How a Car Roof Is Painted

Painting a car roof calls for special attention from the painter: this panel is not only the largest but also the most awkward one to work on. So how do you get at it comfortably?

First of all, when working on a roof you need to take your own body measurements into account, namely your height. If it does not let you work freely on a panel like this, use something to stand on, such as a chair or stool, though a wooden platform is better; a long army crate does the job nicely.

We will skip the degreasing and masking of the roof perimeter and focus on the painting itself. Start running the spray gun along the edge of the roof, gradually moving closer to its centre line. Once the paint covers half the area, move to the other side.

It is very important to start painting the second half of the roof from the middle, not from the edge. If you paint so that the two passes meet in the middle of the roof, the boundary between the halves may show. It is especially noticeable with metallic paint. The reason is that the paint lands at different angles, so the metallic flakes reflect light differently on each side.

The clear coat is applied in the same pattern. Its coats go on wet-on-wet, with short flash-off breaks between them; 10 minutes at 20°C is ideal. The clear coat then needs to dry for at least 24 hours, after which the orange peel can be polished out.

A roof can be painted black in several ways, including gloss or matte paint, as well as Plasti Dip liquid rubber. The roof can also be wrapped in a special textured film, such as leather-look or carbon-look. This adds style to your car and can be done without changing the registration details, since the roof area usually does not exceed 40% of the body surface. Before painting the roof, the other parts of the car must be covered with masking film and builder’s sheeting to protect them from overspray.