Home Depot or Auto Parts Store Paint?

I am refinishing a cheapo guitar and want to spend as little money as possible. Can anyone tell me what would be the best type of spray paint that I could get from either Home Depot or Pep Boys, which are the two closest stores to me? I want to do a solid color, not a sunburst or stain.

I can also get Rust Oleum or Krylon from the local hardware store but don't know if they're any good, and I don't like the store's limited color selection.

interested as well

I'm using Krylon on a build right now. And that is available at HD. Rust-oleum works too.

Well, here are some facts...if you are using rustolium or krylon chances are you are using enamel....if you will work with a basic color like red white or black your auto parts store will have duplicolor lacquer which to me is easier to work with... (Don’t use the engine paint as that is enamel with ceramic, just look for the blue lacquor cans).I can tell you from experience enamel clear is CRAP!! it will take months to cure were laquor will only take a month.....now here is the kicker.....I have never done it but lots of people here & other forums say enamel & lacquer does not play well together...so if you started with enamel you should end with it.....what you may want to try is what I’m trying, go to an auto paint supply store & buy urethane & buy some preval sprayers from home depot & use the good stuff....just make sure you wear a good mask.....or you can buy lacquer from reranch & have your a$$ handed to you price wise!!! They are a serious rip off!!

I concur.
If I had to refinish with aerosols on a budget, I would use duplicolor lacquer from an auto store for 6 bucks a can. Advance auto parts has always had a ton of colors available.
Rustoleum clear lacquer is decent enough and only 5 bucks at my HD, but I would go ahead and use the duplicolor clear lacquer to be safe.

What color and type of finish are you painting over? You can likely get by without primer if its white or similar to your desired color.

I would plan on 2 cans of color and 2 cans of clear if you want to wet sand and buff out for high gloss. It also assumes having a good prepped surface and laying down coats evenly without runs or sags. Mistakes = buying more paint.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I will look for Duplicolor and go with Krylon or Rust Oleum if I can't find a color I like at a store nearby. For fun, I want to finish it in an unusual rather than "stock" guitar color--say, orange or purple instead of white or black, for example.

I am spraying over a poly sunburst finish Peavey Strat copy, so I am going to sand the poly and use that as a base coat. The guitar is in good shape; I just can't stand the look of the cheesy sunburst that covers the arm contour to hide the fact that the top is veneer and the body is plywood! This is my beater guitar so there's no stress involved if I mess it up but I would like the finish to come out somewhat nice.

I am debating whether to clear coat or not--I like the look of both non- and clear-coated finishes. But...enamel clear takes too long to dry?

How long will it take enamel like Rust Oleum or Krylon to dry enough for me to assemble the guitar, vs lacquer?

Ahhh, there's an Advance Auto Parts a few miles from me.

Duh, forgot to ask about sanding and buffing but I can look that stuff up on previous threads.

I feel a "pics or it didn't happen" coming on...

Just to clarify, I was referring to rustoleum's clear lacquer, not any of their enamel products.

I doubt many people here at all would really reccomend enamel over lacquer. With lacquer each new coat will 'burn' into the previous coat due to being solvent based, letting you build up the finish. The end result can be sanded smooth, then buffed.

Enamel will not do this. You will have multiple coats and if you sand through one coat into the coat below it - you end up with witness lines.

With lacquer be prepared to do the color and clear then leave it alone for 2-3 weeks. Then wet sand and buff. Then assemble guitar.

Ahh, and since this is a burst you are painting over I would factor in a can of white primer so you get good coverage with your color of choice.

Thanks again for all the advice--I'm off to Advance Auto Parts.

If you have a Michael's, AC Moore or Joanna's near by they sell Design Master Lacquers. They are full sized cans and come in tints and solid colors. Reasonably priced too. These two were finished with this product.

Wow, those came out great!

