painting a laptop

October 31, 2005 2:53 PM

I just got a laptop computer. It's ugly. Can I paint it?

The part I want to paint, the back of the display, is slightly textured black plastic. I would be very, very careful to tape off the edges and keep the paint away from any other parts of the computer. Will this cause any problems? What kind of paint should I use?

posted by cilantro to computers & internet (12 comments total)

I can't speak to any damage it may cause (I doubt it will) but it may affect your warranty (I dunno) and most definitely will affect your resale value (which will drop to almost zero, I would think).
posted by Manhasset at 2:59 PM on October 31, 2005

The best solution for changing the color of plastics is vinyl dye. If you google that, you can find lots of instructions on case-modder sites. It doesn't chip like paint... it's more like stain.
posted by smackfu at 3:04 PM on October 31, 2005

If someone can mod their own pink Hello Kitty Laptop, I think you can paint yours. Though I'd suggest to look into Schtickers instead. You can design your own, which is what I'm in the process of doing to pretty up my new laptop.
posted by lychee at 3:05 PM on October 31, 2005

I once customized a Gameboy with acrylic paint and didn't have any problems. There are probably spray paints designed for use on plastic around now that would do the job better. Local model/craft shop might be able to help.
posted by fire&wings at 3:10 PM on October 31, 2005

ColorWare paints Powerbooks, as well as iPods. This Alien Soup forum on laptop painting is an excellent resource on detailling your rig yourself, regardless of platform.
posted by Smart Dalek at 3:22 PM on October 31, 2005

Krylon Fusion is a spray paint especially for plastic.

If spraypainting, I would want to block off any air vents from the inside.

Watch out for the JRun overspray problem, though!
posted by dhartung at 3:30 PM on October 31, 2005

Depending on the type of laptop and your willingness/confidence, you may also be able to find instructions for disassmebling that section so you can paint it away from sensitive laptop parts.
posted by whatzit at 4:35 PM on October 31, 2005

most definitely will affect your resale value (which will drop to almost zero, I would think).
I wouldn't be so sure. If you did an awesome job, it might actually increase.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 4:56 PM on October 31, 2005

most definitely will affect your resale value (which will drop to almost zero, I would think).
I wouldn't be so sure. If you did an awesome job, it might actually increase.
posted by Count Ziggurat at 4:56 PM PST on October 31 [!]


I agree. It's not an automobile. If it works, it works. Obviously the first statement was spoken by either a mac user or someone who knows nothing of laptop resale values.
posted by angry modem at 7:12 PM on October 31, 2005

Agreed on resale not dropping drastically. When I tried to buy a cheap used laptop, I found that there is no such thing as a cheap laptop which still has a good battery. If a laptop works, people want it.

Even if you completely botched the paintjob, you would just describe it as an anti-theft feature - an entirely superficial paintjob intendedmakes the laptop less attractive to theives without impairing function.

Many people do that deliberately.

Speaking as someone who is planning to mod my laptop, I'd suggest either doing it removeably (ie custom decals), or get a replacement screen or plastic backing on ebay, so you can really modify it, (eg with power tools and the like :), but you still have the original parts spare if you later want it pristime to later resell.

In your case, you're modding because it's ugly and you intend to make it better, so that's probably not even an issue :)
posted by -harlequin- at 8:55 PM on October 31, 2005

What dhartung said: Krylon Fusion. I've used it on some rather unpaintable plastic things and never been disappointed.

Remember: Many light coats are far, far better than a few heavy ones. A good spray paint job takes time.

Don't forget the bling. ;)
posted by unixrat at 9:09 PM on October 31, 2005

My future-brother-in-law paints found bits of plastic with nail polish, as a hobby. You can get some interesting colors cheap at you local drugstore and he does some really lovely swirly effects by laying down one color, adding drops of another and then dragging a toothpick through (he mostly makes refrigerator magnets with 'em).
posted by Sara Anne at 9:56 AM on November 1, 2005