# How to paint a car or NOT **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 29, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827 "2024-10-29T19:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/1 "2024-10-29T19:35:52Z")
This guy is either a genius or a complete idiot. I don’t know which. [Paint A Car with Air Pressure from Car Tire | TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@nextlevel2777/video/7418652468889931038) ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/2 "2024-10-29T19:40:22Z")
Well… no judgement on the idiot or genius part… 🙃 But he did paint a door with the pressure in a spare tire… not a nice door, a pretty cruddy door… maybe deserving of a brush instead? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 7:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/3 "2024-10-29T19:47:15Z")
It depends how nice of a paint job you want to end up with. But I don’t see a pressure regulator or any filters on the air hose. Tester ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 8:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/4 "2024-10-29T20:08:48Z")
Actually one of the hobby/touch up guns I bought came with a can of oropelent and a fitting for a tire valve. I have three compressors so don’t need a tire but that hvlp gun can run on 15# and the tire holds as much as an air tank. Gotta stop to run to the gas station or have some spare tires is all. I didn’t look close enough to see if he had a regulator on the gun but they are handy and cheap. Back in 68 I bought a devilbis electric that actually worked pretty good for $10. The counter guy called it a splatter gun. Those $20 harbor freight throw away guns though can do a decent job. I even used my mom’s Kirby to paint my bike before that. We all start somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/5 "2024-10-29T20:30:29Z")
That person looks like a young guy with a presumably . . . still . . . strong back Try that when you’re middle-aged or better and have some issue(s) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 8:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/6 "2024-10-29T20:36:38Z")
I had a flat and took the tire off and threw it in the trunk of the other car. When I took it out at the shop I heard a crack and my arm became near useless. When I picked up, the kid asked if he could throw it in my trunk and I said thanks.still healing. It’s hard when you get old. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/7 "2024-10-29T20:37:02Z")
I’ve heard of that technique from reports in classic-car magazines. If you have no air compressor, and not much painting to do, and you don’t expect perfection, might be worth considering. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/8 "2024-10-29T20:45:44Z")
I was going to take my old compressor to the junk yard. But I asked my hvac kid when he was over if he wanted it. Still worked, just 20 years old. The next year he said it works great but drained a little water out. When I was trying to get my first one, used ones were hard to come by and often don’t realize their usefulness till you have one. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2024, 11:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/9 "2024-10-29T23:49:17Z")
How many tires does it take to paint the whole car? If he has to fill the tires with air to drive the car, why not just use an air pump to paint the car? You can set the pressure on my tire pump, and pancake compressors can be inexpensive. Home Depot has a 6 gallon pancake compressor that provides up to 150 psi for under $100. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/10 "2024-10-30T00:18:42Z")
Yeah I bought a pancake to be portable for a roofing job at the cabin. Amazing what that thing puts out. It’ll drive everything from roofing nail# to framing nails and takes up little room. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2024, 12:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/11 "2024-10-30T12:44:59Z")
> [@jtsanders](#): > > has a 6 gallon pancake compressor that provides up to 150 psi for under $100 You’ll be painting a _very_ small area and waiting for the tank to recover each time. Volume is more important than pressure now with HVLP guns… for example pancake compressor supplies 2.5 cuft/m and the gun needs 8… The tire idea is just ridiculous IMO. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2024, 10:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/12 "2024-10-30T22:10:51Z")
> [@TwinTurbo](#): > > The tire idea is just ridiculous IMO. I wonder why someone doing this would want to pack the tire on their back? Seems easier to lay the tire on the ground and buy a longer air-hose. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2024, 11:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/13 "2024-10-30T23:42:31Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > I wonder why someone doing this would want to pack the tire on their back? It’s a better spectacle with the tire on his back. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2024, 12:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/how-to-paint-a-car-or-not/197827/14 "2024-10-31T00:11:56Z")
He has a short hose.