Well, I went to the auto parts store and did not like any of the Duplicolor colors, except for a color that looks like Fender Desert Sand, but I passed on it. So, I went to Home Depot and bought Rust Oleum Painter's Touch primer and gloss color (a funky shade of lime green--like I said, I WANT this guitar to look distinctive). What am I in for as far as finishing time, ease of use and so on? The cans say, "contains acetone and xylene." I am not going to have time to spray the first coat for a day or two or whenever it stops raining, so I can change my mind if I want.

The instructions on the can say the stuff dries pretty fast, and to either spray a second color coat within an hour or after 48 hours. Should I sand between color coats? Is it better to try to spray within the hour or wait 48 hours?

Ken, there's a Michael's near me so that would be an option. According to the Design Master website the stuff sprays on matte and then you can spray a clear coat over it. The thing is, I like the Lime Green better than any of the colors on the Design Master site. (I know, it's crazy but I want this guitar to look a little crazy.) But, will I get a more professional-looking finish using lacquer or is it more a question of the care taken in the finishing process?

Decades ago I refinished a guitar in solid color Krylon if I remember correctly and wet sanded between coats with 400 and then 600 before the final sprayed coat. It actually came out very nice. At the time I didn't even know you could get grit finer than 600!

Unless you get gnarly orange peel or runs/sagging from super heavy coats - don't sand the color coats at all. Do all your sanding to get your surface prepped beforehand and for the after clear coating.

Thanks...I would have thought I'd have to sand the color coats.

I wound up spraying a coat of Rust Oleum white primer and already the guitar looks 100 times better. I could almost leave it with the white primer finish--it has a cool matte white funky look that is SO much better than the cheesy sunburst it had. But this thing is destined to be Key Lime Green!

Thanks...I would have thought I'd have to sand the color coats.

I wound up spraying a coat of Rust Oleum white primer and already the guitar looks 100 times better. I could almost leave it with the white primer finish--it has a cool matte white funky look that is SO much better than the cheesy sunburst it had. But this thing is destined to be Key Lime Green!

I LOVE that painters touch white. I use it for primer on all my builds. And it does in fact work with lacquers!!!! I have sprayed acrylic lacquer over it and did a nitro clear over the acrylic.

So, Thinlineggman...I STILL have the option of going to lacquer--pretty cool! I have to say the Rust Oleum primer has been great to work with so far--it went on easily without drips, dried nicely and quickly and sanded easily. I'm going to put the second coat of primer on today as I sanded through the finish in a few areas and it doesn't look like it covered the sunburst 100 percent--probably the fault of the painter and not the paint.

It's also nice to know that I might be able to get a pro-looking finish using this primer--I was a little leery of the fact that I'm using Rust Oleum primer instead of Duplicolor or Design Master (when I saw that can of green paint in Home Depot, emotion took over and shoved logic out of the way).

There's a new wrinkle...pun intended!

I just sprayed the second coat of primer and it developed this really cool-looking finely textured surface. In fact, it looks a LOT like the "suede" finish on my Don Grosh ElectraJet Standards. (He doesn't offer this finish anymore.)

I'm wondering...if I just leave it and don't sand it, will the color coats take on this finish? If so, I might go for a satin rather than gloss finish. Like this (very hard to see in the photo though):

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/Radspin/GroshEP2.jpg

This is actually becoming a fun project...might not come out the way I planned it, but what the heck. And I confess...I like green guitars.

If I understand your description accurately, it sounds like you sprayed a "dry" coat--meaning not enough paint--and it essentially dries as it flies through the air and sticks to the surface. Don't know about subsequent coats. Typically, primer coats are sanded, so I don't know what kind of effect you'll get if you spray over it with your finish coat.

BTW, I've had really good luck with Krylon. It seems to work better than Rust Oleum products in my experience, and there are some pretty wild Krylon colors. Sounds like the Rust Oleum is doing the job for you, so carry on. . .

