Okay, so I’ve got this annoying little scratch on my car door. It’s not huge, but it’s there, you know? And it’s been bugging me. So, I decided to try one of those paint pens I’ve seen advertised.
First, I washed the area around the scratch really well. I used some car soap and made sure to get all the dirt and grime off. Gotta have a clean surface, right?
Then, I dried it thoroughly with a microfiber cloth. You don’t want any water messing things up when you apply the paint.
Prep Time!
- Shook the paint pen like crazy. The instructions said to shake it for a good minute, and I probably went a bit over that. Better safe than sorry.
- Primed the pen. I pressed the tip down on a piece of cardboard a few times until the paint started flowing. It took a little bit, but then it was good to go.
Now for the moment of truth! I carefully traced the scratch with the paint pen. It was a little tricky to keep a steady hand, but I went slow and tried to follow the line of the scratch as closely as possible.
I applied a thin coat first. The instructions said to do multiple thin coats instead of one thick one, so that’s what I did. It looked a little faint at first, but I knew it would build up.
I waited about 10-15 minutes for the first coat to dry. It was a pretty warm day, so it dried pretty quickly. Then I applied a second coat, and then a third. Each time, I let it dry completely before adding the next coat.
After the final coat, I stood back and took a look. Honestly, it looked pretty good! The scratch was way less noticeable. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a big improvement.
Finally, I let the paint cure for a full 24 hours before I washed or waxed the car again. Just to be extra cautious.
Overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It was a pretty easy and inexpensive way to fix a minor scratch. It’s not going to give you some magically brand new looking thing but it made me feel better.
