Automotive paint finishes are something that you need to be well aware of before you decide to have your car painted. It is designed to stay on your car permanently and unlike some paints, get used by spraying it onto your car.
Unless you thought that the paint used to paint either the walls inside your home or one of your craft projects, is the same type of paint professionals use for automotive paint finishing, you’re mistaken.
Car spray paint Singapore service workshops can advise you on the type of automotive paint best suited for your vehicle. However, to find a professional car spray painter that is trained and qualified to paint your car, may not be as easy as you think. Even though this is often the case, the best route to go, is to research various car workshop service providers in your area and check whether they are reputable or not. This can be done by checking how long they’ve been in business, checking whether they are registered, the positivity rate of their reviews, as well as following up with references who have already had their cars spray painted or serviced at those car workshops.
The Difference Between Automotive Paints
We’ve already established that automotive paint gets used as spray paint. Given that this is the case and spray paint is a permanent type of paint, that’s supposed to last a relatively long time, it should be chosen carefully and applied cautiously.
In fact, if the word ‘perfect’ isn’t in the spray paint service provider’s vocabulary each time he/ she does a paint job on a car, then they probably shouldn’t be doing it. That should always be their goal, to spray paint their customer’s cars without any imperfections.
Automotive paint, unlike many other types of paints, is made from three different components.
These include pigmentation, which induces for the paint’s color. Next is a thinner, which ensures that the consistency of the paint is correct, and finally, a binder, which works by binding the pigment and thinner together. These three components thus, work together to form a permanent type of paint.
Searching for the perfect type of finishing paint for your car, may seem daunting at first, particularly because it’s permanent. Apart from having three different components, there are also different applications, which is the part that confuses people.
Different applications include traditional solvent paint and waterborne paint. There are also single-stage and double-stage paint systems, which you should be aware of, along with the type of primer that best suits your car.
By educating yourself about every step a spray paint service provider must take from starting the job to finishing the job, you’ll be able to find all the correct products, prior to ordering paint and having your car’s paint done at a car workshop.
Choosing an Automotive Paint that is Best Suited for Your Car
Before having a look at which paint finish is best suited for your car, you should invest in good base paint. There are two different types of automotive paint, which includes waterborne and solvent-borne paint.
Before choosing one, you should be aware that both types of paint can be used on cars but are made from completely different materials.
- Solvent-borne Paint – This type of paint refers to the traditional type of paint, which has been used for many decades by car workshop services provider. Solvent-borne paints are comprised of a few components, which include a lacquer, an enamel, as well as urethane. Solvent-borne paints are also popularly known for containing high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Till today, solvent-borne paints are still used for the repainting of some cars but has been used less and less over the years, as studies have proven the paint to have health and environmental concerns. This is just one reason why waterborne paints are preferred over solvent-borne paints and have become an increasingly popular option over solvent-based paints.
- Waterborne Paint – As the more popular and preferred type of paint today, waterborne paints are likely to be chosen over solvent-borne paint, because it only has 10% solvent in its content. Ever since environmental laws and regulations have become stricter, due to increasing health concerns among car spray paint service providers, waterborne paint has become the option of choice.
Do Car Spray Paint Service Providers Prefer Waterborne or Solvent-Borne Paint?
Car workshop service providers have raised their concern and made it clear why traditional solvent-based paint should not be used for spray painting cars. Luckily, with the introduction and continuous growth of technology, automotive manufacturers today, are specialized to produce auto paint of high quality, which contains fewer chemical compounds. Today, waterborne paint is the preferred choice for car spray paint Singapore service providers and are set to meet strict environmental regulations, to ensure the safety of both them and their employees.
Once you’ve decided on the type of paint you need, you must decide whether it needs a single stage or two stage type of paint. Since single stage paint refers to an all-in-one type of paint solution, it is often the preferred option, as it includes both a basecoat and clearcoat. However, the two-stage paint option gets applied in two separate phases, which may take longer to finish and ends up costing you more.
The Importance of a Paint Finishing Primer to Complete the Spray-Painting Process
Even though car spray painting results in a permanent effect, you still need a primer to protect the different layers of paint, which have been added during your car’s paint job.
A paint finishing primer will be needed for both single-stage and two-stage types of paint. This will create a flawless finish and surely cover anything that hasn’t been covered yet, which makes this a crucial step in the spray-painting process.
Two Different Primers: Acrylic Lacquer VS Pearlescent and Metallic
When choosing a primer for your car, you have two options, which includes acrylic lacquer and pearlescent metallic.
- Acrylic Lacquer – This primer is used with a paint thinner, upon application, which causes the paint thinner to evaporate after it’s been applied. This results in paint pigmentation on the car’s metal surface. As a finishing application, acrylic lacquer leaves a glass-like texture, making this type of paint finish perfect for classic cars. After application, the primer must be buffed regularly, which means that it is considered a high-maintenance primer. This type of primer is applied by using a gun spray nozzle, which creates a fine mist, that gets sprayed onto cars.
- Pearlescent and Metallic – This type of primer is more popularly used today, as it requires less maintenance than the acrylic lacquer. It uses small material flakes, which gets added to the primer’s base pigment. It then receives a few layers of the clear coated primer, which covers profiles of all the flakes. The metallic paint also contains relatively small flakes, which are made from aluminum, and allows for a reflective surface. This primer’s reflective properties, paired with its frequency of distribution, ensures for a modern and clean appearance.
Given that pearlescent finishes have solid base colors paired with alternate colored flakes, the overall look of the paint changes colors in the sunlight, which makes it more preferred than other primers. It thus offers a unique look and can only be applied by professionals.
Find Sin Heng Long Motor Work: Address: 5032 Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park 2, #01-305, Singapore 569535 Hours Open: 9am to 8pm (Closes Sunday) Phone: 6481 6078