So you’ve got your own golf cart, but the neutral tone of it doesn’t exactly inspire joy in your heart. The beiges, creams and taupes that most golf carts come in are designed to be universally appealing and easy to produce rather than interesting. However, you can always paint your golf cart yourself and make it look exactly how you want, with flames or logos or stripes and lots of different colors. You’ll never mistake your cart for anyone else’s once you customize it!

Dever Golf Car Sales is your Kentucky golf cart headquarters, with locations in Louisville and Lexington. Below, we’ve created a quick guide to painting your golf cart without hassle.

1. Do the Prep Work

This is a step people often forget to take or rush through. Preparing the area you’re painting in and the cart you want to paint will give you much better results with a lot less mess. Here are some prep steps to take:

  • Lay down drop cloths to protect floors and surfaces.
  • Wear goggles and a mask to protect your eyes and lungs from particles.
  • Sand down your cart’s surface with a fine-grit sandpaper to remove the smoothness.
  • Hose off all the dust and grit when you’re done.
  • Tape around any areas you don’t want to cover with paint on your golf cart.
  • Apply the appropriate type of primer designed for plastic to your cart and allow it to dry. Add another coat if needed.

Once these steps are complete, you can move on to actually painting your cart. There are a few more things to know, however...

2. Paint Indoors

One of the perils that many people discover when painting their carts is wind. Letting your cart dry outdoors means that you could get whatever is blowing in the wind (grass, leaves, dead bugs, pollen and other debris) stuck to your nice, smooth coating of paint, leaving unsightly smudges and flecks.

Choose to paint in a well-ventilated area that will protect your cart to some degree. Even a garage with an open door can keep out most of the debris that might otherwise land on your wet paint.

3. Apply a Clear Coat

Once you’re done with the paint job and have let it dry completely, it’s time to protect the paint. A couple of coats of sealant will ensure that your custom paint job lasts as long as possible. Sealant also adds a nice glossy shine and helps to prevent fading and scratches on your paint coating.

Be sure to choose a sealant that is designed for the type of paint you’ve used: for example, an acrylic paint requires an acrylic sealant. Apply at least two coats of sealant on top, following the manufacturer’s instructions regarding dry times. 

We hope these tips help you to customize your golf cart to your liking. Looking to buy a new model or find some parts? Visit one of our dealerships in Lexington or Louisville, KY, to view our current inventory of new and used golf carts for sale or check out our parts department to outfit your current ride. Dever Golf Car Sales servers all our Kentucky customers.