If your car is a bit run down and dull, a new coat of paint can be just what you need to make that vehicle look fresh and new. Just like repainting the walls of your home, new paint and a new colour can take years off the appearance of a car and may even improve its resale value!

If you're thinking of tackling this job yourself, note a few misconceptions you might have about car spray painting. This will ensure you get the job done right or know if it's actually best to leave this work to a professional.

Paint and rust

It's a common misconception that paint stops rust from spreading. This isn't typically true, as rust forms along the entire body of metal, while paint only coats the surface of metal. A rust inhibitor is also typically meant to stop rust from forming but is usually not strong enough to stop it from spreading. If your car has rusty spots, don't assume you can cover them or fix them with paint, as you may soon see the rest of your car's exterior and even its mechanical parts covered with corrosion.

Paint cans

Many car owners assume that they can buy paint cans and use these to apply paint to their car; this is certainly possible, but it may not be as easy as you think! A spray can doesn't give you much control over the actual spray of paint, so you can easily wind up with overly thick or overly thin coverage.

A professional paint sprayer, however, may offer several different types of nozzles that help to control the spray of paint, and the trigger may also be easier to control. In turn, using a professional sprayer allows you to apply the paint more evenly, for a more professional finish.

Outside elements

Never assume that a car's paint is so strong and durable that it won't be affected by outside elements when applied. It's easy to assume that humidity, heat, bitter cold, and other such weather conditions won't affect your painting job, especially if you work in a closed garage or shop, but this isn't typically the case. Humidity in the air can be absorbed by the paint so that it bubbles or runs, and extreme heat or cold may not allow the paint to harden and set properly. If you're not sure of the best weather conditions for painting,and can't control the temperature inside your garage or shop, you might leave this work to a professional.