Case Painting

[DrBonesMcCoy]

What is the best way to paint the white interior of my Enthoo Pro M SE to make it black?

[Ross Siggers]

- Make sure it's completely clean of loose dirt to start off with, and remove anything and everything that you don't want to paint. If there are removable parts you want to paint, take those out and do them separately.

- Use sandpaper to scuff up the surface. You don't have to take all the existing paint off, just make sure there's a matte looking surface for the new paint to adhere to. I'd suggest 400-600 grit, if you go too coarse the sanding marks may show through your paint afterwards. Try and get in all the corners as best as possible, don't sand till teh surface is noticeably rough; This will show through the paint.

 

- Thoroughly clean everything again, more carefully this time with a wet cloth, compressed air, anything to make sure you get all the sanding dust out. If the surface isn't properly clean, you'd have particles under your paint

 

- If there are any holes like motherboard stand-offs, where you don't want paint to get into the threads; Either screw a stand-off in from the backside, or use some kind of sacrificial hardware in the front, that'll get covered in paint.Bare in mind if you use a standoff in the front, you may get a white halo around the mounting hole so I'd suggest the first way. 

 

- Mask everything, obviously. And set yourself up in a well ventilated area. I'm not just saying that, spraying in an enclosed space will give you wicked headaches. Respirator shouldn't be needed for a smaller job like this, but that's up to you. I'd wear gloves though.

- Spraying the first coat too heavily is the mistake everyone makes; the first coat should be very light, and appear almost patchy. You want it to look like a light dusting. You don't want complete black coverage, build it up over 3-4 coats. You'll get a better finish.

- When spraying, never go too close, or stay in a single spot for too long. A computer case could be a tricky shape to paint, but for good technique, go on YouTube and look at people painting engine bays, they're a similar intricate shape. They'll move in straight lines for larger surfaces, and flick the wrist in corners or awkward spots.

 

- NEVER spray directly at the surface whilst not moving the can, always keep the spray moving up, down, in any direction really. Staying in one spot, or being too close, will cause too much paint buildup and potentially lead to runs in the finish.

 

[DrBonesMcCoy]

7 minutes ago, Ross Siggers said:

- Make sure it's completely clean of loose dirt to start off with, and remove anything and everything that you don't want to paint. If there are removable parts you want to paint, take those out and do them separately.

- Use sandpaper to scuff up the surface. You don't have to take all the existing paint off, just make sure there's a matte looking surface for the new paint to adhere to. I'd suggest 400-600 grit, if you go too coarse the sanding marks may show through your paint afterwards. Try and get in all the corners as best as possible, don't sand till teh surface is noticeably rough; This will show through the paint.

 

- Thoroughly clean everything again, more carefully this time with a wet cloth, compressed air, anything to make sure you get all the sanding dust out. If the surface isn't properly clean, you'd have particles under your paint

 

- If there are any holes like motherboard stand-offs, where you don't want paint to get into the threads; Either screw a stand-off in from the backside, or use some kind of sacrificial hardware in the front, that'll get covered in paint.Bare in mind if you use a standoff in the front, you may get a white halo around the mounting hole so I'd suggest the first way. 

 

- Mask everything, obviously. And set yourself up in a well ventilated area. I'm not just saying that, spraying in an enclosed space will give you wicked headaches. Respirator shouldn't be needed for a smaller job like this, but that's up to you. I'd wear gloves though.

- Spraying the first coat too heavily is the mistake everyone makes; the first coat should be very light, and appear almost patchy. You want it to look like a light dusting. You don't want complete black coverage, build it up over 3-4 coats. You'll get a better finish.

- When spraying, never go too close, or stay in a single spot for too long. A computer case could be a tricky shape to paint, but for good technique, go on YouTube and look at people painting engine bays, they're a similar intricate shape. They'll move in straight lines for larger surfaces, and flick the wrist in corners or awkward spots.

 

- NEVER spray directly at the surface whilst not moving the can, always keep the spray moving up, down, in any direction really. Staying in one spot, or being too close, will cause too much paint buildup and potentially lead to runs in the finish.

 

Would you suggest using Primer before applying the first coat of paint?

[Ross Siggers]

@DrBonesMcCoy Ah geez, yes that would be an idea wouldn't it... I forgot as I recently did a very quick spray job making a prop, and didn't use it.

 

But for a more durable/permanent application like this, a single layer of primer would work great. There are a few kinds, but normal primer should be fine for your application.

[DrBonesMcCoy]

2 hours ago, Ross Siggers said:

@DrBonesMcCoy Ah geez, yes that would be an idea wouldn't it... I forgot as I recently did a very quick spray job making a prop, and didn't use it.

 

But for a more durable/permanent application like this, a single layer of primer would work great. There are a few kinds, but normal primer should be fine for your application.

Ok, thank you for your help dude :]

[TVwazhere]

4 hours ago, DrBonesMcCoy said:

What is the best way to paint the white interior of my Enthoo Pro M SE to make it black?

Is there any particular reason (assuming you purchased it) that you didnt just go with the Enthoo Pro M TG that already has the black interior?

[Defyant]

Everthing  @ Ross Siggers said is pretty much on the money..... but just use scotch bright to the scuff the paint up.... sandpapering inside cases is a pain in the @ss  and scotchbright does the same job and allows you to get into the corners a lot lot easier.

[DrBonesMcCoy]

20 hours ago, TVwazhere said:

Is there any particular reason (assuming you purchased it) that you didnt just go with the Enthoo Pro M TG that already has the black interior?

It wasn't available when I was getting a case. It was out of stock in most places so I got the SE.

[TVwazhere]

3 hours ago, DrBonesMcCoy said:

It wasn't available when I was getting a case. It was out of stock in most places so I got the SE.

Ah okay. Makes perfect sense then! Happy modding  

[TekRed]

Also to add on to what was already mentioned I would highly recommend getting adhesion promoter and spray thee parts you want panted with thay first before primer. I use to own a paint shop and we used promoter on just about everything. And get a tack cloth and wipe down the parts before you start spraying, I also use it after base coat is dry and wipe everything down again before spraying clear coat

[W-L]

On 11/6/2018 at 4:37 AM, DrBonesMcCoy said:

What is the best way to paint the white interior of my Enthoo Pro M SE to make it black?

Ideally you want to take apart the case if you plan on painting the interior due to overspray and such but you can paint it as a single unit as suggested you want to do proper paint prep and prime the surfaces before painting. 

 

If you want further details on painting I have a guide here under the General Painting header.