How to Paint Your BMX Frame

Your BMX bike should be as individualized as the tricks you perform on it. If you want yours to stand out, you can strip the original paint that's on it and paint it the color of your liking. The process takes a long time, much of which is spent waiting on the coats of paint to dry. The only part of the task that demands physical labor is the stripping of dirt and old paint from the frame. With a bit of creativity, your bike will turn heads before you even start doing tricks.

Things You'll Need

  • Adjustable wrench
  • Socket wrench
  • Sockets of various sizes
  • Pliers
  • Fat shoelaces
  • Old rags
  • Masking tape
  • Silver steel wool
  • Medium-grade sandpaper
  • Large garbage bag
  • Can of primer
  • Paint (two cans of the colors of your choice)
  • Two cans of clear coat
  • Grease
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove all the components from the bike frame. You can get this done with an adjustable wrench, a pair of pliers, a socket wrench and a set of sockets. When you finish disassembling the bike, you should be left with only the frame.

    • 2

      Tie some fat shoelaces together to make one long lace. You'll need about four feet of lace. Insert the lace through the handlebar tube and bring it through the bottom. Tie the two ends together. Later, you'll use the laces to hang up the bike frame so that you can paint all sides of it without having to touch it with your hands.

    • 3

      Stuff old rags inside the tube where the handlebars are assembled and in the tube where the seat is assembled so paint doesn't leak inside the tubes. If paint gets inside, it will dry and, after you assemble the bike, the dried paint will create resistance when you turn the handlebars or attempt to adjust the seat.

    • 4

      Use masking tape to wrap the rags up to create a sturdier shield to keep paint out of the handlebar and seat tubes.

    • 5

      Scrub the bike frame with steel wool to remove any dirt on it and then scrape the old paint off the bike with sandpaper. You want the bike to look as rough as possible when you're done.

    • 6

      Use the laces to hang the bike for easier painting. A sturdy, low-hanging tree limb is best if you don't have anything else to hang the bike on.

    • 7

      Place a large garbage bag underneath the bike to protect the ground from any paint that drips off the bike.

    • 8

      Spray two light coats of primer on the bike. Make sure the can is six inches away from the bike as you spray and avoid runs. Spray on one coat and allow it to dry for about an hour, then spray on the second coat. Allow an hour for the second coat to dry.

    • 9

      Spray on a thin coat of paint. Remember to spray six inches away from the frame and avoid runs. Allow the paint to dry for thirty minutes.

    • 10

      Apply three more coats of paint. The second coat of paint should be thick enough to cover all the primer on the frame. Wait thirty minutes between painting the frame and, again, be wary of runs. If there are runs, wait for the paint to dry completely, sand the run off the frame and paint it again.

    • 11

      Allow the paint to dry completely.

    • 12

      Apply at least three coats of clear coat using the same method you used to paint the bike. Allow the frame to dry completely and take it down.

    • 13

      Remove the masking tape and old rags from the handlebar and seat tubes.

    • 14

      Apply grease to all your bike's components and assemble the bike.

    • 15

      Use the garbage bag to dispose of all your waste.