Paint FAQ's

[evil_demon_01]

Props to Keeledesign for creating this

Q) What color is my Car...?

A) If you open your driver's door and look to the right on the center post or *B* Pillar you will see your vehicle's color code...

Q) How Much Paint Will I need To Paint My Car...?

A) With a FULL paint-job including your jams you would be better off getting a gallon of paint and a gallon of clear just to be on the safe side and have some left over. However 2-3 quarts will shoot the whole car. ***BTW 4 Quarts = 1 gallon***

Keele: you did not tell them rather this amount of paint was reduced or not.. And to give a idea that all you will need is a gallon of reduced paint would be totally wrong.
Every color has different appaerent covering millage. and every Paint Brand brand does as well..
Rule of thumb is more expensive the paint the better it will cover with less coats.. [I]most the time[/I].. Their are paints like House of Kolor, it would take around 3 gallons of reduced paint to covere our car.. if you have extra pieces such as body kits.. it will take even more.

Q) What's the difference between a Two-Stage and Single Stage Paint Job..?

A) A Single stage Paint is cheaper quality. having the paint and clear mixed toghter allows for painting once and the job is done *Similar to some Earl-Scheib paint jobs*. A two-stage paint is Identical to your O.E.M paint. It has a Base Coat for the color, and a clear sprayed on top of it. Two stages are superior quality to ANY single stage because they offer better protection to the elements, look alot better in terms of quality, and more *Fixable* i.e buffing out scratches, blending the paint ect...

Keele: This statement is so wrong in every aspect.
A Single stage paint Job is one of the best in duribility and flexibilty.
It's easier to buff out gouges not just scratches. Because it will shine back up even if their is only 1 mil of material on their to work with.
A single stage isn't just paint added with clear.
It is a paint that has a single layer additive. this allows the paint to shine once sprayed on.. even with just one coat..
The right way in applying this,, is to add 2 coats of this on your vehicle, wait 8-10 min between coats if spraying in 70-80 degree conditions,
then mix this 1:1 with the clearcoat and making sure you use the same hardener that u put in your single stage, Because if you do not bad things will happen, such a cooking up or lifting. and put 1 coat of the half single stage and half clear on the car.
then mix 1part of whats left in your cup, whitch should not be a whole lot maybe a 4th of the 1.7 reduced pint cup,, with 2 parts of clear.

then you go with your final coat with straight clear.
and be sure to wait the 8-10 mintues between every coat.
This will give any solid color an amazingly deep look as compared to basecoat clear coat alone.
This is why Chip Foose's truck that was overhauled was single staged.

The idea that every car comes from the fACTORY WITH BASE COAT CLEAR COAT, IS HIGHLY MISPERCIEVED. sorry about the caps.
and it offers less protection from the elements,, but is ideal for any metalic colors, or pearls..

and when it comes to a 3 stage paint, where you lay your ground color then the pearl on top of that, it would also need to have bascoat clearcoat application

Q) What is Blending...?

A) Blending is when you spray paint on an adjacent panel to what ever your painting however you only lay the Base coat or Color a few inches in. Then you clear coat the entire panel. For example is you change your fender and it's a different color you need to paint it, however the new paint might not perfectly match you old door so you would want to "blend" the new paint into the old door. This tricks your eye into seeing the repair as a whole instead of looking a one piece that's extremly shinny and abit off in color.

Keele: most the time your blend should cover 3/4 of the panel you are going onto. and you should have all the blending agents to help keep everything seemsless.

Q) How many coats of clear do I need for the best paint..?

A) Many people will probally argue about this cuz there is a ton of mis-information floating around. But, I always read magazines and get a good laugh. My car has 12 coats of clear and looks great... The most coats of clear I would reccomend would be 3 or 4. You can however put much clear you want. When you buff it out you'll see why it's not good to add too many Layers to your paint.. It's not the Quanity as much as the QUALITY! 10 coats of cheap clear does nothing for your perfect paint, however 3-4 coats of the good stuff *Du-Pont, PPg* will give you a great finish that will last 10 + Years...


