If you have ever set your eyes on those detailed and artful computer cases and wanted one for yourself you know how difficult buying one can be. Not only is it hard to tell the company making it what you want, but it can run you hundreds of dollars and then if its damaged or degrades then you have to have it sent in to be refinished. I have a solution that will save you a ton of money and give you the ability to express yourself.
Where to begin
Most computer cases are made of either aluminum or metal; if your case is made of plastic it is best that you buy a metal or aluminum case instead, though these steps will work on plastic as well. First take all components out of your system and store them within a static free environment, being sure to store them in anti-static bags until they can be replaced into the system. If you don’t own any anti-static bags for computer parts you can order them online or pick them up at your local computer repair shop. After removing all the parts from the system you are ready for the next step.
Prepping your case for paint
The first thing you are going to want to do before you begin to paint your case is sand all the factory paint. You can either use a sander with low grade soft sand paper at a slow speed or you can use hand sand paper of the same grade. Move the sandpaper in a counter clockwise motion over each part of the case, being sure to get as much of the factory paint off the system as possible, smoothing out all areas with a piece of fine sandpaper to be sure the surface of the case is flat and smooth in all areas. Once this has been completed you are going to need to use anti-static degreaser and a lint free cloth to clean the case, being sure that no static accumulation is present.
Painting the case
Once you have cleared all debris from the case and treated the case the next step is to use the desired color primer as a base coat. This base coat is what the background color of your case will be and helps to protect the secondary coat from chipping away. If the primer is not a dark enough color you can buy acrylic paint of the same color and paint over the primer to give it a glossier look. After applying your base coat you can begin painting the design of your choice onto your case using water based acrylic paint. If you have a specific drawing or design that you want put on the case you can make a paper stencil of it and outline it with a piece of chalk. Once your design or drawing is applied to the case allow the case to dry for three to six hours depending on the environment and then apply a second coat. After the second coat has been applied to the case apply clear paint sealer over the case. This will prevent the paint from chipping and will protect it from dust and other elements while also allowing you to clean it without damaging the paint. Paint sealer as well as all supplies for this project can be found at your local home improvement and art and crafts stores.
