How many layers does the car color have?

At the beginning I will ask a question, how many colors are dedicated for cars? Several hundred thousand? More? Honestly, I’m not sure, but there’s a lot! You can always create your own individual car color. There is a huge number of colors available on the market, and their number is constantly increasing with the presentation of new models. Helpful in color reproduction are recipe software’s, where there is a basic color for the searched car (the so-called mother) and variants differing slightly in the shade or graininess. This may be due to method of spraying in different factories, different device parameters or a change of supplier.

Companies producing car paints have color documentation - the alleged colorboxes, sorted by car brand and by color (chromatic order). The first type of template has paints marked with the OEM code and the car brand. In a very easy way, we can check whether the color, that we are interested in, matches the one on the car body.

The problem can only occur, if we do not know the OEM number. We do not have this problem, when we have the second type documented in chromatic order. Please note, that major paint suppliers that have colorboxes in their offer are painted with the same paints that are on the mixing station. Thanks to the use of a color obtained from a given color system, we obtain documentation that is professional and very helpful for a colorist.

Only few years ago, the white color was associated only with a company vehicles - the car in this color was easy to cover with commercials. The individual customer was not interested in the white car. Sellers often even reduced the price of such cars. However, it has changed over the years and the white color or its pearl-white variety is the most desirable and fashionable color in car dealerships. This is confirmed by data which indicates that the most sold cars are in white, of course in various shades.

If we know how to make life easier with choosing colors, let's consider the reasons of the paint defect. At the beginning, it should be analyzed whether the product application complies with the manufacturer's recommendations and whether the parameters of the equipment used for painting had the right parameters. Eventually, it has an effect on the final effect of the painted car. Now let's focus on something, that becomes routine in many workshops, which is the application of tricoat colors, because there are problems with naming the individual layers.

In the case of this type of paint in the english nomenclature, we use the word undercoat, which unfortunately is translated as a foundation. Thanks to the convergence of the name with foundations used as a filler or insulator, many prejudices for such colors arose. It must be emphasized that this is the background color that is necessary to obtain the right color. So the first layer of tricoat paint is the background, the next layers are the right color, then we finish with a clear coat giving us the effect of the lens, which makes the color so individual.

Let’s talk about a very important subject in every paint shop – blending. First of all, it should be remembered that the range of painting in such repair should be adjusted to distributing all layers of color. Thanks to this, we will achieve the optical effect of merging with the old surface. Here, a shading resin is a product that is necessary. It ensures even distribution of the lacquered layer. Unfortunately, with pearls or other difficult colors, the painting area increases significantly to achieve the perfect effect, which translates into higher repair costs.

Here is the time to take care of the last layer – clear coats and color additives, which are often badly applied. Here, first and foremost, the most important is the correct application of product and the recommended thickness of coating. That's why we should mention car manufacturers who can apply several layers of clarity for the effect. This stage of renovation can cause some problems, but after reading the specification of a given color, you can restore it.

The next topic is “orange peel effect” which, if it is too pronounced, is considered as a paint defect. Reading this article you have certainly thought about Japanese cars in which the visible structure is noticeable in new cars. Yes, it is noticeable, but the problem becomes when we have such a car in repair and need to recreate a similar surface. Then only thanks to experience we are able to rebuild a structure that does not diverge from the original one.

When it comes to color additives, such as the Candy type, first of all, follow the manufacturer's instructions. The best results are obtained with the appropriate silver grain - the application of the additive itself will not lead to the desired effect.

Several basic factors affect the final color effect. One of them is the temperature. It is worth to look at the thermometer from time to time and have it whereas the given drying temperatures sometimes refer to the element, not to the environment. And finally, remember that maintaining order and cleanliness in the paintwork is important as lighting with adequate heat, ensuring good observation of the painted element. Let's remember about these details and to give the car back to the customer in the dark and preferably on a rainy day.