Keele: What!!!are you crazzy....
Just look at the clear you buy, it will tell you the best coat coverage that is needed.
Most clears are not designed for more than 2 coats. The more clear you add the more of a chance it will fail...
Metal and plastic flex and contract in heat and cold all the time,, this will make the clear crack or peel or crowsfoot, or become verry dull looking compared to the virant color that was laid underneith.

I paint cars daily and as of date i have painted over 30,000 cars,
that includes many hot rods and custome show vehicles. the most we have ever cleared is 3-4 coats,, and thats with either house of Kolor or Nexa's 643 clear.

Their is no arguement with this.. their is a right way and a wrong way of doing things.

Extra clear doesn't make a paint job slicker, it actually makes it look shittier. By putting to much clear a cars slick surface will start to become all ripply and chunky looking,, even if you wetsand and buff it, the most that is taken off by doing that is around a half a mill.. that will not slick out the rough clear..

That much clear will also build up around every edge and making it much easier to chip because of that.

If you want you can paint and clear a vehicle, then allow it to dry completely, and rewetsand it and reclear it with 2-3 coats again.. and that is acceptable and will turn out great.

Q) I want a custom paint job. How much will it cost...?

A) It depends on too many things to actually answer this question. Ask yourself what do you want out of it..? Perfection..? It's always better to do it the right way the first time BUT, not always praticle. Do you want to remove your, windows, trim, door handles, interior, parts in the engine compartment ect..? Just so you don't have tape lines...? Or do you just want to mask everything off...? Do you care if down the road your paint starts cracking..? or do you want it to last forever. Bottom-Line is The more you understand the paint process the better equiped YOU are to make that decesion and find out what best suits you and your budget.

[evil_demon_01]

Continued

The thing that helps cushion hoods and bumpers is the ecoat under the the paint and also the sealer that is used. The sealer or ecoat is a verry durable flexable product that allows you to sand down to 320 grit and be sprayed right over that grit allowing for better grip,,, then when the 3 coats of paint and 2 coats of clear are applied,,, the finish will be durable and flexible and it will withstand much more abuse.


also iwhen this is used properly it is used in the primer, then sealer, then the paint and then the clear,, not just a bottom additive.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B]

Q) What kind of Primer do I need to use so my paint won't chip...?

A) A severly common Mis-conception is that you have to use primer under your paint... I.E Ever seen a car that is completly primered...? PRIMER IS ONLY USED WHERE A REPAIR HAS BEEN MADE. For example when you remove a dent and use body filler, you have to primer over the repair area to *Seal* it and provide a surface for the paint. However if your simply painting a piece such as a fender and no body repair was performed then wet-sanding and removal of the clear is all that is necessary. Old paint makes a great surface for new paint to attach too provided it is prepped right.

Keele: so far the only thing you are on the right tract with..
Except on the non damaged surface you don't have to take the clear coat off.
It should be sanded and scuffed until their is no shine left on it anywhere. Although a properly prepped vehicle, one sanded down with a block or DA with 180 grit andthen priming the whole thing with a 2 part primer and put 2-4 coats ( one thing you may want to do.. is even if the primer does not say it needs a reducer use a slow reducer in it anyways, as it will evaperte out,, our rule of thumb is if you put 100 grams of hardener also add 100 grams of reducer, this will make the primer thinner and lay out slicker allowing it to soak up into the scratches and fillers instead of making a barrier over the top of them,, that will eventually shrink up after it's painted for a few months, allowing you to see where the body work was done) and then guide coate the surface and wetsanded with 320 grit and then rewetsand useing a a soft blaock as with the 320, also use it with the 600 grit, this will give you a much better quality job.

Q) My paint is chipping of my bumper left & right but the rest is fine. Why...?

A) When painting Flexable pieces such as Plastic like your bumpers. Extra prepping must be done to ensure the paint will adhere proprely. It's called a Flex Addative. This is a coat the is sprayed on before the base coat that better enables your paint to *Flex* and this is what resists it from rapidly craking or flaking. This addative is not used on Metal surfaces. This is why the rest of the paint is fine but the bumper is not.


