Can you paint over a chrome bumper to give it a fresh look? Technically you can, but it’s a time-consuming task. Even if you do everything right, it’s hard to guarantee that the finish will stand up to the daily grind. It’s much easier to paint a steel bumper with a bare steel finish.
First, let’s talk about the process of painting a chrome bumper.
How to Paint A Chrome Bumper
Image Credit: TacomaWorld
Preparation is key to painting a chrome bumper. It’s a tough project because you need to prep the bumper carefully and apply the paint correctly to ensure that it holds up.
To paint a chrome bumper the correct way, you need to:
- Clean the chrome bumper to remove any oil, grease, dirt, tar, etc.
- Sand the bumper with a fine-grit until there are no shiny spots. Or, if you can, sandblast the bumper.
- Apply self-etching primer to the bumper
- Apply automotive primer to the bumper
- Wet sand the primer
- Apply multiple coats of paint to the bumper
Here’s a good overview of the process. Self-etching primer is key to making sure that the paint stays on. Still, there’s a chance that the paint won’t stay on, even if you do everything right. The quality of the primer and the paint matters a lot, too.
You Can Paint Chrome Bumpers But It’s Not A Good Idea
Painting over chrome may seem easy. But after a short amount of time, the paint can flake off and reveal the chrome underneath. That’s really frustrating to see, and then it’s easy for the chrome to rust. Chrome is not a metal, but rather a finish. Sanding the chrome to paint lessens its rust resistance because it makes the finish more porous. So if you paint over chrome, and if the paint happens to peel off, chances are the chrome finish will rust or peel off too.
So over time, you’ll be dealing with flaky layers of paint and possibly rust underneath. It would be a nightmare to fix, and pretty much impossible to get the surface smooth again. If the damage is bad enough, you may have to strip both layers and start over. A lot of people would agree that it’s not worth all the trouble. In most cases, painting a chrome bumper is a temporary solution, not a permanent one.
It’s Easier To Buy A Steel Bumper With A Bare Steel Finish
Some people have a chrome bumper that’s rusted or just want to paint a chrome bumper. But, when you consider the effort involved, and the risk of the paint not lasting, it’s much easier to get a steel bumper with a bare steel finish and paint it. Painting a ready-to-paint steel bumper is an easy job. All you have to do is to:
- Wipe the bumper down with mineral spirits
- Apply the primer
- Apply the paint
A good quality ready-to-paint bumper is rough enough to allow the primer to stick. You can use any type of primer you want, instead of having to use a self-etching primer. And the paint is really durable. In the paint gets scraped off, which happens to any truck that sees real truck use, it’s pretty easy to fix.
Finding The Best Quality Ready-To-Paint Steel Bumper
Not all steel bumpers are made equal, though. A high-quality steel bumper will last much longer than a mediocre quality one. This post is a good resource to use when you want to tell a high-quality steel bumper apart from the rest. To sum it up, a high-quality steel bumper has the following characteristics:
- 100% steel construction
- High-quality welding
- CNC cut
- Made in the USA
- Made to order
- Lifetime warranty
At Throttle Down Kustoms, we care about the quality of our steel bumpers. Our bumpers check every box on the list above. Learn more about our steel bumpers today!