Bumper Paint

Modern cars have very flexible painted surfaces stretched across the bumper surfaces which are specially designed to withstand minor impacts with impunity. The idea is that a vehicle's bumpers will absorb many of the minor impacts routinely encountered in parking lots and during everyday driving without being damaged. Unfortunately, the bumper paint is ultimately damaged, marred or scraped off when the bumper absorbs too great of an impact.

The bumper paint used on modern flexible bumpers is unique and is designed to be applied on flexible surfaces. The paint is specifically designed to be fully cured but still flex to a much greater degree than the paints which are applied to the much more rigid surfaces such as metal and high-impact plastic. The reason for these unique qualities is the existence of a chemical flex agent in bumper paint.

When procuring primer and paint products to be used for bumpers it is important to purchase and utilize products which are specifically designed for this specialized application. These paints are chemically designed for adhesion to plastic surfaces. The paint formulas are essentially the same as the materials which are sprayed onto non-flexible surfaces, but will include additives to give the paint its flexible qualities. Therefore, bumper paint is somewhat more expensive when purchased.

Bumpers are painted in basically the same manner as the rest of the vehicle. For new bumpers, the surface must be somewhat more thoroughly cleaned using specific products to remove any traces of the mold release agents which are applied inside the molds used when the plastic parts are manufactured. Presence of such mold release agents will negatively affect adhesion of the paint to the plastic surfaces. The bumper's surface must be thoroughly chemically cleaned to remove any waxes, oil, road film, mold release agents or fingerprints so the bumper paint will adhere properly. Primers or sealants are sprayed first, followed by the basecoat paint and finally topped with clearcoat, all of which contain the flex agent. After fully curing, the flexible bumper paints may be buffed and waxed in the same manner as any other automotive paints.