Is there no Sticky about painting a notebook?

I'm kinda surprised that there is no sticky in this
area that generally outlines what you need and
have to do (step by step) when you are painting
your notebook...

Basically, I'm in the process of getting a
LG P300 that is only available in South Korea.

I want to paint this sucker.

Some people may like the black/purple zebra stripes
that it comes with, but I personally don't.

I was thinking of painting glossy white or just piano black.


Can anyone give me some pointers or can anyone possibly
make a stick about painting; tnx.

 

Prep:
Ok, first off you want to sand it down, some say to sand it down to the plastic(If its plastic, I'll assume it is) I don't think you have do it that far, just sand it good.

Pre-Primer(not always required):
First thing I personally apply after sanding is a product called 'Bull Dog' not sure if you can get it there, but it helps the paint adhere to whatever your painting, there are some that are plastic specific.

Prime/Sanding Tips:
Next coat will be primer, a plastic primer, apply all coats thin and even After you've applied your primer coat then sand it down with very fine sand paper(2000 grit is best). Some say that wet sanding is required, but the whole point behind wet sanding is to carry away any loose particles, theres other ways to do it other than wet sanding, but wet sanding is most popular. If you don't want to wet sand it then after your done sanding it, wipe it down really good with a tack cloth.

Base Coat:
After your primer coat you will want to apply your base coat, or color, apply thin and evenly, then sand some will say to apply another coat or two more even, this just depends on the paint your using and how well you apply it.

Finish(Clear Coat):
Some paints don't require a clear coat, but my personal preference is to use a paint that needs one, and then use one of those, same deal with the clear as it is with the base coat, apply thin and even and maybe 2-3 coats sanding between each coat.

As you have read thats alot of coats of paint, so you want to make sure that you put them on very thin, cause if they're thick they WILL add up fast, and it can amaze you how thick paint can get. Make sure to allow ample dry time between coats. I'd HIGHLY suggest you disassemble your notebook to paint it, if you don't disassemble then make sure you mask all things that you don't want to paint.

 

Thanks for the step by step help!

2 questions:

#1.
Does sanding then coloring the chasis affect how well
the notebook is cooled? Since most notebooks are
specfically designed to dissipate just enough heat,
which the notebook produces...?

#2.
When sanding, do you sand it until you have a even and smooth surface?


Thanks once again for the advice!

 

#1 Unless your laptop is made of aluminum or another metal, I wouldn't think that the paint would effect how much heat it dissipates, unless you fill in any vent holes.

2# 1500 grit or higher for the grade of sand paper, And yes, sand it until its smooth, it should already be even, unless your trying to fill a gap or hole, which you would fill with bondo or a epoxy, then sand it even.

 

Yea if your case is plastic it wont make a difference I have been told.

 

thanks for the little tutorial u gave

 

I wanted to add to this that I have always read that the paint used should be automotive paint. Otherwise there might be someone, like me, who will end up standing in the spray paint aisle at home depot scratching his/her head and thinking "Oh shoot, I forgot to ask about the type of paint."

Now, I have some appliance epoxy that I think might make for an interesting experiment-- maybe at one point I will try some on one of the old notebooks we have around here. But the colors with that tend to be limited.