work is then carried out on the imperfect areas and should another coat of primer be required it item will return to the previous step.
Once the part has passed quality control, it is then decontaminated again and sent up to the paint department.
4. Basecoat
Once the job is received in the paint department the item will be degreased one more time, then masked where appropriate and mounted on the appropriate stand. In many cases a stand has to be custom made specifically for the job in hand.
The part it then blown with an anti-static airline to help reduce contamination in the booth. Once the item has been positioned in the booth, the painter will then get the paint ready for the job.
This can vary from a simple solid basecoat, to metallics, all the way up to multistage pearl paints, sparkles, flip paints and spectre flair depending on the customer’s requirements.
Once the painter is happy with the colour, the paint will be applied, and time allowed for each coat to flash off. Each job is carried out on an induvial basis so the number of coats etc can vary depending on colour match and customer’s requirements.
Once the basecoat has dried the protective clear coat can be applied.
5. Lacquer
Lacquering is the penultimate stage to our painting process which seals in all the meticulous preparation that has gone on before. Again, this is subject to the customer’s specifications.
The most popular finish is our super high gloss clear coat, but we also offer a satin clear and when painting candy colours tinted lacquers can be used when required.
Once items are ready for clear coat and the final inspection has been carried out the painter will apply the relevant number of coats required, before baking off the parts if applicable.
6. Polish
Once the clear coat has cured, the parts then move on to be detailed where any tiny surface imperfections are removed. The surfaces of the parts are flatted back before being 3 stage machine polished back to a deep shine.
7. Protection
One polished, the parts can have an optional sealant or ceramic coating applied to them to help add further depth to the shine and offer protection from the elements.
8. Packaging & Shipping
Once the parts are ready to go, they are carefully wrapped using a specially selected fabric to ensure the finish is not compromised in transit.
The parts are then securely packaged in preparation for their journey back to the customer.
Take a look at our BMW custom engine bay painting case study, or get in touch with us to discuss your custom painting requirements and start the process of turning your vision for your car into reality!