What type of paint to use?

So I'm considering buying myself a black grille for my 02 KJ, but I worry it won't look very nice with the black plastic on the mirrors and renegade light bar on the Jeep. I wondered what type of paint I would need to use to paint over the black plastic so that it was glossier and looked more like the type of paint used on the rest of the vehicle. Would it just be a clearcoat type thing, or would I have to strip the original coloring off and then paint over it with something else? Opinions are useful in this case--I'm still debating whether or not the grille will look good even if the mirrors and such were glossy =P

And the Jeep, just for a reference:



The color is the Light Khaki Metallic Clearcoat.

Why buy another grill when you can paint yours if you want. I think rustolium makes a spray paint that is made especially to adhere to plastic without flaking off. There are probably others. If you paint the grill black, I think you will need to paint the silver in the center of your bumper black also for a good match. I was trying to imagine it. I think it would look good if you used a flat black and it would match the off road lights and rear view mirrors. Anyway, if you are good with your puter you can fool around with the colors and see what it looks like. But it looks good the way it is too. It's a sharp Renne.

Dave

So you're looking at something like this:


Probably won't look too bad with the basic plastic finish on the mirrors and lightbar, but if you do decide to paint it make sure you remove any leftover Armorall or other plastic treatment residue, otherwise it'll probably cause the paint to flake off. As for what type of paint to use, no clue since I haven't had to paint amy plastic in a looooooong time.

If you're looking to just use a spray can, Krylon is the way to go. It adheres to plastic very well. My friend painted the plastic flares on his TJ with it 2+ years ago.

Hmm. I like the way it looks in that picture, but I think the actual grille will be darker than that. Close enough though--I was going to photoshop a picture tonight to test it out but now I don't have to =P As for painting the grille I have now--nooooo way--because if I don't like it, I'm stuck with it unless I paint it again which is too much of a pain when it's cold out. As for the silver on the bumper, I think I'll leave that since the running boards are also silver and black. It depends. I'll get that part figured out once I get the grille =]

I agree with Atrus. Why not just paint the current grill. It would save you a bunch of money. I think Krylon makes the best spray paint. I painted my brake calipers on my Malibu SS with it last spring and it still looks good. Paint the grill with Krylon semi flat black. It should match the light bar and other black trim almost perfect. You would not even have to repaint the other trim unless it is badly faded.

KJ zGal said:

Would it just be a clearcoat type thing, or would I have to strip the original coloring off and then paint over it with something else?

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The mirrors are black plastic all the way through so you cant remove the black.

kylon does seem to have a spray paint for plastic. I believe thats what most people use that own grand cherokees that have the plastic cladding(like the zj we own). They paint it black to cover up the faded grey plastic, ends up looking great.

Krylon works great on plastic, it won't chip off and crack like others.

Atrus said:

Krylon works great on plastic, it won't chip off and crack like others.

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Yes it will.

tjkj2002 said:

Yes it will.

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Krylon Fusion, which is specifically designed for plastic, holds up very well. Painted the very faded plastics on a friends '94 BMW like 4 years ago and it still looks awesome. No cracking, chipping, or fading for that matter. And no, he doesn't wash or take care of it either.

And remember, a little prep work goes a LONG way.

Cableguy said:

Krylon Fusion, which is specifically designed for plastic, holds up very well. Painted the very faded plastics on a friends '94 BMW like 4 years ago and it still looks awesome. No cracking, chipping, or fading for that matter. And no, he doesn't wash or take care of it either.

And remember, a little prep work goes a LONG way.

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Yes but doing a grill on the front of a vehicle it will be battered by rocks and other debris while driving and will chip/crack very fast.I had my KC HID covers painted with that Fusion paint,and yes it was preped right,and it didn't last but about 3 weeks before they where all chipped/cracked.

I'm definitely not painting the current grille, because I want to make sure I'm really going to like it. I ordered the black grille today so that if I don't like it I can put the stock one back on. It should be arriving sometime next week, and I'll be sure to post pictures =] Thanks for everyone's advice!