We know that if you own a truck, you want it to look good. But if you haul things with your truck, the tailgate may take a beating.
You may decide to paint it at some point. What does it cost to paint the back of a truck? What you need to know is here!
Your tailgate will cost between $300 and $900 to paint in a simple way. If more work needs to be done along the way because of rust or other damage, the costs can go up to $4,000 or more, especially if you have a newer truck with a high-tech tailgate.
When you decide to have the tailgate of your truck painted, the total cost of the job will depend on a number of things.
First, you need to remember that your truck’s tailgate needs to be sanded before it can be painted so that the area that will be painted is as smooth as possible.
Along with sanding, the tailgate will also need to have any rust removed. Even though sanding may do most of the work, you may need to do more depending on how much rust there is and how much damage it has done to the tailgate.
What To Consider Before Painting Your Tailgate?
As you just read, the price of painting a truck tailgate can depend on a lot of different things.
Your costs will stay low if your truck’s tailgate has little or no rust damage or other damage like dents or dings. This will cost less than $1,000 most of the time, especially if you don’t want to change the colour of your tailgate.
If you want your truck’s tailgate to look like it just came out of the showroom, this is where your costs will start to go up.
It’s not unusual for a painter to put as many as 20 coats of paint on the surface of a tailgate to give it a high-gloss finish.
It goes without saying that this will require a lot of paint and other supplies, as well as a lot more time to finish the job. This means that labour costs will be quite high.
If you decide to paint the tailgate of your truck yourself, you will still have to spend at least hundreds of dollars, and that’s assuming you don’t make any mistakes.
You will need primer, masking tape, sandpaper, solvent, foam brushes, paint trays, and a filtered mask to wear while painting. You will also need can after can of automotive paint, which will probably cost you at least $100 and probably much more.
Also, you’ll have to spend money on a paint gun and an air compressor if you don’t already have them. Depending on how often you plan to use them, you can either buy them outright or rent them.
If you’re not sure how to paint your truck’s tailgate, it’s better to pay a professional auto painter who does this kind of work every day.
How Do You Paint a Tailgate?
When you are ready to paint the tailgate of your truck, you may need to take a few steps.
First, you’ll need to decide if you want to paint your tailgate while it’s still on your truck or if you’d rather take it off and hang it up while it’s being painted.
This usually depends on your level of experience, how much of the tailgate needs to be painted, and how much other work needs to be done on the tailgate before and during the paint job.
Most of the experts we know say that you should use 500-grit sandpaper to smooth your tailgate’s surface and get rid of any rust that has built up.
This grit level of sandpaper is considered to be very fine, so it will remove rust from the tailgate without damaging the surface of the tailgate.
Spray paint for cars that comes in aerosol cans can be used in some situations. If you do, make sure you know what you’re doing before you start. Since each can of paint costs at least $10, you could spend $100–$200 just on these cans of paint, especially if you make mistakes.
Make sure you get enough paint for your tailgate as well. If you don’t, you might find yourself in the middle of a job and scrambling to find more paint cans of the same colour.
How Much Does it Cost to Get a New Tailgate?
If you look at your truck’s tailgate more closely and decide that it would be easier to just get a new one, don’t expect it to be cheap.
Depending on the type of truck you have, you might get lucky and find the tailgate you need at a local auto junkyard.
If you do, this will be the cheapest option, since you’ll only have to pay for the tailgate and maybe a small fee for pulling the part. Still, even at this price, you can expect to pay around $500.
Your price will go up a lot if you have a newer truck with a tailgate that has a backup camera or can be folded into different parts.
Don’t be surprised if the price of a tailgate like this goes up to $3,600 or even more. If you are not very experienced with auto body work, it is best to let a professional install these types of tailgates.
If you mess up this installation job, your expensive tailgate might fall off your truck as you drive down the road, or your backup camera might not work right.
Is It Hard to Install a Truck Tailgate?
Most of the time, putting a tailgate on your truck won’t be too hard, unless it has high-tech features that need to be wired to your truck’s electrical system in a certain way.
Luckily, almost all truck tailgates can be put in place without any special tools. This can lead to a new problem, which you hopefully won’t have to deal with.
Since most tailgates for trucks are easy to put on, they are also easy to take off. In the past few years, thieves have stolen a record number of truck tailgates.
Thieves can steal your car in just a few seconds if your tailgate is open. Thieves can take it away in just a few minutes if it’s locked.
Even if you don’t believe it, tailgates have been stolen from trucks while the driver was still inside.
In the end, the price of installing a new truck tailgate will depend on the brand, the technology or other special features it has, the material it is made of, and where you buy it. You can expect to pay more if you order from a dealer.
The average cost to replace a truck tailgate across the country is $1,200.
Now that you know how to paint a truck tailgate, how much it can cost, and why it’s important to do it right, it’s up to you to decide what to do next. Whether you paint your truck’s tailgate yourself or hire a professional, the end result will be a great-looking tailgate.
