repainting alu frame

terongi

I have scratched alu frame

I didnt like the colour anyway so I want to repaint the whole of it

LBS tells me:

£100 to repaint
4-6 weeks for the whole job.

How hard is it to do it myself?

MarvintheAndroid

You can do it yourself but would not get anything like durability of a professional job.

I would recommend start with blasting the frame (shot peen not grit) to get all the old paint off. Then either get it stove enamelled or powder coated - powder coat is incredibly tough. £100 is top end pricing for a single colour re-spray, Bob Jackson cycles will do one for £65 inc vat in enamel. You may be able to get it enamelled by a local finishing company, but make sure they have experience of doing bike frames.

If you do decide to do it yourself, you will not get the same hardness of finish with acrylic paint spray cans as you would with stove enamel or powder. It will look good when freshly done (assuming you don't botch it) but the finish will degrade much more quickly.

Make sure you protect all of the screw threads especially the bottom bracket threads. Take plenty of time between coats and don't rush, the quality of finish is directly proportional to the time and preparation you put in.

Marv