[B][SIZE="4"][COLOR="Red"]Keele: Yes they make flex additives for flexable parts.
Your bumper is not a flexable part thus does not need this.. if you don't believe me, go up to it and see if you can twist it.
Also the additive does not change the color of your bumper.. IE the painter changes the color of your bumper,, because either they did not make enough paint and spray it at the same time with the car..
or the air conditioning is different, such as their is more humidity in the air when the bumper is sprayed, or even changing your air pressure by 1 PSI will alter how the metallics or pearls lay on your car.
If your bumper don't match have the person who sprayed it respray it.

as a painter should be able to tint you bumper color to match perfectly all the time.

if you decide to use this useless additives with todays paints on any exterior part,, you can use it on metal as well, it won't effect anything.




Q) I just got a Complete paint job but my bumpers look like there a different color...?

A) As stated before, bumpers have an added process called a "Flex-Addative" this gererally will make the paint a-bit darker than a painted surface that dosen't have the addative. Also, plastic generally dosen't except paint the way metal does, so you will never get a PERFECT color match between plastic and metal. If you don't belive me go to a Brand New car dealership, look around the lot at Brand New cars and observe the differences between the color of the bumpers and the rest of the car. You Will Be Surprised now that you know what to look for.

Keele: Also false info ...!

Most cars at dealships, their bumpers don't match, this is correct.

But thats because the bumpers and plastic pieces are painted at differnt plants, and some times their paint vats they use, don't get cleaned as well as they should when new paint is added , thus altering the color a shade or 2. that is why they making varient cards for paint companies.

this why they don't match,
Now go look at lexus and mercadese,, theirs match.. have you ever woundered why....?
because the higher end cars have the plastic pieces and bumpers painted with the car, at the same time, to ensure a seemless color match.
it has nothing to do with it being plastic or any flex additive that is no longer needed on exterior parts...
the only product that is needed on exterior parts is on raw plastic bumpers. and it's called One Choice, and it allows the paint to adhere to it with a permanant bond. Ohh my gosh.. why would you spread such wrong information.



I do this for a living and give lifetime guarentees on everything.

[ReGiCiDe93]

Amen to everything u just wrote....i work at a body shop and im familiar with the process....yeah u definately know your shit....good job

[Drunken Uncle]

Clear coating...

There are alot of things to consider when clear coating a car.

HIGH Solids Clear... remember that .. High Solids clear will give you a better shine when you buff it.

Lower Solid Clears will only shine so much no matter how much you Cut and rub.
(Wet sand and Buff)

The amount of trash in the final coat will determine how much sanding you have to do....
The Grade of sand paper you use....If you have alot of orange peel you will need to cut out as much as you can without punching through. Now remember if you only put 3-4 coats on, you will be cutting at least 1+ coat off when you sand if you have to cut alot out. 1200-2500 and even higher grit in some cases should be your final cut.
One of the most important thing is the Air line..Dryers and Moisture traps are a Must...
The type of gun you use... This is probably 95% Combined with your spray environment conditions (Spray Booth or Garage).. I use SATAJET NR2000 for Base and SATAJET 3000RP for clearcoating.. SATAJET, a German based company makes some of the best guns on the market. But they are High as hell! Some people like the Devilbiss and the Iwata 400. They are ok but I like SATA because I have worked with German Engineers on industrial equipment in the Manufacturing world....Zero Tolerance when it comes to quality!!! ANd they only work 3-4 days a week!!

Spray Pattern, Air Pressure, Rhythm, Lighting. I like to use Very Bright Light when laying down clear to see the paint go on. In my experience, I can tell if I'm gonna run by the way the paint hits the panel..Poor lighting and Angles are notorious for producing runs. I like to use the REFLECTION of the light to SEE how thick to put the clear on. Also, TEMPERATURE!! Whoa! If you are painting in 40-50 degrees forget it! The warmer the better...also Humidity will Kill you especially if you use a FAST reducer. The Humider the Slower you want the paint to dry to allow the moisture to escape. I found this out the hard way living in South Carolina back in 1987 when the clear came out cloudy because I thought the Faster it dries theres no chance for moisture to set in!!...WRONG THINKING!!
Every painter develops his own style though. You can flat HOSE a car down if you keep the rhythm and a Tight Glaze when you lay it on. Learn your rhythm and speed thru practice and experience...

Just my 2 cents.