Little Tikes Car Makeover

I did a Little Tikes car makeover for Eleanor’s 2nd birthday and I think I love it as much as she does 😂 You all know by now that I’m all about aesthetics, so I couldn’t resist this Pinterest-inspired DIY. Here’s how I did it!

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DIY Little Tikes Car Makeover

Materials

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe link
Rust-Oleum White ultra matte paint + primer spray paint (2) link
Rust-Oleum Rustic Pink ultra matte paint + primer spray paint (2) link
Chrome trim strip link
The Toy Restore replacement stickers from Amazon link
Etsy custom license plate link
Rust-Oleum 12oz 2X Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover Matte Clear Spray Paint link
Plastic drop cloth

Spray Painting Process-

Whether you are buying a new Little Tikes car or upgrading a used one, make sure the major pieces are disassembled and cleaned before you begin.

Roll out your drop cloth. Designate an area for the roof pieces and another area for the body pieces. You’ll probably want to grab a mask too. Hello, spray paint fumes 👋

I used Rust-Oleum Rustic Pink Ultra Matte Paint + Primer spray paint on the car’s body and door. This paint is made for plastic and covered the hot pink car like a dream!

Next, I applied Rust-Oleum White Ultra Matte Paint + Primer spray paint on the roof and attaching pieces.

Two cans of each color of spray paint (4 total) will give you three complete coats of coverage. Allow the paint to dry between each coat application and save your cans for touch-ups. After the paint base is good and dry, you can put the car back together!

Be sure to finish the entire car with a clear sealant spray! I am going to use Rust-Oleum 12oz 2X Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover Matte Clear Spray Paint. This step is important for reducing the paint chipping that comes from reckless toddler driving 🤪 I learned the hard way not to skip this step!

Finishing Details

Now it’s time for the fun part- add your finishing details like a custom license plate, chrome trim, and special decals. I hot-glued the license plate and the trim comes ready to stick right on.

Be careful to choose the right size when ordering replacement headlight stickers. Each car model is unique. The Toy Restore on Amazon has a variety of replacement stickers for each type of Little Tikes car to choose from. I loved the look of the big headlights rather than the original eyes.

Finally, add any finishing details to further customize your car. There are so many Pinterest ideas to get you inspired >> Little Tikes Car Makeover Ideas. I wanted to do something original and decided to hunt down a little Bronco decal, which turned out so cute!