DV1000t custom paintjob

Yes, I painted it silver, only because I have no imagination or artistic style and because I kind of liked it. The reason why I painted a new coat of silver is because of the really crappy and non-durable paintjob HP left my laptop with. I mean, damn, paint was coming off of the edges and scuff marks were everywhere - it looked like crap. I also decided to change the logo to a nice copper and to give the lappy some glaze while I was at it… a little sign that my laptop is unique!

So... after reading a lot about the pros and cons of painting a laptop, I decided that I have the motivation and risk tolerance to give it a shot. Below are the results, and I have to say I am really impressed. I followed these guides to the letter and they didn't disappoint. Had I of known how easy this was going to be, I would have chosen a darker color to get a better mirror-like finish, but hey, it definitely looks better than your average dv1000t stock paintjob.

The steps I took to get this result:
1) Wet-sanded old pin job off with 400 grit
2) Cleaned with soap and dried for a minute or two
3) Primed with Krylon primer for plastic and let dry for 30 minutes (repeated twice)
4) Dry sanded flat with 600 grit
5) Cleaned with soap and let dry for half an hour
6) Painted the first very light and delicate coat with Krylon Silver and let dry for 1 hour (repeated 3 times)
7) Did not sand because sanding ruined the silver shimmer effect
8) Painted a thin glossy coat with Krylon Triple-Thick Glaze and let dry for 30 minutes
9) Painted a very thick glossy coat and let dry for 2 days (The coat was thick enough to give that "wet" look)
10) Dry sanded flat with 1500 grit, washed and painted another thick glossy coat to yield a "Wet look" and let dry for 2 more days.
11) Dry sanded with 1500 grit, washed and applied Turtle Wax rubbing compound as per directions.
12) Applied 3M Perfect-it II swirl mark remover.

The whole project took me about 2 weeks to complete, but with my experience I am confident I can do another cover in 5 days.

To those who want the glossy coating, remember that you NEED to apply the glossy coat in thick layers. They have to look wet and they have to be flat, so go slowly from one edge to another, overlapping your previous pass by a little bit so the glaze merges into a nice flat layer of reflective goo. Don’t spray on too much as you will get build-up on the edges.

To help avoid build-up of primer, paint, or glaze along the edges of your paint area, I would highly recommend heating the canisters in warm water for a minute or two before you start using them. In the unfortunate incident when you DO get build-up, no worries, you can sand it down, but that sucks so just be careful.


With my experience this time, I am going to order another lid from E-bay and paint that one a cooler color like black and green or gold or something.

http://www.overclock.net/case-mod-work-logs/69645-project-lappy-paint-overhaul-56k-warning.html

http://www.overclock.net/case-mods-general-discussion/69626-spookys-computer-painting-guide.html

http://case-mods.linear1.org/case-mod-101-how-to-paint-your-computer-case-part-1/

 

nice work man! looks slick

 

Nice!!! Looks awesome!

 

Very Nice

Thanks for the writeup also ... gave rep

 

impressive

 

Thats a really good job. I was always worried about venturing into laptop painting. Glad someone has the guts to do it.

 

Dude if anyone here can appreciate a painted rig it is I. Trust me, that is one KICK ASS job! You can make some flippen money. Now, and idea for you (since u clearly have the skillz I lack but I have the ideas). Mask the case partly and paint a design or perhaps a gradient in another color like metallic purple then do clear coats over the entire thing.

 

Thats really good. I especially like the central gold HP logo.

 

Thanks a lot for your feedback! It's hard to get a good second opinion when all I have to go on is my gf and my dad... they're both biased and they really won't tell me that something looks like garbage after I put so much time into it. So your opinions really made my day! Thanks!

Hey, DarthBeavis, I will take your suggestion into consideration since I want to get another lid from ebay and paint that one with a riskier melange of colors. Your purple gradient idea sounds like just the right one. We'll see!

 

excellent job!

 

one word+= beauty!!!