Hello everyone,
I have one more write up to add to the list of write ups of mine. (you know I enjoy helping you peeps)

There are alot of misconceptions about car paints. There are ryhmes and reasons why certain people choose certain paints. So I have for you the four major types of paints and why they are good and why they are bad. I am painting my car in a couple weeks, so look forward to that write up too!

Enamel
- Must be sprayed in a booth
- Takes overnght to dry
- Requires expert spray technique to avoid runs/ sags/ mottling (of metalics)
- Takes about 3-6 months to dry sufficiently to sand and repaint to fix mistakes.
- Can usually be applied in one coat
- Cannot be rubbed out
- Can be sprayed over most other old paints and substrates
- Thick paint film = good coverage
- Fills minior scratches and imperfections
- Minimal shrinkage.
- Remains relatively soft
- Cannot be spot-painted (because you cannot rub out overspray edges)
- Not scratch or chip resistant, especially when new
- Ages well, does not crack, check, etc unless abuse or neglected
- Thinning ratio not critical, however overthinning can lead to runs/ sags while underthinning will lead to orange peel
- Thinner speed not as critical as laquer
- Leftover paint can be poured back into can, unused paint stores realtively well.
- Overspray is not a major problem.

Lacquer

- Can be sprayed almost anywhere
- Dries very quickly
- Can be sanded and resprayed right away
- Easy to spray, doesn't run or sag easy; orange peel is not a problem
- Dries dull, requires rub out, but rubs very easily
- Can be clear coated (with clear lacquer) Clear is highly recommended over metallics, and necessary over candies or pearls
- Thin paint film; usually requires multiple coats for coverage.
- Shows sand-scratches/ surface imperfections; excellent surface prep and fine sanding is required.
- Multiple primer coats usually required.
- Cannot be applied over enamel or most other old paints ( will wrinkle )
- Shrinks after about 6 months, Including lacquer primer; therfore showing sanding scratches and other surface imperfections. Often requires re-rubout
- Brittle, relatively fragile. Chips easy
- Very easily spotted in or touched up
- Does not age well; especially if exposed to elements. Often cracks/ checks with age, even kept covered (especially if applied in multiple coats and kept in hot/cod climate.
- Thinning portions not critical
- Thinner speed is important to match ambient air temps; too "fast" thinner leads to dry spray/ overspray buildup on paint surface
- Unused paint stores indefinately if sealed. Can pour left over paint (even thinned) back in can
- Over spray is no problem, falls to floor as "dust" that can be swept up or blown away.

Catalyzed Acrylics/ Urethanes (one stage)

- Should be sprayed in a booth; can be sprayed in a garage with ventilation
- Dries in 20 minutes to allow sand and respray
- Mixing proportions must be exact
- Once mixed with catalyst, must be sprayed right away; gun must be thoroughly cleaned imediately after use.
- Leftover mixed paint must be disposed of.
- Can Be sprayed over most substrates, with or without catalyzed primer
- Relatively thick paint film, "fills" sand scratches etc.
- Can usually cover in one coat.
- Does not shrink
- Dries very glossy; does not need rubout if sprayed well
- Difficult to spray; runs easy "fish eyes" easily if surface not throughly clean and dust free.
- Can be color sanded and rubbed out.
- Usually not clear coated, but can be.
- Can be spot painted or touched up
- Very tough paint; does not chip easily scratches can be rubbed out.
- Ages very well, can be rubbed or buffed if faded.
- Overspray is a major problem if not sprayed in vacuum booth; different types of paints (epoxies, urethanes) are worse than others.

Catalyzed Paints (Two Stage)

- Base coat sprays like lacquer; can be sprayed anywhere
- Base coat dries very quickly; Can be sanded and resprayed.
- Base coat cannot be sanded without recoating before clearcoat
- Most base coat drying time controlled by "reactive reducer"; must be matched to ambient air temperatures. but not as critical as lacquer.
- Shelf-life of "reactive reducer" is short; cannot be checked without spray testing
- Once Mixed left paints must be sprayed, gun cleaned, left over disposed of, yada yada.
- Un-mixed left over paint products do not keep well.
- Mixing ratios for most paints critical.
- Clear coat Should be sprayed in a booth; can be sprayed in a clean, bugfree indoor, ventilated place.
- clear coat required expert spray technique; runs fisheyes easily, but also orangepeels easily.
- Runs/ Sags can often be color-sanded our of clear
- Dirt, bugs, other problems require respraying base coat ( can be spotted in ) and re-clearing
- If sprayed well, clear dries smooth and very glossy, but is usually color sanded and rubbed out for best finish.
- Clear coat is tough; ages well; but peels if left to the elements.
- Can be repaired/ spotted in/ touched up, but requires several steps, increasing coverage area of each step. (Primer, base coat, clear coat)
- Base coat over spray is minimal, like lacquer; clear coat overspray is not readily visible, but leaves rough residue on surfaces.

Metal Conditioner
- If you have stripped your car to bare metal, your first step should be metal conditioner, such as "metalprep" This is a mildly acidic wash (usually reduced with water) that is applied to bare metal with something like steel wool or 3M abrashive pads. to remove any minor surface rust that has formed from prior washing and, more importantly, to "etch" the metal surface to make it bond with your first coat of primer or primer sealer. Just make sure you wear rubber gloves and eye protection when applying it; follow directions carefully; and be sure to wash/ neutralize it thoroughly and dry the surface before it can rust some more.

Self Etching Primer
- Basically, it does the same thing as metal conditioner ( other than removing rust ) It chemically etches the surface when applied, so this non-sandable primer really bites into and adheres to the metal.

