How a Car Hood Is Painted

The hood, followed closely by the roof, is one of the trickiest parts of a car to paint. Hood painting has a number of fine points, and we describe them in detail below.

There are two main approaches to painting a hood

1. Stripping the old paint completely down to bare metal. This method has both pros and cons. The upside is that it rules out any compatibility problems between the old and new paint. The downside is that if the panel had been filled before, the whole surface has to be levelled again, especially where there are significant dents or waves.
2. Scuffing the old finish, then applying filler and primer, followed by paint.

Whichever method is chosen, painting a hood involves the following steps

1. Filler: Before any filler goes on, the hood surface is thoroughly scuffed with coarse-grit sandpaper. The surface is then degreased and levelled with universal and fine finishing filler.
2. Primer: Any spots where the filler reached bare metal are treated with etch primer. Then 2-3 coats of filler primer are applied, preferably a two-component product. The primer is then sanded with P400 paper (for acrylic paints) or P600 (for metallics).
3. Painting: The hood is degreased and the base coat is applied. Painters usually start with the edges to make sure they are fully covered. Depending on the finish, 2 to 3 coats of paint are needed.
4. Clear coat: Clear is applied in 2-3 coats with flash-off time between them. With a hard (HS) clear coat, one and a half coats is usually enough if no polishing is planned.
5. Polishing: Once the clear coat has fully cured, the panel is polished to remove any orange peel. The finish is sanded with P2000 paper and then polished with abrasive compounds.

Keep in mind that with metallic paint, blotchy patches known as «mottling» can appear on the hood no matter how many coats are applied. This is usually caused by a poorly applied first coat, an incorrectly set up spray gun, a spray fan that is too narrow, or badly prepared primer.

It is worth noting that a quality hood paint job depends on both the materials used and the skill of the painter. Following the correct process at every stage is essential for the best result. Done properly, and with an accurate colour match, a repainted hood looks brand new and is indistinguishable from the rest of the body.