Coachpainting in metallic

DIY or pro respray?

But much the same applies. Metallic finishes need to be pretty good straight out of the gun - most solid colours can be flatted down then buffed back to a shine to get rid of small imperfections.

Metallic paint is much more expensive. It also needs a second clear topcoat.

It's much more difficult to match for repair purposes - it's not just the actual paint but the way it comes out of the gun.

For DIY cellulose is still the best - but is becoming more difficult to source.

Most modern paints are water based and due to the very slow air drying aren't really suitable for home use - you really need a filtered and heated booth to spray in.

Why am I thinking Hammerite? there is an american product but I'm guessing it would be cheaper to pay for a spray job

to be fair Stephen does mention metallics on his Tekaloid page tho' I can imagine what a bitch it must be to get the flake to lay correctly using a brush and not leave strage patterns Derek

Thats because you cannot successfully paint any metallic by brush, even with the so-called brushing metallic paints (like Hammerite) are only suitable for painting small areas, drain pipes, wrought iron gates and perhaps some very small flat areas. Brushing metallics are not designed to paint vehicles.

The problem with metallic flake/particles is that not only do they lay unevenly (especially when brushed on) but they also reflect light at different angles which alters the colour (more prominent with greens and blues), plus the pigment tends to raise to the surface when layed off which also alters the colour substantially enough not to obtain a perfect true shade to the finish.

If you want to paint in a metallic finish in ANY metallic type paint then forget it, the finished job on a Land Rover will look really bad and unprofessional.

I would recommend either spraying (which is the only way to achieve a decent finish with metallic) or use a conventional none metallic colour with a brush.

Regards,

Stephen.