Repainting over lacquered part.

[outrunner]

Having painted and lacquered a model pickup truck bed I want to change the colour, is it OK to respray the new colour over the part, or does it need to be taken back to original plastic then primed?

Andy.

 

[Jakko]

I don’t know, but to be honest, you have nothing to lose by trying to spray over it, do you? I mean, worst-case scenario is that you have to strip it — while if it does work, you can save yourself that trouble.

 

[Andy T]

Short answer - there's no need to strip it, but sometimes it's a good idea.

The two main issues are paint compatibility and loss of detail. For the latter, if you've already added several layers of primer/paint/clear, then adding more on top might start to bury some of the fine detail. Only you can judge based on how thick a coating is on there at present, and what you plan to add on top.

As for compatibility, a really "hot" or aggressive solvent paint over the top of some finishes might give you an issue if you're heavy handed, but that's the same whether it's the 1st, 2nd, or 50th time painting it. Also if there's a concoction of different weathering layers/products/materials built up on it, they need to be borne in mind.

Personally I'd jump straight to respraying it unless I'd loaded it up thick with products the first time around, just treading gently with the application at first.

 

[outrunner]

Thanks for that info Andy so it should be OK as there is not a lot of paint on at the moment and not a lot of detail, so I will give it a go.

Andy.