How To Paint Plastic - HD - The Basics 

This is the actual tutorial I m looking for. Not just some kids do spraying or dipping unprofessionally.

As someone who use to paint plastic parts in a body shop. This was spot on. I wouldn't change or recommend anything different. Exact method we used.

Good idea on the Scotch Bright pad. I've been using just a 400 grit paper that I had left over when I painted my car bumper cover. The pad gets the job done but is gentler and doesn't load up like the sandpaper does. Good video, guy.

I feel like I'm watching an episode of Jackass except Steve-O spends the entire time instructing me on how to paint plastic

I wonder if that's how the pros do it

Yah, plastic seemed to be one of the hardest things to paint until recently. Great tips, never new about the clear coating on the plastic.

Yep, I'd totally screw this up, I'm going Amazon skins for xbox controller for less than $10 bucks shipped to my front door! My cost vs this project: $4 paint $6 adhesive prep $2 ScotchBrite pad $498 to replace kitchen table ruined with overspray $20 Pinnacle Vodka $35 xbox controller replacement $565 total

Take a shot everytime he says "how the pros do it"

That's a mighty-fine Battlefield poster you got there in the background.

First actual good tutorial on how to paint a gaming remote, seriously glad I just recently found this. Hopefully I can try this soon

Do not use regular kitchen sponges, use Scotch Brite

This is actually one of the best tutorials I’ve found on how to do this.

Thanks for the info. I will use scotch brite pads instead of sand paper on my wife's hub caps, I am also use dawn dish soap to degrease the hub caps, then wipe them down with alcohol to remove any residue from the dish soap,. I am using Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X Flat White Primer, Rust-Oleum Fluorescent Orange Spray Paint & Rust-Oleum Gloss Clear Spray Paint. I hope these turn out great on her silver Impala, we should be able to see where we parked in a crowed WalMart parking lot.

Great tutorial, but you forgot to show us the end result after dry and clear coat!

I paint plastic office supplies and was having some issues with it sticking and the paint not drying! This video was right on time, thank you!!!

Very nice thank you! Much more detail and specificity than I read in many other instructions on how to paint plastic. Especially on the prep and how / what to do and use - as with anything prep is 90% of the work. Thanks awesome info.

I've been trying to spray some plastic plates and paint peeling has been a major issue so I'm super glad this video is here!

I can't thank you enough for those tips. I painted the handle and latches on a plastic ammo box that I turned onto a Bluetooth Boombox. the paint on the handle peeled right off when I carried it around. I am going to use your tips. you made my day

awesome video! I'm taking what I learned here and applying it to two ATV projects! I love that you included what the pros did with the one direction of sanding etc this was a HUGE help

tack cloth, thats how the pros do it. It isgood to warm up paint if it is cold, it helps alot.

thx for tips now all I need just buy an Xbox controller :/

Excellent video. I think it tells me everything I need to know. However, I still have to think about painting my vinyl window frames for two reasons: (1) the manufacturer of the frames says that painting them will void the warranty. They do have a "specially formulated " paint for painting them, but (surprise) you can't buy it from them. (2) I have read scare stories about possible ill effects of painting vinyl frames, including warping of the frames. Losing the warranty is not such a big deal, but warped frames is another thing.

You're a wizard. I've been looking for something like this forever

I had no idea this involved so many steps. All I want to do is spraypaint a few box handles, to organize my filament rolls. Saving the video for posterity.

I feel like im the only person here whos painting a dirt bike and not a gaming controller, also learn from my mistakes you need to really take the time to scuff up your controller and make sure the paint gets set in well, your hands are going to be touching the controller constantly so dont get lazy with the prep work or else your controller will chip

Excellent. I'd give two thumbs up for this vid but only can give one.

Painting ANYTHING takes lots of patience! Enjoyed watching your video!

what kind of clear coat do you use for controllers. Im worried about wearing away the paint with heavy use of the controller. Do you have a video going over clear coats?

