Updated at: 19-05-2022 - By: Lucas

People paint their cars for a lot of different reasons. Maybe the shine is gone. Or, maybe you get into a small accident and damage your car, making it look bad. Some people who want to sell their car privately decide to paint it first because it can add a lot of value to the car.

Now, if you want to trade your car in at a dealership, you don’t want to waste money painting it. They won’t pay much more for a car with a new coat of paint than if you leave it the way it is. This only really matters if you plan to sell it to a private buyer in your area. If this is the case, you might be able to add $500 to $1,000 to the value of your car.

You have a few options when it comes to painting your car, such as:

Do you want to do it yourself, or do you want to hire a pro?

If you hire someone to do it, do you go to a body shop or the dealership?

How much are you willing to pay?

What sort of quality do you want?

All of these things will change how much it costs to paint your house. If you want to paint your car, you should read this first. We are going to talk about the different kinds of paint. We’ll also talk about the 4 different kinds of paint jobs. Lastly, we’ll talk about whether you should do this yourself or hire someone else to do it. (Hint: Trying to paint your own car is almost never a good idea!)

What are the Different Kinds of Paint?

How much does it cost to repaint a car

Before we talk about how much your painting job will cost, let’s talk about the different kinds of paint. This is important whether you do it yourself (again, not a good idea) or hire someone else to do it.

No matter what kind of paint you choose, you should always start with a good primer. Do you remember when cars were mostly black or grey in the 1970s and 1980s? The primer looks like that. It’s the first layer of paint that gets put on.

Primer is what makes the paint on your car stick to the other layers. Without a primer, the paint won’t stick to your car at all. This will cause bubbles to form. You’ll be able to see every flaw in the paint job as well. The primer also keeps your car from getting rusty or dirty. Paint will rust over time, especially in places with a lot of salt in the air. This won’t happen, or at least won’t happen as much, if you have a good primer.

Primers are usually dark grey or black. Primers don’t change the colour of your car. Instead, they get your car ready for the next step in your paint job.

Base Coat

After putting on the primer and sanding it down, you can put on the base coat. You would do the same thing if you were painting your fingernails. It’s the same colour as the paint you’re going to use on your car. It doesn’t make the paint on your car stronger or tougher, but it is the raw paint for your car.

Even after the base coat, you will still see flaws. Also, it will let the water in. Because of this, it is usually combined with a clear coat or another finish. It’s best to use urethane as a base coat. This will keep your paint, primer, and frame in good shape.

Clear Coat

This is the last coat you will put on your car. It is clear and doesn’t have any colour. Again, painting your nails or furniture is the best way to explain it. The clear coat makes the paint job on your car nice and shiny. Also in there are chemicals that help the paint stick to your car.

Most clear coats have UV inhibitors in them, which keep the colour of your car from fading. It also helps your paint look good for a long time.

Acrylic Lacquer

Most car manufacturers have stopped making cars with acrylic lacquers. It just fell out of favour over time. It is still used, though, when you want to paint an old car. If your car is old and made of heavy metal, you should use an acrylic lacquer. They don’t protect you very well. But that doesn’t matter much for old cars. People don’t drive their antique cars every day, so they don’t face the same harsh conditions as other cars.

It’s a good idea to mix acrylic lacquer with paint thinner if you’re going to use it. So, you can use it in a machine that sprays paint. Aside from that, this type of paint is very thick and feels like glue. If it isn’t thinned out, it doesn’t spread well. And you shouldn’t use a brush to put this kind of paint on. Spray paint is what you should use. This makes a nice, smooth, even finish.

Specialty Paint

In addition to all the paints listed above, you can also use paints that are just for certain things. There are three main kinds, which are:

One-Stage: Older, classic cars have this type. Only one layer is there. This is great because it can be done faster and cheaper than other high-end paint jobs. But it doesn’t give your car a lot of protection. There is neither a base nor a top coat.

Metallic: High-performance cars often have this kind of paint. Metallic paints are popular among people who like to show off their cars or enter them in car shows. All it does is spice up a paint job that is otherwise plain.

This kind of paint, called “chameleon,” became popular in the 1990s. It lets the car’s colour change when the light is different. For example, when Pontiac still made cars, they had a dark green colour that looked black from one angle and green from another.

Specialty paint will always be more expensive than regular paint. But if you have a classic car or a show car, you might be more willing to pay this much for a paint job. Most of the time, they’re not good for a traditional paint job.

People like to paint their cars for many reasons.

A person might want to paint their car for many different reasons. We’ve already talked about some of them. We’ll talk more about why someone might want to paint their car here.

