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Painting Case Interior Cheaply

S

spikeyone

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
113
Well, I've purchased a case with a window, and the flat gray of the hard drive cage and mobo tray just doesn't do it for me. I'd like to paint the interior black as easily and cheaply as I can, but I've got a couple concerns.

1) Do I have to look for a certain kind of spray paint? Could the paint be conductive and somehow damage or short something out? Would taping off the points where the stand-offs attach remove this danger?

2) If paint flakes off and touches the mobo or any other components, can it cause damage?

3) Is primer necessary? I don't really want to spend more than $10 total on this project.

Also, just personal opinion: gloss or matte? The exterior is glossy, but I'm not sure which would look better for the inside.

Any paint recommendations would be appreciated too! Sorry if this has been asked a lot. Thanks!
 
always sand the paint off so it has a even surface and a matt surface. (easier for paint to stick)

then spray on primer (lets your pain paint stick and has a deeper rich color)

and then spray as many coats of main paint you want.

after you let it dry spray on a top coat to prevent the paint from comming off if you scratch it.



i paint alot of gundam and this is what i usually do


1 can primer $6cdn big can
1can black paint 4-10$
1 top coat $5


my opionion is matt looks best. glossy doestn look that great and easy to scratch
 
Rustoleum matte black paint (tremclad is fine too). Just spray it on.

WASH YOUR CASE COMPLETELY... Take it in the shower with you. later the damn thing up with soap and water first. Without a primer, ANY oil on the metal surface WILL ruin your paint job.
 
Same prep as any metal painting: sand lightly, wash and dry, use some kind of grease remover (paint thinner, mineral spirits, alcohol), prime, and do multiple light coats (clearcoat optional but recommended).

Although this is the interior we're talking about, might not need to do a clearcoat.
 
I think 400 grit would be sufficient. I have an Antec 900 i tore apart, getting ready to paint. Thats the grit i picked. Also, dont forget to clean it thoroughly. Dont bother with water, grab some xylene, acetone or some cleaning chemical made for this particular project.
 
Do you even need to sand the insides of the case? People who have painted the insides of their case. Did you sand your comp case before painting it?
 
Not if you use the paint I listed above...

Or, any paint over top of a "Self etching" primer.
 
First question that needs to be asked before going ANYWHERE or giving any kind of pointers on painting is what is the case made from? Steel or Aluminum? By the "flat gray" comment I am guessing it is painted/powered coated steel, but want to make sure, as painting aluminum is a whole other thing then painting steel.

Next, self etching primers are NOT meant to replace proper surface prep, this is the step most people skimp on but is the point of failure in 90% of all coating factors. Paint (for the most part) is a mechanical binder, meaning it needs a surface profile to adhere to, if not, the paint will lose adhesion and start to flake off.

You also DO NOT need to sand off the other coating as someone else stated, so long as it is in good shape and not coming off itself. You do not have to prime before painting if the other coating in intact and there is not bare metal anywhere. If you don't mind the extra step it can be a good idea to prime anyway as some times it can be easier to cover and will stop any bleed throughs. However, all in all how the paint covers is based on the solids content in the vehicle, but you will be hard pressed to find a company that lists the solids by volume on their rattle cans.

Prep can be done with 400 grit wet/dry sand paper, though if you are looking for cheap and the in side of the case should be pretty smooth to start with you could get away with just using some red (or even the gray) scotch pads, easier to use in the cramped and often odd shaped insides of a case. The case should then be washed of all contaminants, DO NOT use any kind of car wash type of soap as most contain some kind of oils or waxes! It is best to use just water and then come back with a wax and grease remover. You then should use a tack rag to remove any dust or "trash".

As for matte or gloss I vote for matte or at least semi-gloss, it will make things much easier when it comes to finger prints. As for the application, it all matters on the paint, and over all you should follow the manufactures guide lines for that. Also most paint for the most part should be relatively non-conductive, because if it was it would not be very good at stopping corrosion (the main reason for most coatings), that's also one of the reasons holiday detection (using electrical current to detect pinholes in a coating over a metallic or conductive surface) works, however there are many coatings that ARE conductive such as zinc based primers etc.
 
sand the surface, primer if just bare metal, otherwise just spray paint with auto paint, work fine for me
 
Darnit for some reason I wasn't getting e-mail notifications for this thread.

The case is not aluminum, so I guess it's just steel. Should I assume that the metal on the inside has some coat on it already, or is it bare? Can washing be done with plain old isopropyl alcohol (so it dries easily), or is soap necessary?

The paint I picked up is "Rust-oleum Flat Black Protective Enamel." Is this the wrong thing? :x
 
You can find my post here. The enamel should work fine. I would suggest using some kind of general purpose solvent, mineral spirits etc. which is pretty cheap.
 
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