Selecting The Proper Auto Paint for Your Car
There are many factors that go into choosing the best type of paint for your situation but likely the most important factors are:
– How it looks when it is done
– Total Investment
– Durability
– Ease of Use (either as maintaining the finish or actually application of the paint)
Looking at these factors I’ll walk you through the process and hopefully we will have helped you make the right purchase for your vehicle.
Do I Need Primer?
The short answer is certainly. If you are truly looking for the best finish in the end you must start with a strong primer system. I always recommend using the proper primer system whenever possible. The first step to ensuring a quality finish is the proper selection and proper use of a primer. Primer is a broad spectrum of products which can be generalized to the following categories:
– Anti-corrosive Primers – prevent metal surfaces from corroding
– Primer Surfacers – fills small dings, dents and scratches
– Primer Sealers – seal off layers beneath in preparation for applying color coats
– Adhesion Promoters – ensures good bonding to a particular substrate (typically metal or plastic)
This may seem overwhelming at first but keep in mind that most paint jobs require only one or two of those categories for a great finish since many products will function in multiple roles. I’ll give more insight on which primers are best in our next section. If you can’t afford primer and the finish on your vehicle is already in good condition (no cracking, peeling, severe gloss loss, fading etc) then primer may not be necessary. However, you should check with the manufacturer of the paint brand you choose to confirm it is recommended for use without a primer.
What type of primer should I buy?
As I mentioned in the above, there are many primer options available. Choosing the right primer depends on the condition of your vehicle. However, we’ll do our best to summarize to the best options for a given situation. First off, if there any bare metal on your car we highly suggest a 2K (2 part) epoxy primer. Epoxy primer is generally the best option for adhesion to metal and providing corrosion resistance. While it is likely you don’t have bare metal on your car start with, some bare metal areas may be revealed as you or your body man sands out imperfections and applies bondo to fill dents, dings, and the like. Often only a quart or two is needed to spot prime patches where bare metal is exposed over the whole car. Although spot priming may be adequate, for better performance, I suggest using a quality epoxy primer over the entire car for enhanced corrosion resistance and adhesion. On areas where there is a lot of small dings, scratches or body filler it’s a good idea to use a 2K (two part) urethane primer surfacer. Urethane primers generally offer improved filling and sanding than epoxy primer so a combination of epoxy primer for the adhesion and corrosion to metal followed by a good urethane primer for filling and sanding is the best technique for preparing your vehicle for painting. If your vehicle is in pretty good shape already, (meaning it doesn’t have a lot of dings, scratches, flaking etc), a 2K urethane sealer is an excellent option for providing a good foundation for your color layers. Some paint manufacturers offer urethane sealer in a wide range of colors so you can match the color of your primer approximately to the color of your final paint color. Matching the color of your primer approximately to the color of your final finish reduces the amount of paint color (usually the most expensive part) required and when those imminent stone chips or scratches occur they are less distinguishable over a similar color primer than over just a typical grey primer which is commonly used. For primer selection we generally advise avoiding lacquer type primers, aerosol or spray bomb primers, and enamel primers due to possible issues with lifting or wrinkling, and cracking long term.
What kind of color coat should I use?
There are a lot of color coat options available to auto paint refinishers today with a wide range of performance and costs. Considering the longevity, appearance, and general cost of these various types of product I would highly recommend either purchasing a 2K urethane single stage topcoat or, for easier long term maintenance, an urethane basecoat/clearcoat system. An urethane single stage is a product that offers both the color of your finish and the gloss sheen in one product while a base coat clear coat system consists of a color layer (the basecoat) and an additional clear layer (called clearcoat) to provide the final glossy appearance. Seemingly, the urethane single stage is the obvious route because it requires only one product to achieve both gloss and color, however, the base coat clear coat approach has some key advantages in how easy it is to use, and longevity aspects. In fact, despite the added cost and extra steps,a vast majority of all cars coming off assembly lines today are painted with a basecoat/clearcoat process. Basecoat/Clearcoat offers enhanced metallic and pearl color application and effect and typically last longer than single stage auto paints. Comparing the two I find that in the early years after painting basecoat/clearcoat and single stage paint jobs may have similar appearance but as time goes on the basecoat/clearcoat paint job will require less maintenance (ie waxing and detailing) to ensure the high gloss finish. Costs are typically greater for a basecoat/clearcoat system versus a single stage system but the overall quality improvements will reduce maintenance cost and likely preserve a greater resale value for your car. Astute shoppers are finding deals online for basecoat/clearcoat kits that are similar or even less in cost than many single stage finishes. Other color coat paints available include acrylic enamel and lacquer types of finishes. While acrylic enamel can give some nice finishes with fair longevity, it generally does not last as long as an urethane paint and when you do smart comparison shopping you’ll find the cost differential is not large between an acrylic enamel single stage and an urethane single stage. I do not sanction lacquer finishes unless you are trying to accomplish a period correct restoration of a vintage vehicle. Lacquer finishes tend to drop in gloss faster, and ultimately crack and chip more than urethane, or acrylic enamel finishes.
What clearcoat should I purchase?
Choosing the clearcoat should be a decision based on the basecoat you obtain. Nearly all manufacturers of basecoat also make clearcoat and you can be assured that obtaining their clearcoat and basecoat together will be the best approach to achieving a long lasting finish. In some cases one brand’s clearcoat will not work over another brand’s basecoat so it is recommended to stick within a brand for your entire system, primer and clear included. Smart buyers are finding deals on the internet for auto paint kits that include all the needed paint materials for great prices.
For additional information visit us online for great deals on a wide range of products including Hot Rod Black
Processing your request, Please wait....
