# Repainting a carbon fiber frame ?



## Sefie (Oct 5, 2008)

I wouldn't attempt to do this myself, but
-Is it easy to find a shop that would do this (repaint a carbon fiber frame)? 
- How expensive would this be? 
-Could a new coat of paint be placed directly over the old paint with no special preparation work to the frame? 
-Could new decals be acquired from the manufacturer? The old one would obviously be painted over.

Thanks for any insight into this strange request

Ken


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## martinrjensen (Sep 23, 2007)

*painting ove the frame*

I'm sure that you could easily paint with almost any process short of powder coating (because of the heat involved) if you wanted to paint over the existing top coat. You may be adding a certian amount of weight which you may or may not want to do. For that reason I'm thinking it would be best to send to the manufacturer. As far as decals go, some manufacturers will sell you decals, and some you can buy on eBay. You would want to research this before any project.
That's my input. I have repainted several frames.


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## Sefie (Oct 5, 2008)

Anything special about painting over carbon fiber versus any other material?


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## Eisentraut (Sep 18, 2008)

"I'm sure that you could easily paint with almost any process short of powder coating (because of the heat involved)"

They may be able to powdercoat a carbon frame regardless of the heat and the reason I say this is that the way a frame is made is that the components of the frame are made by laying up these subassemblies and curing them in an autoclave which applies both heat and pressure then they are fabricated together into a complete frame. The resins used are designed to cure at high temporature so that the final product is stable up to the temp they were cured at. The trick is to find out what temp they were cured at. I agree that painting is probably the best way to go but it may not be the only way.


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## Ramjm_2000 (Jan 29, 2005)

Sefie said:


> I wouldn't attempt to do this myself, but
> -Is it easy to find a shop that would do this (repaint a carbon fiber frame)?
> - How expensive would this be?
> -Could a new coat of paint be placed directly over the old paint with no special preparation work to the frame?
> ...


Almost any bicycle painter (Calfee, Ruegamer, Airglow, Specrum, Joe's Bicycle painting,etc..) will be able to not only paint but either reproduce or aquire factory logos for you. Most will also design custom logos if you choose. As for weight, the few who I've spoken with charge extra prep to remove the old finish down to the nude carbon. It has to be done by hand so it can add up to $150 to the final refinish cost. Many will just go don to a reasonable level so that the old decals can be removed. That's been my experience...


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## cyclust (Sep 8, 2004)

You could also check with a few local motorcycle shops. Any painter who does motorcycles should be able to do decent work on a bike frame. You will need to sand it with a fine grit sandpaper to give the new paint a good surface to stick to. Also, you should sand the decals so the old decals don't leave a raised portion under the new paint. Some of the local print shops may be able to cut some custom vinyl decals for you, though they will only be single color, with no borders. The nice thing about this option is that you can choose from dozens of lettering styles for a unique look.


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## Sefie (Oct 5, 2008)

thanks for the feedback, but should a carbon fiber frame really be sanded?


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## phoehn9111 (May 11, 2005)

Eisentraut said:


> "I'm sure that you could easily paint with almost any process short of powder coating (because of the heat involved)"
> 
> They may be able to powdercoat a carbon frame regardless of the heat and the reason I say this is that the way a frame is made is that the components of the frame are made by laying up these subassemblies and curing them in an autoclave which applies both heat and pressure then they are fabricated together into a complete frame. The resins used are designed to cure at high temporature so that the final product is stable up to the temp they were cured at. The trick is to find out what temp they were cured at. I agree that painting is probably the best way to go but it may not be the only way.


Once the CF is cured it is definitely not supposed to be brought back to the curing
tempurature, since the resins have been cured via the original process and any
additional high (350 degree) exposure could only weaken the structure. Or to put
it another way, not with my frame you don't!


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## Blue CheeseHead (Jul 14, 2008)

Sefie said:


> thanks for the feedback, but should a carbon fiber frame really be sanded?


The key here is not to sand the carbon fiber, but rather to sand the paint. If you have a frame that has a decorative carbon fiber weave look and then clear coat, you would want to just roughen up the clear coat, prime and then paint. My understanding is that the fancy looking carbon weave is just cosmetic, but I would still be careful not to disturb it.


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## Eisentraut (Sep 18, 2008)

No question, thats why I said that painting is pprobably the best way to go.


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## kris1169 (Jun 28, 2013)

I have a Cannondale Six 13 frame and want to change the color. The top tube and down tube are carbon, the head tube and rear triangle are aluminum. Does any one know of a shop where I can take this to get refinished? I live in Orange County CA.


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