Re-spray from matte finish to a gloss finish

badgolfer1973

Hi all,

I bought a Specialized Tarmac Sport vastly reduced but it has a matte finish in bright orange.

At first I thought it was a great colour, still kinda do, but keeping the orange looking clean is a nightmare and the matte finish makes things ten times worse. Oil marks are next to impossible to remove, as is brake dust and grime.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience of getting a matte finish professionally re-sprayed in a gloss finish, probably black?

Or if anyone already has a black gloss finish and wants to let me know I'm wasting my time.

Any help appreciated.

Matthewfalle

It's exactly the same as re spraying any color.

Secteur

Strip it down to the bare frame, take it to a car body shop and have them spray it any colour you like. Cant imgine it'd cost the earth...

gethinceri

If it's aluminium frame and you dismantle it yourself then it'll cost about £60 for sand blast & powdercoat.

lancew

It's Carbon as it's a Tarmac.

You'd be looking at getting a professional carbon painter to do that for you.

"Carbon Fibre cycle frames are specialist jobs requiring a lot of time for prep. Prices for a frame & fork set for a single colour, clearcoated and polished to high standard starting at £280 contact us for quotes on more detailed designs inc' graphics. We do not apply vinyl sticker graphics to custom jobs; we paint logos as it gives a more professional finish and look."

http://www.skunkx.net/page_2412844.html

fudgey

Try polishing it with some 3M polishing compound if you want to keep it the same colour, just gloss. Simple as that.

jermas

If you like the colour, then I'd just buy some water-based degreaser for cleaning the frame (Surfex HD diluted is great). Also after washing, give it a spray with silicone polish- it'll make it easier to clean.

badgolfer1973

Lancew wrote:

It's Carbon as it's a Tarmac.

You'd be looking at getting a professional carbon painter to do that for you.

"Carbon Fibre cycle frames are specialist jobs requiring a lot of time for prep. Prices for a frame & fork set for a single colour, clearcoated and polished to high standard starting at £280 contact us for quotes on more detailed designs inc' graphics. We do not apply vinyl sticker graphics to custom jobs; we paint logos as it gives a more professional finish and look."

http://www.skunkx.net/page_2412844.html

Thanks for all the serious replies, the issues I have are a combination of a colour that shows oil and dirt and a finish that is hard to clean.

Lance, if it's that expensive I'll just keep an eye open on ebay for a second hand frame.

cheers.

drlodge

What about sanding it down (lightly, carefully) and having someone apply a clear coat gloss lacquer?

slowmart

Badgolfer, what size is the orange frame and have you a price in mind for when you replace it?

I'm in no rush as I'm looking for something to build up for the winter

badgolfer1973

Always an option drlodge, but wouldn't want to mess this up, but having looked on ebay there is nothing cheap so maybe £280 for a professional re-spray isn't such a bad option.

Slowmart, I'm still thinking this through, really not sure yet, if I end up with a spare frame I'll follow up on this post.

Thanks.

Matthewfalle

Lancew wrote:

It's Carbon as it's a Tarmac.

You'd be looking at getting a professional carbon painter to do that for you.

"Carbon Fibre cycle frames are specialist jobs requiring a lot of time for prep. Prices for a frame & fork set for a single colour, clearcoated and polished to high standard starting at £280 contact us for quotes on more detailed designs inc' graphics. We do not apply vinyl sticker graphics to custom jobs; we paint logos as it gives a more professional finish and look."

http://www.skunkx.net/page_2412844.html

Just because it's carbon doesn't mean you need a professional carbon painter. So long as you don't go inhaling/licking the fibres you're fine - if you want a single color finish any car/motorbike/bicycle man will do. Hell, get some rattles and do it yoursen - so long as you take your time and are careful it'll be fine.

rolf_f

Matt paint is the stupidest idea ever for a bike finish but plenty of people on here swear by various automotive finishers as a means to keep matt finishes clean - not polishes because those will alter the finish permanently - I think Collinite wax finishers are often recommended.

