How to Paint Plastic

How to Paint Plastic How to Paint Plastic Plastic is present everywhere. Its durability and inexpensive price makes it one of the most preferred materials for making wide variety of items. Be it food bowls, containers, vehicle covers or drinking bottles, we often find ourselves using plastic goods in our daily lives. This useful material presents a unique problem when it comes to painting it. The smooth surface of the plastic is resistant to paint and fails to adhere to paint colors. However, with some careful procedures you can successfully paint not only small details on a plastic good but also the entire object.

Here are some useful guidelines that can help you achieve desirable painting results on plastic items:

Instructions

The first thing you need to do is prepare the plastic object for painting. Clean the object with soap and warm water. If you want you can make use of soft brush for cleaning the surface area. Scrub the area and rinse it properly. This cleaning process is very important to ensure there is no greasy residue on the plastic surface which could reduce paint adherence. Allow the object to dry completely.
Try to remove the shine from the surface of the object. The more shiny the surface, the lesser are the chances that paint will stick to it. You can make use of fine-grit sand paper against the surface to reduce the shine. Sand the surface thoroughly by lightly scrubbing it. Do not scratch or push too hard. If you want to paint only smaller parts of a large plastic object, then remove the shine only from those portions while leaving the shine on unpainted surfaces.
Now sketch the pattern or design that you want to paint on the plastic surface. Make outlines of the design with a pencil. For instance, if you want to add a Mickey Mouse to your plastic lunch box, make the outlines of the figure with your pencil. Once the outline is complete, we will add colors to it.
Take a small paint brush and dip it into liquid sander. Apply the sander inside the border of your sketch. Do not bother about making it exact; simply place the liquid sander inside the border of the design and allow it to remain on the plastic surface for few minutes before wiping it off with a soft cloth piece. Make sure to wipe completely so as to avoid it from spreading to adjoining surfaces.
Now paint the design over the original sketched area, using craft paint.
Use roller, brush or spray for painting the plastic surface area. It is always better to opt for multiple thin coats than to apply one thick coat for a nice finish.

Tips

If you are painting larger object, make sure to prime the surface because it will help the paint to adhere to the surface. Plastic primer provides a porous surface for the paint and hence helps in proper bonding of the paint with the plastic surface.
If the plastic object you are planning to paint is flexible, prefer adding plastic flex agent to your paint