Thanks for the tutorial! Very helpful as I have bunch of yellowed NES consoles lying around that I can't retrobright. Let's see how this goes but thanks to you I'm gonna make sure I'll do the plastic preps very carefully!

Great tutorial. On attempt number 3 for a plastic painting project. I'm feeling more confident this time around.

Actually, it is usually due to plasticizers and other chemicals migrating to the surface after awhile and all the natural oils from your hands. Sanding is therefore, as you mentioned, a must.

Thank you for this. I'm trying to learn about painting plastic cos I want to customize some of my Star Wars toys

What do you do if the plastic surface is not smooth but grained?

great video I will use these steps for my engine cover and other small parts. I know it's not easy but the way you explained it made it simple and gave me the confidence to do it my self thanks

if it is ABS then this works like a champ. If it is polypropylene or polythene it has to be flame treated to stick. I've learned all this the hard way. Good video though!

You Rock ‼️ simple clear easy. Anytime you watch a video and people are trying to make things more difficult than they are… immediately skip…thanks!!!

How many times did he say project

Awesome. Thanks for this info. I now have more confidence in painting the plastics on my dirt bike.

Tony d my friend, this has been the best word for word tutorial on how to paint plastic. Thanks

the stuff on the outside may be mold release, it smells like car wax :p I used to do reaction injection molding

Everybody is making fun of how much he talks about how the pros do it but like, hes tryin his best

Your voice and your hand does not match...i know its a weird thing to say but thats really weird

Thanks, Tony D. Well described and this is a great public service. Gotta love RU-vid!

pros would also use gloves you maniac

What a tutorial. He knows it through and through. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST TUTORIALS OUT THERE.

Thanks for posting this, looking to paint plastic and this was a great tutorial.

What about showing the end result...lol

car vinyl re-colour dye is an excellent method for re-colouring plastic, it etchs into the top surface for a hard wearing finish, and is so thin, it doesn't effect fit tolerances much .... best applied with an airbrush if you have one .... works well on hard to paint plastisc, like PVC ... limited colours though

Can rubbing alcohol be used as degreaser?

good freaking video. i painted a gamecube controller way back, looked like crap. now im starting a project with an arcade stick. this will be helping me out ALOT!

How long do I have to wait so that the paint dries?

Thank you so much for this tutorial. actually it has almost all th3 details that you need, if you want to Paint on plastic

I know you don’t want any chemicals on it but just putting painters tape on certain part, would that be fine or mess it up. But if I can’t then what should I use instead of painters tape to mask certain parts?

Yeah I was a tool-maker.... ( a pro, if you will) we tan that stuff thru a mold. And packed it or assembled it. It is true there may be some chemical on there but it isnt buffed or sprayed on the part. It is called "mold release" and its silicon based.. wipe it down with acetone and paint it. Good luck.

can you do this with a barbie body? i wanna make her body and face with another color.

Excellent review all the steps were covered. Heating the cans via warm water is very important.

Great job on the video, I'm gonna get to painting plastic now and I'll be thanking you all the while.

Great video. I'll be painting my Xbox 360 controller later tonight 😊

If your controller is smooth and worn out from years of playing use 200 grain sand paper to give a rustic feel along with it vexing more comfortable in your hand

That "protective coating" is called clear coat

Just the right length and information. Keep up the good work! Subsribed and I don't even really know what you do :)

There is not a protective coating on injection molded plastic. However during the injection molding process mold release agents are used which can cause problems when painting. Also, the white powder you are experiencing when sanding is not a "protective layer". You are literally sanding the top off of the plastix texture molded into the part. My experience comes from being a mechanical engineer in manufacturing for 20+ years.

Tony, I'm curious, how many youtube channels do you have?

“This is how the pros do it “ ….. : Continues Wiping Xbox Pad With Tissue

i'm hella confused. he has the voice of a 15 year old and the hands of 40. edit: then he shows his face.

This was handy painting my grille on my 99 Burban. Thanks for the video.

You sound like you inhaled a balloon but just a little bit. No offense

I definitely can use this for my gundam plastic models.

