Worth it to repaint case?

Nocte · August 31, 2017

Hey guys,

For a few weeks I have been thinking of repainting the top panel (which makes 70% of the case) of my Node 202 from Black to White.

I have read a few guides online, but I am still refraining from scraping the old paint and start the repainting process as I am afraid to do a poor job and remain stuck with a badly painted case.

How hard would you say it is to repaint a case? Is the hassle worth it?

Navbryce · August 31, 2017

I have no idea how hard it is. I have spray painted a decal on a case ONCE so not a lot of experience . Good luck though!

My advise:

If you have another case that you don't care about with a similar style of paint, practice scraping and reapplying paint on that before you try it on your Fractal Node case.

Nocte · August 31, 2017

19 minutes ago, Navbryce said:

I have no idea how hard it is. I have spray painted a decal on a case ONCE so not a lot of experience . Good luck though!

My advise:

If you have another case that you don't care about with a similar style of paint, practice scraping and reapplying paint on that before you try it on your Fractal Node case.

Unfortunately I have no other cases lying around.

Catching the occasion to ask you how you managed to do the decal. Did you just cover what you didn't want to be painted and sprayed the paint on the case? Or did you also scrap the previous paint, used a primer etc.?

W-L · August 31, 2017

1 hour ago, Eibe said:

Hey guys,

For a few weeks I have been thinking of repainting the top panel (which makes 70% of the case) of my Node 202 from Black to White.

I have read a few guides online, but I am still refraining from scraping the old paint and start the repainting process as I am afraid to do a poor job and remain stuck with a badly painted case.

How hard would you say it is to repaint a case? Is the hassle worth it?

If you want to properly paint it nice and evenly your going to want to take apart the case for painting, painting especially the interior when assembled with spray paint is going to leave you with a lot of overspray in areas.

Navbryce · August 31, 2017

6 hours ago, Eibe said:

Unfortunately I have no other cases lying around.

Catching the occasion to ask you how you managed to do the decal. Did you just cover what you didn't want to be painted and sprayed the paint on the case? Or did you also scrap the previous paint, used a primer etc.?

Nope. No scraping off old paint. I think I MIGHT have used primer--I did it two years ago. Either way, it was a pretty crude job not to mention tacky--It was a blue dragon with the text "Alduin" underneath it.

Rackooo · September 3, 2017

You dont need to scrape the old paint off. Just buy a scotch brite to scuff it up. Mask off anything you dont want painted. Build up in very thin layers. Its very simple. Then again i paint cars for a living so not a real source to tell you how hard it will be for a first comer to do

haft2doit · September 5, 2017

Like rackoo said not too difficult. the outcome really has to do with your prep more than anything.

The scuffing up is to give the paint a good bond to the surface.

Clean the surface with a solvent prior to painting.

You will need to make sure you plan out what gets paint and what doesn't. If you aren't thorough you will end up with over spray where you didn't want it.

Use tape and newspaper to cover up non paint areas.

Many light coats will give you better results than fewer heavy ones. (give drying time specified by paint manufacturer)

Hanging the object from the ceiling makes it easy to get all sides at once. (not in your living room)

Dusty, hairy, otherwise dirty area will make the odds of stuff getting stuck in the paint likely. these will cause imperfections in the final product.

Start spraying to the side of the object, not at it. once you have started spraying then move across the object and continue off the other side before stopping. repeat.

This is all I could think of off the top of my head. don't let it discourage you. there is no secret to it, you just have to be aware that not doing these things could make for imperfections. just be careful and don't try to rush anything, you will end up with a good result.

Edit: you may also want to clear coat the thing after you finish with the paint. this will help avoid damage to your paint job during normal use. just a thought.