I've noticed alot of questions on painting cases here, so I thought I would post this. I have lots of auto body and painting experience, and I've painted quite a few cases and computer parts. The process for painting cases is pretty much the same as a car, just alot less material to paint. Here are the steps I have used, which have given me very good results

Choosing a color
Pick a color that suits your tastes, but you may also want to take other things into consideration. If you choose to paint your case lime green, but nothing else in your room is that color, its going to look odd. I prefer to stick with simple colors, such as black or silver. I painted my home theatre PC gunmetal gray and I am pleased with how it turned out.

Sanding your case
This is one of the most important parts, and also the most half-assed part of case painting. If you try and just paint your untouched case, the paint will flake off over time, if it even sticks. Most likely it will just run, and ruin the paintjob. You must first sand the case down so that the paint will stick. I recommend taking the case apart to do this, you'll at least need the front of the case off. On most cases this just pops off, but on some there are screws holding it from the inside. Using 400 or 600 grit sandpaper, sand down the entire case front. Get into as many nooks and crannys as you can. You should be able to see how the sandpaper 'roughs up' the plastic finish. Once the entire face looks like this, you are done. This sounds time consuming, but honestly it shouldnt take more than 20 or 30 minutes.
Repeat this process for the sides and the top of the case. You don't have to sand down to bare metal, just rough up the original paint enough that the new paint will stick.

Cleaning the case
After you are finished sanding, you'll have alot of dust all over everything, which needs to be cleaned off. I like to fold up a paper towel, wet it, and gently wipe down everything that is to be painted. This means the front, sides, and top. This should pick up all the dust left f rom sanding.

Masking the case
On mose cases, the top does not come off. If the top of your case dows come off, then you get to skip this step. For the rest of us, the case needs to be masked off. I prefer to use 3M blue masking tape, because it peels off much easier than the white stuff. Mask off the back of the case, covering the power supply. You shouldnt need to mask it off all the way to the bottom, just go about 5 or 6 inches down from the top. If you notice, there is a small painted part of the top that bends down over the back. I woudl recommend painting this, so just start masking below it.To mask the sides, run a long strip of masking tape over the ridge at the top of the case. This is the part that is normally hidden by the case side, and also what the side slides into. Then, take an entire newspaper page, and tape it over the whole side of the case. This will keep you from getting paint in the case. Repeat this for the other side as well. Masking is really just common sense. Just cover anything you don't want painted.

Final cleaning
This is a very critical step. With all of this sanding and masking, there are now fingerprints all over everything. The oils in your fingers will actually stay on the parts, and now allow the paint to stick. Soap and water won't remove them, we need something else. I prefer ammonia, commonly found in windex, or any glass cleaner (that doesnt say ammonia free). Fold up a paper towel, spray it with windex, and gently wipe down everything that needs to be painted. We're not trying to wash the case with windex, just wipe it down with it. After this is done, be careful not to touch any parts that will get painted. To pick up the sides and face, pick them up from the back of them where they don't get painted.

Painting
I like to use dupli-color rattle cans, found at wal-mart in the automotive section for about $3.50. You can use other brands though, just make sure that it is enamel paint. Don't use lacquer, it is much harder to paint with, and runs easily. Also, lacquer must be buffed and polished, its not very shiny fresh painted. One full sized can of paint should be enough for a mid-tower ATX case. For a full tower, you might need 2. I paint things like this in my garage, so that wind is not an issue. When painting, you want to get the most even coverage as possible. Make straight passes from one end of the object to the other. Also, take your time. Paint a little bit, and then inspect it for runs, or places where its starting to sag. If you do see it sagging a little bit somewhere, don't panic. Stop painting, and give it about 20 minutes to dry, and then continue painting. The paint shrinks as it dries, so the sag should pull itself back up, unless its a really bad one. Dont try and use the whole can if you don't have to. Once all areas are covered, just leave it. Also, don't forget to hit the edges of the sides and front, otherwise you will see the original color there when the case is reassembled.

Drying
I always leave my cases in the garage for at least 6 hours before I brign them back in, but sometimes overnight. After about 6 hours, the paint will feel completely dry to the touch, but it is actually still hardening. Fumes are still evaporating from it, which means if you bring it in now, its going to reek up the house like paint. If possible, leave it in your garage overnight, and make sure the garage light is off. Lights will attract bugs, which could wind up in your paint.

Fixing mistakes
Well hopefully there aren't any, but if you did get a paint run or two, don't just trash the case. Simply sand down the blemish until its smooth, repeat the cleaning steps, and paint over it.

Conclusion
I hope this is helpful, and I wish I had some in process pictures I could post. Next time I paint a case, I'll try and get some, and post a better howto.

nice post. it's a good supplement to insom's guide for places i was confused about

This would be a good article for the MEMBER REVIEWS FORUM !!!!
Hint Hint, people in charge.

Nice article, Ward. Well done.

Yo Thanks Dude, This has been the easiest "guide" i have seen!!!

thanks a bunch, about to paint my case reeal soon... thanks dude

Not sure where you have been hidding Ward, but your article is awsome and very helpfull, you get a rep point. Stick around, it looks like you have some skills to spread around here.

that is helpfull...lots of steps i skipped painting my old case...yeah, it flakes to the touch...

also, dose the paint you recomended leave a realy shiny surface? or is there a better brand? i dont mind doubling or tripeling the price if it makes my case turn out better.

nice post Ward...thanks for sharing that with us.

