Spraying Grill Black

[Uzzykhan]

hi,

I have the A3 1.9 and it has the OEM stock chrome around the grill. I am going to Plasti Dip the whole front grill black. Only question is what is behind the grill, is it anything I need to cover as I am not removing the grill to spray it.

 

[Matt268uk]

Why not just whip the bumper off and remove the grill ?

 

[SootySport]

The is A/C condenser is behind the grill. Spraying plasticot on it will reduce it's performance a bit and maybe smell when hot. You should be able to slide a sheet of cardboard down there to catch the overspray.

 

[dazzygee]

Ive plastidipped my grille, i masked up the badge and grille, easiest way that i found

 

[Uzzykhan]

I managed to slip a piece of cardboard behind the back of the grill and masked around it, I put 6 coats on & 3 coats of gloss and this was the end result

 

[SnazzyWafles]

Looks great, did you end up spraying the grill bars as well or just the surround?

 

[Uzzykhan]

Looks great, did you end up spraying the grill bars as well or just the surround?

Thanks, I sprayed the lot including the grill bars, looks half decent for DIY job

 

[SnazzyWafles]

Cheers, look likes there is one more project on the list for the summer! Did you get away with a can of each?

 

[Rog_B]

Just ordered a can of matt black Plastidip myself, thanks for the info. I think I will remove it though, and drop the bumper.

 

[Uzzykhan]

Cheers, look likes there is one more project on the list for the summer! Did you get away with a can of each?

Yeah just one can of each did it for me it should be more than enough

 

[Uzzykhan]

Just ordered a can of matt black Plastidip myself, thanks for the info. I think I will remove it though, and drop the bumper.

Yeah Defo worth the price mate, let me know what it looks like once completed

 

[HHS3]

I managed to slip a piece of cardboard behind the back of the grill and masked around it, I put 6 coats on & 3 coats of gloss and this was the end result

Looks good mate nicely done. I've received my Plasti Dip & Glossifier and have got masking tape + newspaper so all I need is for Saturday (providing it's dry) to hurry up!

How did you slip the cardboard down the back? I'm at work so can't check how to do it.

 

[Uzzykhan]

Looks good mate nicely done. I've received my Plasti Dip & Glossifier and have got masking tape + newspaper so all I need is for Saturday (providing it's dry) to hurry up!

How did you slip the cardboard down the back? I'm at work so can't check how to do it.

Under the bonnet just above the grill there's 2 screws, just take them out and it becomes loose enough to slip a thin piece of cardboard down, make sure the cardboards sticking out slightly from the top though so you can pull it back once done

 

[HHS3]

Under the bonnet just above the grill there's 2 screws, just take them out and it becomes loose enough to slip a thin piece of cardboard down, make sure the cardboards sticking out slightly from the top though so you can pull it back once done

Perfect, thanks for the information bud.

I'm a tad weary of doing this as Audi's are nice cars and I don't want to do a chavtastic job of it, but so many people have done this now then surely it can be as hard a job as I'm thinking it is (plus it is reversible I suppose).

From what I've seen all you need to do is prep well by cleaning and drying the grill first, use masking tape, newspaper/cardboard but make sure there's a slight gap between the masking tape and the edge of the grill, otherwise you'll pull the Plasti Dip of the grill as well when removing the tape.

Then just do 4+ coats, holding the can 15cm away with 30 minutes gaps between each coat and same again with the Glossifier after. Is there anything I've missed?

 

[Uzzykhan]

Perfect, thanks for the information bud.

I'm a tad weary of doing this as Audi's are nice cars and I don't want to do a chavtastic job of it, but so many people have done this now then surely it can be as hard a job as I'm thinking it is (plus it is reversible I suppose).

From what I've seen all you need to do is prep well by cleaning and drying the grill first, use masking tape, newspaper/cardboard but make sure there's a slight gap between the masking tape and the edge of the grill, otherwise you'll pull the Plasti Dip of the grill as well when removing the tape.

Then just do 4+ coats, holding the can 15cm away with 30 minutes gaps between each coat and same again with the Glossifier after. Is there anything I've missed?

Yeah main thing is prep it properly and leave about 1-2cm gap so you can peel the plasti off without ruining the grill.

As for the coats, the more the better. I did 6 coats with 15-20 min gap and still had a little left over in the can.

Personally for the glossifier id say let the Matt dip dry overnight then apply the glossifier the following day for best results. I did the glossifier about 1-2 hours after the Matt had dried and the results were excellent but if I let it dry overnight it would've been better.

 

[HHS3]

Yeah main thing is prep it properly and leave about 1-2cm gap so you can peel the plasti off without ruining the grill.

As for the coats, the more the better. I did 6 coats with 15-20 min gap and still had a little left over in the can.

Personally for the glossifier id say let the Matt dip dry overnight then apply the glossifier the following day for best results. I did the glossifier about 1-2 hours after the Matt had dried and the results were excellent but if I let it dry overnight it would've been better.

Spot on thanks for your help mate, much appreciated!

I'll do the matt coating on Saturday and then the Glossifier on Sunday then, weather permitting of course.

 

[Rog_B]

Just did mine, I dropped the bumper, not too hard as it goes thanks to the guide
http://forums.fourtitude.com/showthread.php?3631873-DIY-front-bum
I separated the chrome surround from the grille and sprayed them individually.

While the coats were drying, I swapped over some bulbs, it is slightly easier with the bumper off.

It looks so much better than the OEM grey and chrome, the Plastidip is easy to use and peel off the rings
but for a good spray pattern and even coating, lots of shaking and warm bath for the aerosol before each coat
(4 coats for me).
Let's see how it lasts but so far I'm impressed, nicer than a lot of the cheaper end grilles IMO.

 

[Rog_B]

Just did mine, I dropped the bumper, not too hard as it goes thanks to the guide
http://forums.fourtitude.com/showthread.php?3631873-DIY-front-bum
I separated the chrome surround from the grille and sprayed them individually.

While the coats were drying, I swapped over some bulbs, it is slightly easier with the bumper off.

It looks so much better than the OEM grey and chrome, the Plastidip is easy to use and peel off the rings
but for a good spray pattern and even coating, lots of shaking and warm bath for the aerosol before each coat
(4 coats for me).
Let's see how it lasts but so far I'm impressed, nicer than a lot of the cheaper end grilles IMO.