First time home paint job. Accidental matte finish

I gave it a shot and painted my car for the first time. I went to YouTube videos and learned about painting. A few coats of paint, then clear paint with gold pearl, then clear coat. I didn't learn too much about ventilation so the paint lingered and settled on my car (and everything else (had plenty of plastic sheets)). It created a matte finish. I was going to wait and wet sand it, but I've been told many times to just keep it. Next time if I don't want matte, ventilate. Also remove hood and trunk to make it nicer and no drips. I also took apart the mirrors for different colors and took apart the center console. I also got someone to powder coat wheels and brakes. New LED headlights and taillights. I went with a JVC system because it supports Waze and has two usb ports. The others have only one. One for USB drive and other for phone.

I’m impressed and agree with others that the matte finish looks cool - unique is a very good way. Also, love the attention to detail in painting the interior parts - definitely makes the interior look a lot nicer.

You are a brave man...kudos for just going ahead and doing it. Your paint "booth" in pic #2 is crazy (in a good way). PLEASE tell me that you were using a proper respirator and not mucking up your lungs with yellow paint lol. I agree that in the pictures, the matt finish looks kinda cool, and in fact may hide some of the imperfections in the job that might be more obvious with a gloss finish.

Kudos for attempting such a job by learning from YouTube university-especially on a Porsche . I think it looks great. Just think of what you learned for the next time. I once spay stained a bunch fence boards in the garage. It was getting hazy like in your second photo so I cracked the big garage door and opened the side door for ventilation. It worked good. The thing I overlooked was my car was parked right outside the big garage door. The next day I noticed the hood, fenders and windshield had a nice matte finish of maple stain. A couple of clay bars later and a lot of elbow grease it was back to normal. Just like the saying goes "I'm Really genius. I just can't think of everything all at the same time."

Personally I'm not a fan of matte jobs to start with, but yours looks great. I think the sharp Porsche decal really helps to balance out what would otherwise be an ordinary finish. My only concern is how easy that would be to maintain in it's current state. Most matte finishes are smooth to the touch, is yours rough? Could be an issue as time goes on, but for now, enjoy it!

Turned out great for a DIY job! The interior was a very nice touch and I appreciate the uniqueness of the matte finish. Because your matte finish is due to paint particles landing on the car, they likely don't have a full clear coat sitting over them. So be mindful to quickly wipe off bugs, bird poop, and any road grime. Otherwise they can eat through that unprotected paint and you may end up with either faded spots or spots that have worn down to the shinier clear coat. Something to keep in mind for the future: just about any DIY clear coat is going to have a more satin finish until you wet sand and polish. But you'll want to let it cure for a while before proceeding with those steps, otherwise you'll be stripping back to the base and starting over.

Thank you for your comments. I did use a mask and didn't realize it was that bad until after I saw the pictures. But the matte finish is very very slightly rough and not smooth. The hood and trunk are not perfect though like the sides. I placed the sticker and then the clear coat over that. So far, a few months, and it's held up very well. Except the first few days. It rained and I had water marks. I used vinegar and water and that took care of it. I figured it's a 2005 and didn't want to spend the 2k or more. I put 4 coats of clear on the car so hopefully it's a bit protected. If you ever paint any car, put a packet of $10 pearl. It changes the tint to a much better color.

Added some carbon wrapping

Hate to be the one with bad news but if you used a gloss finish clearcoat and the finish is rough, over time it's going to buff shiny in irregular patches from washing the car, brushing against the car, etc.. Also rough finish is going to trap dust and pollen quite easily and you'll get weird hazy spots where the dirt is trapped in the grit. Looks pretty cool, but i'd consult a bodyshop and see what their strategy would be. I'd hate to have to wet sand an entire car manually but that might be your only option, unless it's fine enough that you can get away with a buffer and some compound.

Very cool, both the paint and the wrap, I would leave the paint just as it is, be gentle on it, wash it sparingly with lots of suds and water, blow dry it if possible. Looks awesome! I was thinking one day if I had a Boxster in Yellow again I would have a matte wrap applied to get the same look you have...

You are right. It already happened in two spots. I'll give it 2 or 3 more years and will repaint again, but with ventilation. Glossy. But gold pearl worth adding. Any pearl is worth adding to any new paint job.

Thanks. I shall leave it until there are too many spots. The wrap also hides some flaws. Next time take the hood and trunk off to paint vertically

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How do the mirrors come apart? I plasti dipped mine like yours but taped them off on the car. A few spots were missed because I couldn't get the can to spray at certain angles. If they come apart easily i'll touch them up. Thanks!

Hi. They do come apart easily. Just remove the mirror. It snaps out and remove all the bolts inside. It makes such a cleaner job.