so yesterday i finally got around to painting the fenderflares on my truck. decided to go with flat black. i still need to paint the top part of the front bumper but figured ill paint the lower half also. was wondering if i have to sand that lower part of the bumper b4 paint.
Every time I have not sanded all of the texture off the paint has looked like crap and wanted to lift. The ones that I sanded smooth lasted a hell of a long time only chipping was from normal stone impacts. But the sanding is a royal pain in the butt.
Okay, here's the thing. You don't have to sand it to paint it. If you want it to be smooth, then yes sanding it will be the answer. If you decided to go that route, then sanding the texture will be the 1st step. Then you'll need to spray it down with a filler primer, sand and repeat until the imperfections are gone. It can be a lengthy process, but patience will pay off with a nice looking finish. I would also recommend using a D.A. Sander versus. You'll sand so much you'll be tired of sanding. If that sounds like too much work, then painting the valance with it's texture can be done also. Just make sure to clean if really good. Make sure there's no oil, bugs etc. left on it. I would suggest lightly scuffing it with a Scotch Brite pad. Not too hard though, just enough to leave a little scuff without messing the texture up. Make sure to use some Adhesion Promoter. I've always used Dupli-Color Adhesion Promoter and it works great. Follow directions on can, lay down some primer then paint and you should be happy with the end result either route you decide to go with.