Fading

If the paint on your car is getting old, you might want to give it a new coat of paint. Sun and salt can make your car look dull after a few years. Even if you wax your car a lot, it can still look flat sometimes. A new coat of paint can make your car look years younger. It also looks much better than it did before it was painted.

Selling Your Car

If you’re selling your car, you’ll want to get the most money for it. This means that you want your car to look the best it can. When you post photos of your car on Facebook or Craigslist, you want them to get people interested in buying it. Getting a new paint job is one way to do this. You won’t want to spend a lot of money if you want to sell your car. You might be able to get by with a simple paint job for less than $1,000.

Aesthetics

You might want to paint your car because you want it to look nice. You always drive your car. People shouldn’t look at your car and think that you don’t care about it. You also want it to shine and look new for as long as possible. If you want to keep your car for a few more years, you should look for a job that pays well. For example, you can pay anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500 for a preferred or premium paint job.

Accident

Getting a new paint job might be a good idea if your car was in an accident. It will not only make your car look better, but it can also raise its value. If you do decide to sell it, you don’t want it to be clear that you were in an accident. You can’t lie about how many accidents your car has been in. Still, you want to make as much money as you can. Painting your car can add at least $500 to $1,000 to its value.

So, how much will painting your car cost?

If you’re going to paint your car, you need to know how much it will cost. Your insurance won’t pay for a new paint job unless you were in an accident that is covered. Almost any mechanic will tell you that a good paint job will cost you around $1,300. Here is a list of how much different paint jobs cost, depending on how much money you want to spend.

Basic Paint Job

This will cost between $300 and $900. It costs about $566 on average. Don’t count on much more than one coat of paint here. With this kind of paint job, you might still be able to see small dents.

Mid-Level Paint Job

If you have $2,000 to spend on your car, you should get a paint job that falls in the middle. The price will be between $1,000 and $3,500. A mid-level paint job costs about $1,300 on average. This will involve better paint and a small amount of buffing.

High-Quality Paint Job

This kind of paint job will set you back a lot of money. Most of the time, they cost between $2,400 and $7,500. On average, this type of painting job costs $5,000. This much money is a lot for most people to spend on a paint job. In fact, you can buy a used car for $5,000. Or, you’ll have enough money for a good down payment on a new car.

When thinking about having your car repainted, remember that colour matters. For example, a gallon of white paint will cost about $100. But if you want red or yellow, it will cost about $250 per gallon more.

Small jobs, like touch-ups, can also be done for $150–$300. This will help fix small chips and scratches. They will be smoothed out, buffed, and given a new coat of paint.

What are the 4 Main Types of Paint Jobs?

Worker painting blue car.

There are really only four main types of paint jobs. Almost any body shop will tell you the same thing if you call them. And if you plan to take your car to a dealership, you should know that most dealerships hire a third party to do the painting anyway. So, the same rules will be in effect.

Basic

If you just want the most basic paint job, you’ll get a single-stage enamel paint job. Most of the time, this comes with a one-year warranty. It will give your car a nice shine and match the colour.

Preferred

This is also a single-step way of painting. But it has urethane paint that will help keep your car safe. This is more durable and usually comes with a warranty of 3 years.

Premium

If you have a little more money to spend, you might want to get a premium paint job. We’ll do this in two steps. You get a urethane sealer along with the nice glossy finish you want. Most of the time, these paint jobs come with a 5-year warranty.

Platinum

You wouldn’t want to get a platinum paint job unless you have a very fast car or a very expensive one. It costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time. This paint job will fix any small scratches or dents. It also has sanding and a high-quality primer. They will also use a sealant made of polyurethane. A 5-year warranty is also included.

Should You Use a Dealership, Body Shop or Do it Yourself?

We’ve said more than once in this article that you should never try to paint your own car. Most people don’t know how to do this or have the tools to do it. And if you mess it up, fixing it will cost you thousands of dollars. You would be better off putting this money toward a good paint job from the start.

It’s a toss-up whether you should take your car to a shop or to a dealership. Most dealerships hire outside companies to do this kind of work. And they will probably charge a lot more than a body shop. It’s a good idea to call a few places and find out what the price is. Choose the one in the middle and make an appointment.

Some Final Tips

There are a few things to think about if you want to get your car repainted. When you take your car to get painted, these tips will help.

It takes time, so don’t expect to get your car back the same day. To get a good paint job, it can take days or even weeks.

A fresh coat of paint won’t fix everything. Your car will look better after a paint job, but that won’t solve all your problems. A paint job won’t fix your car if it has a lot of damage on the outside.

Value: A new coat of paint will increase the value of your car. So, doing this is never really a bad idea.