Can you paint over an existing color finish on a wheel?

The short answer is, yes, absolutely you can!

Glossy teal may have been all the rage in 2018, but if you’re all about that satin black finish in 2019, at Salt City Wheels, our mobile wheel repair experts can absolutely make that happen. The level of complication and speed involved in achieving your beautiful new finish will depend entirely on the existing finish and whether it was applied professionally or by your friend in his garage. Generally, the process to paint over an existing paint finish on a wheel is the same - it’s usually just the degree of work involved with each step that changes. 

The process always begins with our mobile engineers mounting your wheels in our custom mobile shop before letting the air out of the tires and “breaking the bead” (releasing the tire-to-wheel seal) to have full access to the lip of the wheel. . This allows us to cover and protect the tires from any overspray and allows us to achieve even coverage over more than just the face of your wheel.

Depending on the existing paint finish, the rim will then be sanded down to create an even, ‘keyable’ surface ready for the new paint color to adhere to. If your previous paint finish was applied professionally, the finish is usually fairly even and as a result this process is fairly speedy. If your trusty friend painted the wheel in his garage, even if it looks great, the paint finish likely will be much thicker and more uneven than if it had been professionally applied, so the process of sanding it back is much more involved and will naturally take longer. 

Once the rim surface has been evened out and primed, our wheel paint and repair experts will then apply your desired new paint color and finish. 

Your vehicle will have a gorgeous new look without you every having to leave the comfort of your home or office! Check out our gallery at the link above to see examples of just some of the countless custom paint colors and finishes we’ve created for our clients. 

If you’re chomping at the bit to have your wheels custom finished in the style of your dreams, give our mobile wheel repair experts a call today at 801 425 3044. At Salt City Wheels in Utah, we are utterly obsessed with creating and maintaining completely gorgeous custom wheel finishes. Whether you know exactly what you want or have a more general idea, our custom wheel artists will work with you to create the vehicle finishes of your dreams.