I got a question every time I paint something with spray paint it ends up sticky what am I doing wrong

Hey, thanks for this. I'm getting into airbrushing and didn't even think about the protective coat.

Thank you! Finally a good video that gets straight to the point.

The number of times he says “adhesion promoter” is crazy lol.. “Primer” is 2 syllables

I recently painted an Xbox one controller. The sanding is unnecessary, just use isopropyl alcohol to degrease the controller. The paint adheres perfectly to the controller as long as you apply it properly. The rough texture of the controller holds paint very well

I like how you put your inside voice on as soon as you went outside

Thus is the very best tutorial on this! Thank you so much❤🎉

It seems as this misunderstanding of the coating made it difficult to paint some synthetic materials vs others now its the coating or not having the right primer for the coating. Thanks video was great.

Well looks like that scotchbrite was a little too coarse in grit I still see it through the gold. That's why I like to lightly spray some sandable primer over the plastic, then plastic adhere, then base coat, then clear. All in very light costs as you said

Dude thank you!!! I was intimated to start a project with spray paint.. until I found your video!

good video man. i'm about to spray paint guitar pickup covers. black to gold. this helped. thanks.

I got two black controllers and I wanted to paint them one silver and one read it thanks for your advice I will definitely use it to make my controllers the best they can be in their color

Everytime i watch videos and follow the steps super patient damn near perfect and then a big drop of sweat always falls on the last coat. Then I just empty the can on it. Works every time

Thanks for help! I really wish I would’ve watched this before painting airpod pro case 😭

Nice detailed video I had no idea to prep plastic like this. You earned a sub

damn Still helpfull after soo many years! straight to the point! ( and very nice poster soldier o7)

I was trying to use filler primer, then sandable primer, then a base coat then clear coat on a litter window switch for my car. I accidentally touched the thing when the filler primer was setting, thought I could cover it up with the sandable primer then level it with sand paper. However, I sanded it with 320 grit and ended up making it even worse and it didn't show how bad it was until I put the base coat on. It was also very difficult not to get runs and get even coverage on such a small object using spray cans. I've now sanded most of it back again to start again and having watched this video, think I'll try adhesion promoter instead of the 2 primers. I'm also thinking I'll need to go over the 320 sanding marks with 600 now, but I don't know how to properly sand all the little bumps and dips in the button as there's no chance a sanding block will get all of those.

What do you do if you have sweaty hands? Is there a way to prevent the paint coming off?

Thank you so much I've been searching for this kind of video and finally found it thanks

didnt know ben shapiro did custom controllers

Cool stuff yo. I just wanted to know which grid I need to sand off and then smoothen plastic. But now I know all the steps to paint plastic too 😂😂

I took a drink every time you said project. I'm fucking hammered...but my paint came out really good. Thank you!

Exceptional "how-to Video" - very well done.

This was actually a very useful tutorial. Well done sir.

I would have put a lot more paint on that, one "Tack Coat", (very light) wait about 1 minute or less, then a medium coat, wait one minute and then the last heavy,shiny coat, The last coat takes a little practice to judge the right amount. You want to put on as much paint as you can with out drips, that will give you the shiniest, smoothest finish look,... painting outdoors in a No-No. Before every coat, go around and do all the edges first, Maybe even turn it upside down to get the edges first, then flip it and finish it..

I’m actually painting my MIDI keyboard with these tools. Thanks

Good job!! Thank you for a helpful video

There is no protective coating on plastic parts. Plastic parts are characteristically resistant to almost everything, If there is a coating or paint on plastic it is for appearance / cosmetic reasons. like in car body or interior plastics, appliances and toys. for functional purposes the plastic itself if the protection surface as well as the substrate.

Okay this looks great, but if you paint the controller will it feel funny in your dry/sweaty hands?

Excellent video brother! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this amazing video! You are very skilled and talented God bless you

8 yes too late to say thanks for the video.... but it really helped me... great video simple yet detailed.

good video dude! I am planning on using your method to paint my new Tesla hubcaps.