painting plastic?

[elekt]

i followed a painting guide and painted the side metal and top metal panels, but now i would like to paint my front panel which is plastic (u know one of those played out chieftecs). im wondering what kind of paint and what steps i should take. Im planning on just a very light sand, hardly any at all, or do i even need to. i dont want to use vynl dye as it costs more. but should i clear coat also? also i painted 3 of the usual metal fan grills black, but i am wondering if i should also clear coat over?. thanx in advance.

 

[kaltag]

clear coat can't hurt in my opinion on anything, protects and shines and for the plastic just sand and clean it well before painting and use a good primer. i'd definately go with a good clearcoat on it too since it chips off the plastic easier.

 

[stool]

I usually clearcoat, but you should bear in mind that your drive faceplates and the bezel where they attach will need some extra sanding to ensure that they will fit when you are done.

 

[Daemonfly]

Most people have found the vinyl dye works a lot better on plastics.

I went with primer & regular paint, but then again, the plastic fromt panel had a lot of bondo on it from my mod