You'll probably spend much less time out of your life occasionally re-applying collinite than you will locating a decent painter and then dismantling the frame and re-assembling it afterwards and even then you'll still need the collinite or polish to keep it looking nice. so really there is no point not trying wax.

Honestly, repainting isn't worth the trouble!

fudgey

Lancew wrote:

It's Carbon as it's a Tarmac.

You'd be looking at getting a professional carbon painter to do that for you.

"Carbon Fibre cycle frames are specialist jobs requiring a lot of time for prep. Prices for a frame & fork set for a single colour, clearcoated and polished to high standard starting at £280 contact us for quotes on more detailed designs inc' graphics. We do not apply vinyl sticker graphics to custom jobs; we paint logos as it gives a more professional finish and look."

http://www.skunkx.net/page_2412844.html

What a load of toss that is. painting carbon is no different to anything else.
etch coat, primer, colour and laquer.

OP
you have a few options if you want to keep it the same colour:

Polish it.
A bit of elbow grease and a decent cutting compound will polish the matt to a gloss finish. this is the cheapest solution to make it shiney.

Lacquer it.
Rub the frame down with a very fine wet and dry sandpaper ie 4000 grit to key it. Then spray with a couple of coats of lacquer. apply thin coats to avoid runs.

If you want to change the colour then you will need to rub it down - not to bare carbon, just to key it, then primer, paint, laquer.

reds99

I use to paint spray carbon, and you don't need to use a pro carbon outfit. Cos i aint a pro. With CF though what you really need to be careful is the prep work. As you can easily take the natural looking shape of the frame and end up with a frame looking like a 50p.
You can use any car paint shop, though as mentioned they may know nothing on prepping a CF frame. Aluminium car bodies maybe more forgiving than aCF bike frame. I learned the hard way.

Matthewfalle

Fudgey wrote:

Lancew wrote:

It's Carbon as it's a Tarmac.

You'd be looking at getting a professional carbon painter to do that for you.

"Carbon Fibre cycle frames are specialist jobs requiring a lot of time for prep. Prices for a frame & fork set for a single colour, clearcoated and polished to high standard starting at £280 contact us for quotes on more detailed designs inc' graphics. We do not apply vinyl sticker graphics to custom jobs; we paint logos as it gives a more professional finish and look."

http://www.skunkx.net/page_2412844.html

What a load of toss that is. painting carbon is no different to anything else.
etch coat, primer, colour and laquer.

OP
you have a few options if you want to keep it the same colour:

Polish it.
A bit of elbow grease and a decent cutting compound will polish the matt to a gloss finish. this is the cheapest solution to make it shiney.

Lacquer it.
Rub the frame down with a very fine wet and dry sandpaper ie 4000 grit to key it. Then spray with a couple of coats of lacquer. apply thin coats to avoid runs.

If you want to change the colour then you will need to rub it down - not to bare carbon, just to key it, then primer, paint, laquer.

What he said, like.

Matthewfalle

reds99 wrote:

I use to paint spray carbon, and you don't need to use a pro carbon outfit. Cos i aint a pro. With CF though what you really need to be careful is the prep work. As you can easily take the natural looking shape of the frame and end up with a frame looking like a 50p.
You can use any car paint shop, though as mentioned they may know nothing on prepping a CF frame. Aluminium car bodies maybe more forgiving than aCF bike frame. I learned the hard way.

And him. What he said, like. And that MF bloke up top.

darkhairedlord

At least if the bike is grubby it looks like you ride it rather than just posing.

keef66

darkhairedlord wrote:

At least if the bike is grubby it looks like you ride it rather than just posing.

+1 My CR1 has a matt finish that seems to hang on to grease and oil stains. TBH it was never a looker, and now the new bike novelty is long gone I CBA to even try to get it clean any more. I just think it looks well used and frequently fettled. It's definitely a bike for riding rather than looking at...