Sealers
These were common in the days of non-catalyzed lacquers and enamels. They are applied over existing (and sometimes unknown) layers of paint before painting. Its' primary function was to act as a "hold back" shield to keep thinners in the new paint from seeping into, and possibly crazing or lifting, the old paint. At the same time it keeps old paint colors (especially reds) from bleeding back through the new layers of paint, causing discoloration. There were a variety of sealers, some to be applied as a first layer over sanded existing substrate, some to be sprayed as a final layer (over sanded primer) just before the color coat, and some used more for adhesion than for color bleed.

High Adhesion Primer Sealers.
Sometimes refered to as "Epoxy Primer" This stuff adheres so well, some recommend you to put filler over it. Basically, it sticks better to the metal than the filler. I personally have not tried that but thats what people say. It is pretty simple to use, it basically replaces the two products listed above. It is sort of like a double etching primer. It can be applied over, aluminum, steel, fiberglass, etc, it not only grips the surface of the material, but it also grips the paint or filler applied on top of it. Since it is catalyzed, it acts as an even better blocking shield than old sealers over existing old paint, or over your existing bodywork and primers. So, it is excellent to use both as a first adhesion coast over bare metal, as well as a final sealer/adhesion coat when the surface is sanded and ready for color coats. Do not sand this stuff.

High Build Primers
- Coming soon

Reducers
- Coming soon
PM me if you have any questions, forgive any typos... this took forever :P

 

What!?, You left out Rustoleum! (aka-Poor Man's Paintjob)
Good info though.

 

Don't forget to note that it is a broad, general textbook overview/guideline of paints.

Good write-up though.

 

Not to be an ***, but...some of your information is false with enamel paint.

You say you can't rub it out??? Why do you say that? I rubbed out my entire car....with no problems, came out great.
You say you can't spot in area's? I've done that too, with no problems at all
And I take it, if you spray enamel...your not using hardner? Because if you use hardner..you can't pour it back into the can.
Overspray, not a major problem?? I don't care if it's enamel, lacquer, or base/clear, any automotive paint overspray is a problem.

Again, not trying to be an ***....this just seems a little misleading....

here is a picture of my car...totally rubbed out, 1500 buffed with Perfect It III
If you don't mind me asking, where did you get your information?

 

I am willing to bet you used a catalyst in your enamel. Which would put you in a different catagory. See catalyst section

If you are brave, You can technically sand out and rub out "acrylic enamel" exception is metallic which is impossible. You would rub the metallic out. If you were to do so, you would have to be extra careful if you rub out more than 50% of the color you will weaken the paint drastically. Acrylic enamel is hard, unlike yesteryears enamels which are realtively soft. Which is also what this chart that you dispute so is based off of. Which brand of paint did you use? Also what did you add. I am here to help people so by all means if my information is invalid... then enlighten me.

 

you know what at first I wanted to debunk some of the info you gave.

thats retarted, thank you for the effort and I have learned a thing or two

 

Nelapse-

I think it's great that you started a thread like this....some information for people that really don't know much about the different types of paint that is available.

I used Dupont Centari when I painted my car. I waited about 1 week before I started rubbing it out.

 

If I am not mistaken this is arylic enamel, which falls under a different catagory than the enamel. Perhaps, I should put more examples in. There are many types of enamels.. and arylic falls under the one stage catalyzed arylics. Vs, the softer old school enamel. I am using arylic enamel myself in a few weeks.
Also, you could have rubbed it out that same day, instead of waiting a week.

 

I did also, but it is a good general guideline to follow. My only concern is that people don't get discouraged from reading some parts of it.

Case in point -Enamel, It is generally the cheapest route to go but also the most unforgiving to do. It is however very easy to paint in a garage/barn as long as you take the time to prep the area to avoid the dust that will inevitably fall into it. It's pretty easy to create a makeshift booth with some plastic and by all means wet the floor before spraying. Spray it and exit the area for 24 hours and it will turn out reasonably well. If you put a hardener in the paint, any dust that does settle in the paint (usually just the top of the car) can be rubbed out. A lot of States are also outlawing enamels and laquers so this may not be an issue at all in the future.

Overspray is a problem with any paint! Especially if you're using a conventional gun. Do the right thing and get an HVLP gun and this problem virtually disappears by about 75% compared to a standard gun. But always cover anything/area that you don't want overspray on.

I've painted every type of paint mentioned on about 2 dozen cars/trucks/tractors over the years in very primitive conditions. My current "paintbooth" is a former dairy barn! Once I used the base/clear system with an HVLP gun though, I'll never use anything else. I'll show you the results with my current project in a few months!

Great Thread!

 

Do not wet a floor for painting. Simply use compressed air with conjunction with sweeping. Wait a while for the dust to settle. You do not want any kind of water vapor near your paint job. You may not think it is not doing any harm but it most certainly can.

 

Please elaborate. I've never experienced a problem nor seen an article in any magazine where they don't recommend it. Not puddles, just damp or you'll only be kicking dust up as you paint.

 

Sure, alot of painters do it to catch dust and lint. However if your floor is damp, me personally, I am not adverse to having water vapor, which is coming from your damp floor. Mixing with my paint. I have my own paintbooth, with ventilation system, fire system, whole nine yards... so I never felt as if I needed to put an extra risk in my paint job, when all I had to do is spend more time to use compressed air to remove the dust and lint instead of mask it.

Alot of people use the water method. I am not one of them though.

 

really..hmm..i used water under my car and around it, shot it with a conventional gun in two stage custom blue, cleared it with nason clear, and ti wins every show i take it it...its 3 years old and i never even have waxed the car....

 

Good for you. I never said it WILL cause problems, but most certainly "could" Your paint gun could kick up alot of dust depending on what PSI you use. HVLP guns are very nice indeed.