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af181/ibanezfanatic/7e326f1c.jpg

This be my rust-oleum painters touch primed baby.

It went: primer> Montana gold acrylic (greenish blue) > Montana gold lacquer glossy clear.

http://i1006.photobucket.com/albums/af181/ibanezfanatic/05085f19.jpg

And this one ^^^^ is in progress. I'm actually using a painters touch color this time. Not sure how much I like how the color is drying out though. It's supposed to be matte, but it dries kinda awkwardly glossy... (hard to tell by the pic though)

I think I'll sand the second coat and spray another primer coat (there are still a couple of "shadows" where the base color has a hint of showing through. Stratenstein, you might be right--I sprayed on a hot sunny day and took so much care not to get drips that I might have backed off a little too much. The paint seemed to dry practically instantly. I don't think I can convey this in a picture--the effect is subtle, not drastic.

Basically, what I'm trying to do with this guitar is get my technique down by experience, trial and error. I'm not ready to buy a spray painting rig just yet.

One other question for all of you experts...if I apply the color coats and the finish is not quite perfect, could I remedy it by spraying finish clear coats and sanding them?

I would have used a shellac based primer, like BINS on the old finish. Did you scuff sand the old finish? If you didn't you can probably scrape that rustoleum primer off with your fingernail.

I did scuff-sand the old finish. The primer is holding well.

I've been reading the Finely Finished forum for a while but now that I'm getting into the nitty-gritty of it, I'm learning a lot from everyone's comments. My ultimate goal is to finish a guitar perfectly--if this one comes out a little funky it's not like I'm refinishing a '62 Strat!

Well, after spending a lot of time getting the primer coats nice and smooth, I sprayed the color coats...and they came out with that textured look that I like on my Grosh guitars. I was hoping it would come out with a nice smooth finish to clearcoat and sand and buff, but it didn't. Question...If I now clearcoat it, will I be able get that nice smooth "factory gloss" finish after sanding etc. even though the color coats are rough, or has that ship sailed? If so, I might just leave the textured look, which I like. Here's a pic but you can't really see the effect...I tried to capture it but my phone camera stinks and I don't know what my wife did with our digital camera!

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/Radspin/GreenPeavey1.jpg

Another shot...

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/Radspin/GreenPeavey2.jpg

The paint you are using will dry quickly to begin with... shooting in the sun advances that process quite a bit

As far as the finish as it is, you will need to bury it in clear - really bury it
Then you will be able to wet sand and get a flat surface which can be sanded and buffed to get that shine


If you sand down now, and then go over that with another couple coats, you might be able to flatten out what is there.... you need to be careful as you may get witness lines from the different layers

Be careful with the temperatures you are spraying in... Rustoleum recommends you spray between 50 and 90 degrees.... with less than 65% humidity.... the test samples they do are at 70 degrees at 50% humidity in a highly controlled area.... that said, the closer to 90, the closer you are to its workable limit... looking at your averages for the present week, you are over the limits - especially in direct sunlight

Lightnin, I think you're probably right--it's been HOT here. I sprayed in my back yard because that's the only place I had to do it, then took the body in after about 10 minutes. Never thought the outside temperature would make that much difference. Like I said, this is a learning process for me.

I think I'm just going to leave the body as is, as I like the way it looks (maybe I accidentally discovered the secret of doing a "suede" finish) and judging from your comments, it seems like clearcoating and sanding is going to be a LOT of work and if I get the "witness lines" it's going to look worse than it is now. in fact, the finish came out almost perfectly uniform except for one area where a bug landed in it along the front edge. I wiped off the bug and when I resprayed the area I sprayed too much and got a little paint run, so I'll have to sand that and touch that up.

By the way, the color looks GREAT in real life (well, at least to me; I think my band members are going to get seasick when they see the finished guitar)...very close to Fiestaware's Lemongrass color:

http://www.dinnerwareusa.com/shop/catalog/handler~event~familySelected~pf_id~7423.htm

Well, I sanded and sprayed the touch up area today in weather that was MUCH cooler than yesterday and sure enough, the paint went on smoothly (except for a little area that crinkled but it's under where the pickguard will be).

