Honda Civic body repair & paint. A quick DIY.

isrslydunnoman

New Member
Hey fellow civic owners/lovers. My name's Katie & I wanted to show you the DIY body repair & paint job I did to my 96 civic DX. The entire project cost around $90-$100 (USD).

Before the paint job
2015-03-24 14.41.33.png

- First, a list of supplies -
2-4 cans spray primer - $3 per can **if the car is a darker color, get darker primer.**
2-3 quarts Rust-Oleum protective enamel - $8 per qt.
Various sanding blocks (x-fine, fine, medium) - $10-$15
1 can body filler (bondo) - $10
2 rolls good quality painters tape - $10
1 quart acetone - $8

*Estimate* cost of supplies: $70

- Also needed -
Well ventilated area for body work/painting
Spray gun or roller (though spraying will be much faster & easier)
large roll of paper to cover tires, glass, wipers & lights
time, diligence and various dispensable objects to throw when frustration occurs
low standards
*Estimate* cost of also needed supplies: time & patience

Of course, body work needs to be done before any priming & painting.
2015-03-24 15.53.20.png 2015-03-24 14.42.13.png
Before you begin, you're going to want to remove any parts that covers a painted area. If you're lazy like myself, you're going to have to meticulously tape over lights, windows & trim before painting.

Take your time & be very thorough during the preparation process. The better job you do sanding, the better the paint will look. If you rush through the prep you'll regret it. Don't sand to bare metal, it's not necessary.

After sanding, apply coat of primer to the car, allow to dry, then apply another coat. Sand with x-fine grit.

Once you're happy with the preparation the fun part begins. Tape & paper anywhere you don't want painted. Try to cover areas really well because there will be over-spray.


2015-03-24 14.42.46.png

I used a spray gun for painting - take your paint (Rust-Oleum gloss) and dilute with a bit of acetone. Thinner the paint, smoother the coat. Spray on multiple coats, allow to dry an hour between each.

Once you're finished applying the paint, allow the car to sit for a couple days to set the paint.
2015-03-24 14.40.47.png

It's a cheap paint job so it's not going to be perfect, but it'll be an improvement.

20150324_162729.jpg
 

mc360

boosted hx
Registered VIP
5+ Year Member
Not bad, I personally would have painted the trim and door handles. Is this your first paintjob? Also you should put a couple coats of clear on because the sun is going to make that fade quick without it
 


HeX

Authoritah, respected.
Staff member
Registered VIP
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
Its difficult to judge the quality of work with the poor clarity of the pictures.
 

R3dline

Respected
Registered VIP
Registered OG
5+ Year Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
it looks like you spray painted it -shrug- if you already have a spray gun, why not buy a decent good half gal of base and half gal of clear and do it right and have a good paint job and not some rustolium bs paint job?

and dont say its too much, i did this for a fking living, i use to buy Matrix base and clear for like 90 bucks for both and that was with activator and reducer.
 


Last edited by a moderator:

isrslydunnoman

New Member
it looks like you spray painted it -shrug- if you already have a spray gun, why not buy a decent good half gal of base and half gal of clear and do it right and have a good paint job and not some rustolium bs paint job?

and dont say its too much, i did this for a fking living, i use to buy Matrix base and clear for like 90 bucks for both and that was with activator and reducer.
The reason I didn't go all out on it was mainly because of time and conditions. I did it with my dad last summer (he works at a school with full access to a garage) and was only able to use the garage for a limited amount of time. Due to the intense heat, I was worried about additional coats adhering properly. The car has almost 300,000 miles and is starting to go, so I wanted to give it a quick makeover. I'm only 18 and thought it'd be a good learning project.
 


Top