Welcome to PR

You can also color wet-sand to take out any imperfections and then use a glazing compound to get that "wet" glossy finish. A custom paint shop did this with my 70' Mach 1 that I had years ago and yes it was a show car here's a pic of it when it was in the 97' Detroit Autorama.......

I had to sell this baby when I got divorced in 1999.....THAT SUKED!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by DuplexEmotions This would be a good article for the MEMBER REVIEWS FORUM !!!! Hint Hint, people in charge. Nice article, Ward. Well done.

A review of what Duplex? ...lol

Well written post Ward, but most of it should pretty much be general knowledge to anyone thats picked up a can of spraypaint.
No offense meant, its great information for those that havent.

Maybe some follow up tips for those of us thats huffed our share of fumes?

he is uhhh...reviewing how to use a can of spraypaint ...uhh yeah...

Quote: Originally Posted by TYCOON he is uhhh...reviewing how to use a can of spraypaint ...uhh yeah...

LMAO.....yeah....but he got more into the prep work involved......I just added my 2cents worth....lol

Quote: Originally Posted by Ward Masking the case On mose cases, the top does not come off. If the top of your case dows come off, then you get to skip this step. For the rest of us, the case needs to be masked off.

As an option to the above, most cases only have a few rivets holding the top on.You can drill these out and re-rivet them. You can get a cheap rivet gun for less than $10.I have seen them at the local Big Lots for $5 and they include rivets.Menards also has some cheap ones that come with rivets.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lunamods As an option to the above, most cases only have a few rivets holding the top on.You can drill these out and re-rivet them. You can get a cheap rivet gun for less than $10.I have seen them at the local Big Lots for $5 and they include rivets.Menards also has some cheap ones that come with rivets.

That would definitely beat the sheet metal screws......

Good post. welcome to PR.

Thanks for the replies guys. I need to post some pics of the cases I have done, I'll take some tonight as soon as I get some ne batteries for my cam.

About the Dupli-Color paint: Its just a general purpose enamel, which comes in like a zillion colors, available in flat, semi-gloss, or gloss. I would stay away from the flat colors, unless you purposely want a non-shiny paint job. Even though this is relatively cheap paint, it is fine for a computer case. I wouldn't use this on a car, but then again a car is exposed to rain, snow, balzing sun, etc. A computer case is not. You can always color sand and/or polish the paint to make it shinier, but it should look well as is. If you are looking for a glass-like paintjob, this howto really isn't enough. For a glass-like finish, you must sand down everything that is to be painted, only you must sand it until its perfectly smooth, prime it, sand it more, etc. This is much more like painting a car. With the steps listed above however, you should get a paintjob that looks like it came from the factory that way

Question for all the paint guys:

Are you supposed to sand the primer to get that glassy look? I'm in the beginning stages of painting my case, and I have one panel primed...I sanded it down with 400-grit paper until it was baby-powder smooth, then shot it with some Krylon primer. Here's a pic:


The primer is kinda rough though...I've been told that it's supposed to be, in order to give the paint something to adhere to. I have a test piece that I'm going to try painting this weekend (if I have time). Should I sand this primer coat before painting? I'll be using Duplicolor Mirage magenta/gold paint. Click on the F@H banner in my sig to take a look at the whole project. Because the paint is costly, I want to ensure I'm doing it right the first time.

Quote: Originally Posted by pimp_joose Question for all the paint guys: Are you supposed to sand the primer to get that glassy look? I'm in the beginning stages of painting my case, and I have one panel primed...I sanded it down with 400-grit paper until it was baby-powder smooth, then shot it with some Krylon primer. Here's a pic: The primer is kinda rough though...I've been told that it's supposed to be, in order to give the paint something to adhere to. I have a test piece that I'm going to try painting this weekend (if I have time). Should I sand this primer coat before painting? I'll be using Duplicolor Mirage magenta/gold paint. Click on the F@H banner in my sig to take a look at the whole project. Because the paint is costly, I want to ensure I'm doing it right the first time.

YES, you should sand the primer to get proper adhesion.Use the 400 grit you have,it will do nicely.

BTW,primer is not exactly supposed to be rough,although it is sometimes rough by nature this isnt meant to promote adhesion,nor does it do that.Primers have a lot of solids and a fast evaporating solvent in them in order to fill scratches and small imperfections,therfore they tend to be thicker than most finishing paints giving a rougher finish.

Primer should always be sanded before applying paint to it.

Excellent...thanks for clearing that up. Pimp points for you

Nice post!

What do you guys think about using VINYL DYE instead of the DUPLI-COLOR?
Also what are some good finishes to use?

Quote: Originally Posted by extreme-modder_com Nice post! What do you guys think about using VINYL DYE instead of the DUPLI-COLOR? Also what are some good finishes to use?

Well,in my opinion vinyl dye is generally unsuitable for the computer case, as the only parts that can be dyed are the plastic parts,generally only the bezel,and it is hard to get the rest of the case to match,unless this is desired.

Dupli Color is one of the better rattle can paints on the market as well as Testors rattle cans made for model cars although it is expensive,but it lays down nice and is highly polishable and available in some cool colors.