The only thing stopping me was having to take the whole computer apart, but since my mobo just died, I figure this is the opportune time to do it. I have a couple of questions for the pros though. The outside of the case is painted dark grey (I have an Antec SOHO server case) and the inside is unpainted metal. First, so do I have to sand the inside of the case or will paint stick to it well enough as it is? Second, I'm more or less familiar with the concept of painting several coats, clear coating, sanding, and clear coating again, but how much initial sanding do I have to do to the outside of the case to get the paint to stick? I want it to look nice, but I'd also like to be able to use my computer soon (new mobo should be here on Wednesday, but I'm waiting til the weekend to install). I figure an hour of dry time for each coat of paint and several more for each coat of clear coat. If I have to spend a ton of time sanding beforehand, this may be more trouble than I care to put into it.

Oh, and since I got the DFI LANparty mobo, I'm going to replace my current lighting with UV to take advantage of the colors. I haven't decided on the outside color yet, but I'm leaning toward white or candy blue. Any recommendations on a paint brand and type?

Well, O/C you need to sand all the imperfections out of the case; then prime-sand-prime. The primer sticks well to just about anything, and then the paint sticks to it.

After that, you should paint in light coats with a gentle buffing with 600 grit wet/dry on a sanding block between each coat.

Save the 1600 to 2000 grit for use between the last few clearcoats - and remember, it is the clearcoat job that makes all the difference. Gives your case depth and gloss.

The inside of the case? Just hit it with the rattlecan and let it dry.

There will be no problems there, since the inside is not exposed to the bumps and dings the outside is.

Have fun, take your time, and enjoy it for years to come!

actually
engine enamal paint allows you to use it on any application and not have to sand the thing down
i painted my WHOLE case w/o having to sand it down and it turned out beauuutifully, also inspired other people to do it as well.

aight first thing....sand it down with about 300 grit. get all of the paint off. you just want to see the silver metal beneath the paint. after all that, get a spray can of primer from the auto store. Put on 2 thin coats, just make sure that you can't see much silver from under the paint, and make sure that the first coat is dry before you put the next one on.

next, put a couple coats of the actual base coat on. get about 3 spray cans (you'll need it to look good) of the color you want. spray very, VERY light coats. don't try to cover the entire surface on the first coat. it takes about 3 before you can't see anymore of the underneath surface.

after about the 3rd coat, grab some 600grit sandpaper and sand the dry paint down lightly. this is to get out all the imperfections, such as hair, dust, scratches, etc. put 2 last coats on after that. always make sure the surface is clean before you spray.

after you've got that (don't sand after those last coats) get a can of clear-coat. take about 3-4 medium thickness coats of clearcoat, and then you're about 90% done.

wait for the whole thing to dry (about 2 days). then you can put your box back together, or if you want it to look nice, wait for the paintjob to cure for about a week, and you can take a high-quality wax, and just wax it. then lemme tell you, you'll have a definent eye-catching case.

and if you want to take it even a step further, get a polish called "Curator's Choice" at http://www.englishcustompolishing.com and use that as well.

hope that helps!

Yup, the shiny is all about clearcoat, finegrit, rubbing compound, and wax. Oh, and time. And sweat.....

Look for a Carquest in your area, one stop shop for all your needs.

Do you have access to an air compressor and a paint gun? you'll only need it for 2-3hours. If you can snag one of those, you can do a cleeeeeeeeeeeen paint job.

otherwise do what airman suggested, great advice airman

Ok, I'm taking the plunge next week and painting my case. Here's the problem: you guys are suggesting grit grades that I can't find anywhere. I went to Home Depot last night and bought 40 grade for removing paint, 80 for smoothing between coats of paint, and 150 for in-between coats of clear coat. Where are you guys finding 600 grit and 2000 grit paper?

auto shops, walmart will most likely have it (if you're in the US)

ive been having trouble finding it as well.

40, 80, and 150 are way too coarse for what you're trying to do. Those grits will make huge gouges in the paint.

Any suggestions specifically where I can get it (I'm not setting foot in a Wal-Mart)?

Kmart has some on clearance, when i went today they only had 2000 grit, but I bought an assortment of sandpaper and some primer..

$3 for the primer, clearance...

whats wrong with wal mart?

Advance Auto, Pep Boys, KMart, Autozone. Hobby/Craft stores may have it too, but they're liable to get you over a barrel on the price.

Wal-Mart is evil, that's why.

Anyway, I went to Sears last night looking for both a 120mm hole saw (biggest I can find is 118mm) and 600-2000 grit sandpaper, and they had neither. For sand paper, they didn't have anything over 400 grit. I'm having a lot of trouble finding what I need to get this job done. The only kind of paint I've been able to find is Krylon and Rustoleum; no Duplicolor to be found. I've got 3 days to track this stuff down (my wife is going out of town so I won't have to hear any complaints about the computer being torn down for a week.

Since I'm having difficulty finding the 120mm hole saw, do you think I would be better off getting a jigsaw? It seems that I could get one of those for about $50 and I'm going to end up spending $25-$30 on the hole saw anyway. I just can't think of anything else I would use the jigsaw for.

I'm going over to Autozone during my lunch. I truly hope they have SOMETHING I'm looking for.

the 40 and 80 grit papers would be good for removing the old paint only. use 320 to 400 for between coats of paint and use 400 to 600 for between coats of clear. 150 for between coats of paint is way to course you will see scratches. 1500 to 2000 grit is only for the final sanding of the clear if you are going to buff it with some rubbing compound.

also if you want a real nice smooth sanding use the wet sanding method, it creates a very nice smooth, clean surface and keeps the sandpaper from gumming up.

now i am by no means a pro at painting but i have painted 4 cars, 2 trucks (including my own) and My Harley. i grew up with my father being a very experienced painter, and these are the grits i have found to be the best.

I appreciate the tips. I now have 150, 240, 600, 1000, and 2000 grit sandpaper and I bought some Duplicolor paint for the job. This weekend, I took the door for my case and decided to have a go at it to see what this will turn out like. Everything was going fairly well until I tried applying the second coat of clear. I guess it must've been the angle that I was holding the can or something, but it dripped on my project and pooched the whole paint job. I sanded it down this morning and figured I'd put a fresh coat of white on to see if I can salvage it. Well, I held the can too close and now it's got runs. That's what I get for being in a hurry. Good news is that this was just a test run, so I'll learn from my mistakes and my case will be that much better for it.

Note to all using spray paint: mkae the sure the item you are painting is propped up so that you can hold the can at a near 90 degree angle. This stuff really doesn't like being held horizontally (it drips).

EDIT: Well, it's finished. I don't have a camera right now, but I'll post pics once I get it back. It turned out ok, but the paint really sucks. All it takes is a very light scratch (fingernail will do it) to take it down to the bare metal. Not sure what I did wrong. Anyway, it has a much bigger window on it now (and I just realized that the removable drive bay locks will be in the way when I put plexi on, so I'll have to trim those down). I also painted the blade tips of the CPU fan so they glow now too. I really like the way it turned out; I just wish the paint didn't come off so easily.