How do you paint The Running board

[JonathanPrem]

Hi,

Thanks to Qxx4 idea, I'm planning on painting my Running boards Glossy black. But i dont now where to start.

What do i need and steps would be nice. Btw what do i use to take the grease and sticky stuff off.

Thanks,Jonathan

[miamiheat3332]

well our running boards have a graphite gray part which is the main metal part, then you have black plastic caps on both ends and then the ridged black plastic step part, so take off the running board, take or pry off the black plastic parts, then sand down the graphite grey paint, apply primer, couple coats of gloss black, couple coats of clearcoat, let it cure for like a week, put it back on and your good.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

The main body of the running board is actually plastic (or some lightweight composite), so when you repaint, you may want to use paint specially for plastics.

You definitely want to remove all of the tar and whatnot from the bottom. Sandpaper may be the best option, but you may also be able to use bug/tar remover and just scrub the hell out of it.

When you go to remove the oval black plastic steps, they are screwed on with a couple of screws each, you will likely strip or break the screws when backing them out, so be super careful. It had a hell of a time trying to remove these.

The black plastic end caps are help on by one screw each, just unscrew and pull off, hard. They will probably be a bit difficult to pull off.

Also, when you are pulling the entire side step assembly from the vehicle you will likely break one of the bolts, so be ready to make a trip to the hardware store. I would just recommend replacing all of the bolts with stainless ones anyhow so they don't snap off in the future.

I would also recommend purchasing trim paint to paint the black plastic oval steps and the black plastic end caps. This will give them a new look and make the steps look cleaner.

Remember, clear coat anything you paint (not the black plastic stuff tho). I can't wait to see the results!

Here is a vague breakdown of the work:

1. Remove the side step assemblies from vehicle (three brackets per side, about 6 bolts each side)

2. Remove oval black plastic steps, two screws each I believe.

3. Remove black plastic end caps. One screw each, unscrew and pull off.

4. Try removing as much tar/dirt as possible. Try bug/tar remover at first. If that doesn't work then just sand it all off.

5. Sand the entire main body. I recommend sanding down to the plastic, but this may be a little time consuming. The paint should stick to the scuffed factory paint just fine.

6. Spray several coats of gloss black paint, ensure the paint works for plastics.

7. After 24 hours, spray several coats of clear coat.

8. Scuff surface of black plastic parts.

9. Spray black plastic parts with trim paint.

10. Reassemble everything!

Here's a pic of the trim paint.

I suggest this paint since it works on plastics and is extremely resilient.

This stuff works really well.
Modified by Pwnin O'Brien at 12:25 PM 9/1/2009

[JonathanPrem]

Thanks alot Pwnin O'Brien. But have a few question?

1) What kind of sand paper do i use or are there steps of sand paper i have to go threw.

2) I just painted my grill few weeks ago but people are saying it need more clear coat. Can i clear coat it now or would it melt the paint.

3) What can of bug/tar remover did you use?

Again Thanks a lot Pwnin O'Brien your write up was really helpful.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

1) The sandpaper you need to use will depend on what you want to do. If you want to remove the paint and sand all the way down to the plastic, you will need a low grit sandpaper, like 60-80. This will also leave some deep scratches so you will need to follow with something like a 320 grit. If the 320 grit leaves deep scratches you can use an 800 grit to finish up. (80 Grit -> 320 Grit -> 800 Grit)

If you just want to scuff the paint and sand off tar (without sanding down to the plastic), then I would start with 320 if you have lots of tar to remove. If not, then I would start with an 800 grit just to scuff the surface really well.

Before scuffing the black plastic pieces you will need to thoroughly clean the surface and remove any tar. Then you can scuff the surface using a 3M scuff pad or brillo pad. This will just scuff the surface for painting.

2) To re-clear coat I would probably wait seven days for the paint to fully cure and then you can just scuff the surface with the same 3M scuff pad or brillo pad. Just scuff the surface completely and then clean the surface off and then spray on some more clear coat. You want to start with a light coat then apply two or three more wet coats. Make your wet coats nice and thick, but not too thick or you'll get runs.

3) You can use mostly any kind, but I would avoid aerosols. You want to use something that will stay on the surface and will soak in and then you can rub off with a towel. Turtle Wax has a nice one.
Modified by Pwnin O'Brien at 2:09 PM 9/1/2009

[REZN]

i have a problem with clear coating thingsi think its because i dont do it from too far away or idksee ill be adding the clear coat and it just seems to make it look somewhat dusty. and if too close it turns gray??? im done with painting now but just thought id bring that upi painted my grille aswell but just the middle part.. i left the chrome on.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

i have a problem with clear coating thingsi think its because i dont do it from too far away or idksee ill be adding the clear coat and it just seems to make it look somewhat dusty. and if too close it turns gray??? im done with painting now but just thought id bring that upi painted my grille aswell but just the middle part.. i left the chrome on.

Well make sure when you paint that you hold the can 8-10 inches from the surface, that is very important. You want to begin with a light coat, this coat will not look shiny but it will look a bit dull. If the surface looks "dusty" then that usually means you are moving too fast, usually this can be remedied with a few more slower passes. You then want to follow that light coat with two wet coats. This mean that the following two coats will be fairly thick and will have that wet and shiny appearance to them. Now you want to make these coats as thick as possible without allowing the clear coat to run, it can be kinda tricky. When you apply the wet coats, they can often appear cloudy or maybe even gray, this is perfectly normal and they will dry to a clear finish.

If the clear coat job is unsatisfactory, then you can easily scuff the surface with a scuffing pad (or brillo pad) and just re-clear coat the surface (after waiting until the paint is fully dry, usually 24 hours). I also recommend Googling "paint orange peel" and reading about that a little, look for how to avoid it before you begin.

Good Luck!