How To Paint An Acoustic Guitar?

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Painting the acoustic guitar is always unique creativity; that’s why here you’ll get the most effortless procedure to paint your guitar. The method you’ll get here is facile and can be done quickly at home. Let’s proceed.

To paint the acoustic guitar is the most fun creativity; you can make your favorite designs on the guitar. But this activity takes a long time. So the first thing you must have in doing the painting is patience and then start towards painting. Painting the guitar helps remove and cover the pits, scratches, and dents. It also helps in making your guitar new. Or if you’re just bored with your old one, then paint this guitar with your favorite color. For painting the acoustic guitar, you do not need canned paints. They need something different and more.

Steps To Paint An Acoustic Guitar

Supplies Needed

  • Guitar
  • Denatured alcohol
  • Cleaning cloth
  • 600grit sandpaper
  • 1200grit sandpaper
  • sharp razor knife
  • Primer
  • Masking tape
  • Newspaper
  • Acrylic paint
  • Brushes

Collect all the supplies you need in painting the guitar. If one thing is a shortage, it’ll disturb you. Moreover, your guitar will not give a smooth finish.

Step 1 : Removal Of Strings

As you are painting the guitar, the first step is to remove its string. Remove the strings efficiently. One thing to remember is to untie the guitar strings and then cut. Otherwise, it’ll cause injury to you.

Step 2 : Cleaning With Denatured Alcohol

When your strings will remove adequately, pick up the cloth, put a denatured cloth on it, and start cleaning the guitar’s surface. Clean all the guitars carefully throughout all the surfaces and ensure no surface will remain empty. This alcohol helps ineffective cleaning of your guitar.

Step 3 : Covering The Areas

Start covering the parts of the guitar where you are not painting. For covering these areas, you can use masking tape. Or you can also use a newspaper to cover the areas like the neck of your guitar. Make sure that your guitar is completely covered from electronic areas. For covering the edges, use the blunt edge of your knife. If you feel excess tape on some areas, use a sharp razor knife to remove these excess tapes.

Step 4 : Sanding The Surface

Sanding is the most crucial step in painting. If you send off the surface of your guitar, then your surface sticks to paint very efficiently. For sanding the surface:

  • Pick up the 1200grit sandpaper and start sanding the guitar.
  • Make sure that your motion is not in a circular motion.
  • Sand off only in one direction and do it gently.

Step 5 : Applying Primer

Primer is the basic need for paint. If you’ll not correctly prime the paint’s surface, then doing paint on the surface is useless. Here we also prime the surface. For priming the surface hang the guitar in a dry place where there is no moisturizer. Now start priming the surface evenly. For guitar, you should use only two layers of primer, do not exceed. Apply the first layer, wait for about 50 to 60 minutes, then move towards the second layer.

Step 6 : Painting The Guitar

Now the most fun and exciting part is painting. Choose your favorite color from acrylic paint to paint on the acoustic guitar, and start painting on the guitar thoroughly. Acrylic paint is best to use on the guitar, and it is also safe. Apply the first coat on the guitar and make it dry for about 2 hours. If you feel that after 2 hours still, it is not dry, then make it drier unless it dries completely. When the first coat dries entirely, apply the second layer of your paint.

Step 7 : Again, Sanding The Surface

After applying the two layers, make your paint dry for the night. After the night, it has dried completely, now aging and sanding the guitar. Pick up the 600grit sandpaper to sand the surface of the acoustic guitar.  You can also opt for 1200grit sandpaper to make your surface more smooth. Make sure that you are Using your grit sandpaper in one direction. 

Step 8 : Repetition Of Step 6 And 7

Apply 6 and 7 steps continuously and stop when you get six layers of paint on the guitar’s surface.

Step 9 : Applying Of Clear Coat And Make A Draft

As you have done with six layers on the guitar, it’s useless if you’ll not apply the clear coat. Applying a clear coat helps your guitar protect you from pits and bumps. Pick up the 600grit sandpaper and start sanding all the imperfections before applying the clear coat. If you want to make the acoustic guitar paint designs, make it as you want. Make the draft of what you want on the guitar. Show your best creativity here.

Step 10 : Sealing The Design And Applying Clear Coat Paint

Now it’s time to seal the drafts you have made on the guitar. For sealing it, we use clear coat paint. Apply the first layer of the coat and wait until it is dry. When the first layer dries completely, then apply the second layer. Wait overnight and make your guitar completely dry.

Step 11 : Sanding And Apply Another Coat

The use of 1200grit sandpaper, again and again, makes it look weird, but this use makes your paint smooth. Again sand with 1200grit sandpaper and then again apply the clear coat. Wait for almost two hours, and then apply another layer. Again and again, repeat the process unless you get six layers of clear coat paint.

Step 12 : Sand With 2000 Grit Sandpaper 

Above you’ve done with 1200grit sandpaper, now pick up the 2000grit sandpaper and start sanding the surface. It’ll give a smooth and even finish.

Step 13 : Painted Acoustic Guitar Is Ready

So, after all your efforts, you can see that you have done the paint very efficiently. Now remove all the measuring tape and newspaper you have used on the guitar. After removing all the tape and newspaper, a beautifully painted guitar is ready.

After your effort, your hand-painted acoustic guitar is ready. It has taken a long time, but time doesn’t matter when you will get efficient results. So why are you waiting to pick up your guitar and start painting with your favorite colors and designs on the guitar? Bring your inner talent in front of the world.  

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