[ram4 judge]

1st todays painters add base to the clear to achieve a semi gloss for underhood and door jamb colors. You can add most companies base to there clear without a problem( metallics may blotch if put on to heavy) but not recommended for long term exposure to the sun/UV.

2nd as a 20 year veteran paint rep for BASF,Dupont, PPG, and Sikkens any single stage will give a deeper, cleaner look then BC/CC on solid colors. This is especially true on red and black.

3rd The grain that people see in the colorcoat under the new clears is part application and part which companies basecoat is used. The american companies like modified acrylic bases which has a grainy look over the european companies that use a polyester base which lays flatter when sprayed.The draw back to polyester is that the final sanding on the primer has to be a little finer on light metallics. SIkkens and BASF use a polyester and Dupont, PPG,Sherwin Williams use a modified acrylic. Most backyard painters prefer the american stuff because it will cover up bad prep.


The idea of putting clear in the last 2 coats of single stage is spot on. It gives you the look of single stage while also making it easier to buff.Also
for beginners ,with single stage you only go around the car 3/ 4 times.BC/CC you have to go around the car 6 to 7 times. Less chance of something going wrong the less time your in the booth.Single stage will also be more forgiving on the prep of the car.
Good luck

[PetesPonies]

some inaccurate info here. Sorry to jump...but being a paint saleman does a painter not make ( You made some generalities that I find not true. For example..going around the car 6 times means you have less chance of runs ( basically what you said )..well the problem with that and why BC/CC is actually better for the begineer is...laying base coats down is very very easy. You are not trying to achieve a gloss, so the application is different and is very easy compare to laying down a coat of SS. If you run some base..shame shame shame on you. Remember, you are not trying to achive a shine, just even coverage. If any mistakes are made during the CC, then fixing them is very easy. That is compared to any mistakes and fixes that must be done in SS. Heaven forbid if you make a mistake with a metallic SS..don't even think about being a first timer and fixing that. That is my experience with painting for 31 years.

[Nickv]

BC/CC is the way to go for a beginner. Very easy to apply and very forgiving of mistakes and produces excellent results.

[Matador-IV]

ram4judge....thanks for all the good info, are you saying that adding base to the clear will yield a semi-gloss finish?

Petesponies.... I stated above about looking thru the clear and seeing the texture of the basecoat below. 'ram4judge' expressed some possible causes of this.

What is your opinion?

Is it from not sanding the base smooth enough before clearing?

Does it need to have some 'tooth' for the clear to adhere?

[ram4 judge]

Dear peteponies,I was a salesman for 20 and have painted for 25. As you know paint sales doesn't pay that much so I 've always had a shop on the side.That time didn't make me the best painter but did allow me into over 3,500 plus shops from high to low end and even some garages with wood burning stoves for heat. Yes clear is a little easier to spray but if you take your time w/SS and give it a little extra flash between coats it will hold just as well. Buffing a run is the same in BC/ CC as in single stage.And if you going to buff the entire car anyway you want can lay the SS or BC/CC down a little lighter and sand and polish the paint to the look desired, hence the reason for clear into the last 2 coats.I was just at Levelone Restoration in Denver Co and he had a maroon late 30's car that is awesome looking, his 70 GTO just to top restored GTO in the country and is the deepest black I've ever seen, both in single stage.

Someone had said that candies add base to clear to achieve that look. Yes this is true but most candies ( House of Color) use inks instead of pigmented toners to achieve the cleanest look. You can make a poor mans candy w/Pigmented toners but up close you will see the little dots of paint because pigments can't be ground fine enough like the inks can.

The other point of sanding base is a good ?.Yes , the nicest paint jobs I've seen done( Riddler cars, Good guys top cars Etc.) the painter will lay down 2-3 coats of base and let it dry good then come back and sand lightly w/800-1000 grit then lay the last to coats on. This really helps w/ the texture you see in metallic colors under the clear coat, but works nice on solids too.

And always remember,Its just paint, you can always sand it down and do it again.
Have fun.

[scotts66goat]

The other point of sanding base is a good ?.Yes , the nicest paint jobs I've seen done( Riddler cars, Good guys top cars Etc.) the painter will lay down 2-3 coats of base and let it dry good then come back and sand lightly w/800-1000 grit then lay the last to coats on. This really helps w/ the texture you see in metallic colors under the clear coat, but works nice on solids too.


you don't mean 2 more coats of base after sanding do you?

[ram4 judge]

On sanding the basecoat? Yes ,You'll want to get coverage on the car, this should take two or three coats. Then let it flash until the base is nice and firmed up, you want to use 800 or 1000 grit paper with a little bit of dish soap in the water( no fragrence) lightly sand the top of the base and you'll see the little dirt specs and any imperfections as you sand.I do 1 panel at a time and clean the sanding residue off the panel as soon as your done with that panel. When the entire car is done go back and re- wax and grease the entire car, then aply 2 more light coats of base. If it is a mettalic color you may want to add some slower reducer at this point to allow the base to lay super flat and eliminate the grainy look. let flash and clear.
Good luck.

[69gtocv]

That's how I did my SS Concept black.. 2 or 3 coats.. let it dry good, sand out imperfections with 600 or 800 (I forgot which I used), then I shot 2 or 3 more coats, then cut and buffed it.... very deep looking black

[PetesPonies]

he's talking about sanding the base, not SS. as far as doing it this way...well you can, but typically you only touch base if there is a problem...if there are none...then nothing is gained. I would suggest, if you do this, to wash the car with warm soapy water and not induce a chemical ( wax/grease remover ) onto fresh base paint. If doing any artwork or custom painting..I was taught, and always follow this, that warm soapy water if the strongest chemical you should use on fresh paint during the painting cycle.

[Matador-IV]

I've also heard to use warm water only, during the paint stage for rinsing off sanded material as there should be nothing on the surface requiring chemicals.

[PetesPonies]

right..you don't want any solvents that may go into the freah paint and cause popping or trapped solvent problems later. You have to realize that base is naked..no protection at all.

[kingbird68]

I recently heard a bunch of painters talking about painting a dark blue car. They said that they shot a single stage urethane, sanded with 800,then shot a Bc/CC job. They said it gives a very deep look and they can see any imperfections that they may have missed. Any thoughts on this?