Repainting a bike with effects paints 

The choice of colors and effects is not lacking to reinvent a bicycle painting. Stardust has selected this year's trendiest bicycle paint products in this category. They are all professional bodywork paints :

- graphic paints, which are bike frame paints in small 125ml format

- fluorescent paints, which give a sporty character and improve visibility on the road.

- Chameleon paints, which play with the relief of the frame to change colors. A wide range of 34 bicycle paints is available.

- Holographic paints, which create multicolored iridescent reflections.

- Candy paints, which use transparency to color the light.

- Very special paints (phosphorescent, thermochromic, reflective ...)

These paints for bicycles exist in cans or sprays.

The paint and stickers have a certain importance for cycling and the value of the bike, by participating in the visual customization of the bike frame.

Painting on a mountain bike or racing bike, has an aesthetic but also protective role.

An effect paint is often multi-layered with the primer, paint and varnish.

The dry paint film must combine a certain number of qualities to accompany the practice of cycling: it must be very thin (from 50 to 100µm in total), flexible, resistant, with a smooth, non-adhesive and waterproof surface quality.

The colors must be sun-resistant and have good covering power, so as not to overload the bike (about 200g dry for all layers on the entire frame).

The yields of the paints : we speak either in Grams or in Litre / square meter, but as the data are different according to each density, so it is better to speak in Litre.

For a frame with a fork, the average consumption of a product is at least 250 ml.

This can vary according to the covering power of the paint, and also according to the skill of the painter.

The varnish: the final phase of varnishing is the one that will give all the brilliance and depth to the matte paint applied. It will finalize the painting work and crown all the decoration work. It is applied in 2 passes and requires 1 or 2 aerosol sprays of varnish or 150 ml of varnish.

Solvent-based paint for bike

The composition: the paints we offer are solvent-based : they are polyester acrylics, allow a unique fineness, quick drying and optimal placement of the pearl materials. In bodywork, we now paint with water-based acrylic paints using spray guns. However, in the field of cycle customization and decoration, the use of solvent-based effect paints is still allowed. They offer the best performance, longer durability and are compatible with other paints and substrates.

Prepare and paint the different materials of the bicycles :

The majority of bicycle frames are made of steel, aluminium, titanium or carbon alloys: they require specific adhesion primers to ensure good adhesion, when their support has been exposed, and to avoid paint detachment.

The raw material is generally found after a total sanding of the paint coats or repair with carbon fibre and putty for example.

How to make a good sanding ?

Painting can be partial (repair and touching up of the frame). In all cases, it is necessary to sand with an abrasive (320 to 500), then degrease to be able to paint properly.

Sanding removes the superficial part of the coat and its deficiencies, removes the shine and creates favourable conditions for adhesion.

Sanding with an abrasive sheet soaked in water, gives a better sanding, without clogging the paper and without heating. As for the grain, one should not go below P320 or P400 before painting (otherwise risk of visible scratches) and not higher than P800 (otherwise weak adhesion).

For hard-to-reach areas, it is advisable to use an abrasive sponge.

Bike spray paint

The application of each coat of bicycle spray paint is only done by spraying with canned paints, airbrush (for decors and stencils) and aerosol spray, for those who do not have a spray gun or a compressor. Each step must be carried out in accordance with the mixing and application instructions.

Remove or cover the stickers :

Adhesives create "stairs" and uneven surfaces. It is advisable to apply a filling primer or to remove the stickers from the areas to be repainted: This is done by sanding down the varnish covering them, then heating them with a heat gun to help them peel off.

If you wish to entrust the work of repairing or repainting your bike completely to a professional, choose a body painter, or a painter who specialises in customising bikes, there are more and more of them (see our map of applicators). For the latter, the dismantling / reassembly, sticker application techniques and "effect" painting and varnishing techniques for bikes have no secrets.

Applying stickers on bikes

Spray paint can for bike

Inside a bicycle spray paint can is the same product as in a professional paint can. Sprays include all types of paints (primer, effect paints and varnishes, even with 2-component).

Even when spray painting, two-component finishing 2K paints with hardener are rarely used. They are preferred to thin, flexible, easy-to-paint base paints that are easy to varnish and do not run. Thanks to their very fast drying time, they allow to apply adhesives after 10 minutes and then to varnish afterwards.

Some effect paints must be applied in several different coats, or use the primer as a base colour. This is the case with chameleon paints, holographic, fluorescent and pearlescent paints mainly. Other, even more complex effects require several steps: for example the candy crystallizer effect.

Primer and putty for bike paint

About the Bicycle Paint Primer and Putty, they are the first steps, the preparatory steps : the primer is only necessary when the frame has been stripped and the surface is bare metal, or carbon.

A levelling primer, called a « filler » or a « filler primer », is needed to create a perfectly smooth surface ready for painting. It is used on top of putties, or on all uneven or scratched surfaces. It is a thick coat that is easy to be sanded.

Thus, primers each have a distinct role.

Tools and accessories for bike paint

Among the tools and accessories for bicycle painting are adhesives and stickers : it is between the base paint and the final varnish that they are applied. At a specialist bike painter, you can have all the adhesives of your choice printed and cut out with a plotter. These are made of PVC, they must be as thin as possible and resist varnishing, as all varnishes contain solvents.

Special effects for bike paint

The fashion for custom bike painting is not new, however, special effects for bike painting are now numerous, varied and innovative. They offer a wide range of customization, especially at StardustColors. They come directly from car and motorcycle paints. There are the classic "solid" and opaque colors. There are mother-of-pearl and metal-based paints, and even deep transparent colors called « Candy ». Find below our selections of effect paints.

Special varnish for bike

Varnish is a transparent coat that hardens with a hardener. It is the hardener that will ensure the coating, waterproofing and protection of the frame and its painting. A special bike varnish gives matt, satin or glossy finishes.

To cover PVC adhesives without damaging them, you need a fast varnish, which fixes the surface and sets quickly. Conventional varnishes, which require time to dry, contain solvents that have the time and the unfortunate tendency to make the adhesives react.

That's why our fast varnishes, offer a very high solid matter content, to better fill in, i.e. to level "stairs" and the differences in levels created by stickers and coats of paint.

Varnishes with a very high solid content are shinier, more covering, and above all thicker, so they better protect the paint from different aggressions.

The drying time is extremely fast, so that you can avoid drips and use the bike after only 1 hour.

How to repaint your bike ?

Stardustcolors tells you how to repaint your bike : which paint should be applied according to the material the bike is made of ? How to prepare these products ? Under what conditions is it best to apply the paint and what are the precautions and safety rules ? What tool should be used to apply the different passes of paint ?

These are the same types of paint found on the different types of bikes. If you want to know which paint system is the thinnest and lightest and how to repaint your racing bike, then read the article and our technician's tips on this subject.

In short, the number of stages and the final dry paint thickness should be kept to a minimum and despite this, special paint effects are still possible !

What kind of paint to get his bike painted ?

Acrylics, polyester, polyurethane... the important thing is quality, which guarantees resistance and durability. The robustness of a set of paints, from primer to varnish, is also and above all the cohesion and adhesion. Finally, when you're wondering what paint to use to paint your bike, you must above all take care of the final varnish. Find out more in our article on this subject !

How do you repaint your bike without disassembling it ?

For all those who want to make a fast work, and of acceptable quality, but who unfortunately can't afford to disassemble the different parts of the bike (forks, wheels, frame, elements...), find the advices of our painter, who will explain you how to repaint your bike without disassembling it, and also how to speed up the drying process, and get back on the roads as fast as possible.

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