The color coats have been on the guitar since Thursday morning and it is now Monday morning. I can scratch the paint with my thumbnail (I tried it on a spot that will be covered by the pickguard). How long should I wait until assembling the guitar? It is about 80 - 90 degrees and humid here.

If you bring it inside, let it sit for a couple weeks to allow for it to completely gas off.

I would have sprayed clear. I think when i did a rattlecan finish, I sprayed the clear about 20 minutes after the last color coat. I did 3 coats a day until I used up 2 cans of clear. I used duplicolor for the color and the clear. Duplicolor clear is known for taking a long time to cure. I put my guitar body in our server room at work which is highly climate controlled, and I couldn't sand it until 45 days later. I could press my thumbnail into it for about 3 weeks. I finally got tired of waiting at around 45 days, and it sanded up nicely, but once in a case, it smelled like solvents for a good 2-3 months after that.

The last guitar I finished, I used Sherwin Williams nitro-based laquer and a Harbor Freight HVLP gun, and that stuff only needed a day or 2 before you could sand it, although it went on so smooth, I didn't really need to sand it.

If I were in your place, I shoot a nice wet color coat, then start hittin it with clear about 20 minutes later. To get 3 coats in a day, I would spray a coat of clear before I went to work, when I got home from work, and before I went to bed. The more clear, the better. I used 2 cans of it, would probably use more than that if I did it again. I didn't get any sand-thrus so maybe 2 cans is enough.

If I were rattle-canning again, I'd use Minwax Poly in a can, it will dry much faster than Duplicolor Clear. Be prepared to wait at least a couple weeks, though. Better yet, put the guitar somewhere and forget about it for a month or two.

Commodore, I'm going to do Duplicolor and clear on my next guitar. They have a gloss finish that looks like Fender's Desert Sand that would look great on a guitar. However, the current project got this accidental crinkly finish (from spraying in 90+ degree heat it seems) that I actually love the look of, so I'm going to forego the clear coating.

Rip, I brought the guitar inside last Thursday so I guess I'll wait until around the 16th before assembling it. I can see that perhaps the hardest thing about guitar refinishing is having enough patience!

it's done! The paint felt fine yesterday so I went ahead and assembled it. I wanted a one-of-a-kind guitar. I think i got my wish. If anyone likes the way it looked before...too late!

Before:

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/Radspin/PeaveyGuitar.jpg

After:

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/Radspin/Peavey1.jpg

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/Radspin/Peavey2.jpg

I like it! I want to do a Strat body in a color similar to that, maybe a few shades lighter. Good tips and ideas in this thread. Have fun with the guitar!

What color # did you use on the SG ?

Just sprayed my first Duplicolor coats, after some ReRanch it went on like a dream. At one point I got too close and got a tiger stripe, didn't matter. No runs, no drips, no errors. Well, there's still time to screw it up later:wink:
The Reranch is a bit pricey to screw up, no doubt with some experience and patience it would have worked well, but mine turned out blotchy and streaky.
I sanded down the ReRanch, re applied the Bins primer, and scuff sanded before the Duplicolor went on. GM light blue metallic, the Maui blue sickened me. the LBM resembles the standard Fender blue .

61fury, you know we need to see pics.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/jimmel_2007/duplicaster3.jpg
I was going to show more but Photobucket has crapped out on me.
First coat, actually a whole can (I didn't plan it that way), I sprayed light for the most part, still some white showing, second can tomorrow. The tummy cut is where I got too close and streaked it, maybe a hint of it showing but it evened out right away.
This probably costs the same as ReRanch , given the size, but that's before shipping. Anyway, I'm pleased

EDIT: I keep trying to re size these pics but I don't know what I'm doing wrong

Also it sprays very smooth.

That is a nice shade of blue.

In the Sun
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff259/jimmel_2007/teleduplitele001.jpg
This is after the last color coat.
Obviously a bit brighter, there is some odd blotchiness, but it's not as dramatic as the ReRanch, at this point all I can hope is that the clear gloss will take of it.
Now, inside again, it's much darker, very chameleon like.
I think the "blotches" are due due sanding variations, they are not darker in color , they just reflect light differently. You'll see more of this as I get closer to the completion.

I used HD Rustoleum lacquer on a build and found that it took forever to cure. I all fairness...I really did build up the number of coats really quick.

The wording on the can is that you can recoat at any time, but I'm waiting at least an hour between coats on weekends, and am basically getting about one coat every 24 hours during the work week (I have a limited amount of time in the afternoons during the week to work on it).

It sprays on relatively well, and does a nice job of covering. I'll just be more patient this time giving it 3 or 4 weeks (or more) to cure before I wet sand.


I am refinishing a cheapo guitar and want to spend as little money as possible. Can anyone tell me what would be the best type of spray paint that I could get from either Home Depot or Pep Boys, which are the two closest stores to me? I want to do a solid color, not a sunburst or stain.

I can also get Rust Oleum or Krylon from the local hardware store but don't know if they're any good, and I don't like the store's limited color selection.

I used Rustoleum automobile primer on the guitar I'm now building. I let it cure a week and it took the Rustoleum black lacquer with no problem. That might be a winning combination.


Thanks...I would have thought I'd have to sand the color coats.

I wound up spraying a coat of Rust Oleum white primer and already the guitar looks 100 times better. I could almost leave it with the white primer finish--it has a cool matte white funky look that is SO much better than the cheesy sunburst it had. But this thing is destined to be Key Lime Green!

If you have a Michael's, AC Moore or Joanna's near by they sell Design Master Lacquers. They are full sized cans and come in tints and solid colors. Reasonably priced too. These two were finished with this product.

is this stuff nitro?

is this stuff nitro?

From the Design Master website: "Design Master Sprays are modified lacquer-based products."

The MSDS (http://www.dmcolor.com/msds/COLORTOOL_Grp1.pdf)shows that it contains Acetone as a solvent, but lists no nitrocellulose in the ingredients.

just went to Michaels to check it out. they had the design master paints but it didnt say lacquer anywhere. I sprayed one to check ther color (a nice burgandy that Im looking for) and it didnt exaclty smell like nitro. then someone who works there came over and I left becasue the whole ilse stunk. :shock:

Im gonna stick with known nitro, as I have nitro sanding sealer (deft), and nitro clear (minwax)

From the Design Master website: "Design Master Sprays are modified lacquer-based products."

The MSDS (http://www.dmcolor.com/msds/COLORTOOL_Grp1.pdf)shows that it contains Acetone as a solvent, but lists no nitrocellulose in the ingredients.

How durable has the finish proven to be?

Design Master is to my eye *very* flat and satiny, and almost powdery to the touch. As I understand it is intended for floral designs, etc. I bought a can and had considered using it until I tried it on scrap, but it's not the kind of finish I'd want on a guitar.

As far as the original question...

Home Depot - for clear (Minwax nitro lacquer)
Auto Parts store - for color (Duplicolor acrylic lacquer)

I am refinishing a cheapo guitar and want to spend as little money as possible. Can anyone tell me what would be the best type of spray paint that I could get from either Home Depot or Pep Boys, which are the two closest stores to me? I want to do a solid color, not a sunburst or stain.

I can also get Rust Oleum or Krylon from the local hardware store but don't know if they're any good, and I don't like the store's limited color selection.

Dupli-color wheel paint.

or any dupli-color color and clear with dupli-color wheel paint

The wheel paint is a polyurethane, far more durable then any spray lacqure or enamal