crookedbowtie

Looking for opinions on the best paint brand or at least who has a favorite and why. Obviously base/clear, but who has the best spray characteristics, shine, durability etc. I know it will vary depending on experience, conditions, color, etc, but I know there are strong opinions on the subject so lets hear your .02 cents.

Mainly interested in the color black if it makes a difference and also would like to know how much paint it has taken others to cover an 02' Camaro with or without the jams.

00vipersteelZ

I always use Sherwin Williams auto paint. i like it because if you ever have a problem with it they send out a sales rep. and help fix the problem with whatever is needed. I'm all about the customer service. i have never had a single problem with the paint not ever lasting

ls1curt

iTrader: (31)

we put ppg omni base on my car, which is cheap, but came out really good, i used about a gallon of base reduced, w/out jams. As for clear, i used ppg 894 which is a top of the line clear and layed out real nice, but it was very expensive.

Smit660

Check out a brand called alsa there outa Cali and make sum really bad*** stuff!

KTK Z28

iTrader: (6)

PPG

bdyman

ppg dbc system, and the new 3000 and 4000 clear blows anything out there right now out the water

crookedbowtie

Anybody else for PPG? I have used both the omni base and some of the more expensive stuff in the past with good results, but it has been several years ago. I will look into the 3000 and 4000 series clear, supposedly I can get a smokin' deal on paint and I definately want the best clearcoat I can get my hands on. From what I remember the base isn't as much of a concern. Any tips on what and how much flex agent for the bumpers? 1 gallon of base and 1.5 gallons of clear adequete? Good primer/sealer (DP90 rings a bell)? Thanks again.

ls1curt

iTrader: (31)

are you doing the jams? about a gallon of base should be good, i only used about 3 quarters of a gallon of clear on my car w/out edging everything. you dont need flex agent in the paint

crookedbowtie

I will more than likely do all the jams because I have to replace the passenger side rocker and quarter. If I remember right I need less base material than clear material. No flex agent even on the bumpers?

bdyman

ppg`s dbc base coat is mixed 1;1 and it does not use a reactive reducer like the old and outdated dbu system, dbc uses dt reducer through out the entire line, from primer to clear
dbc is activated by the clear or you can use dx57 to activate the base, it also helps in film build, mettalic base, doing custom paint, and dry time

flex agent is only used for us the tech so we dont crack or damage a bumper or flexable part in the assembly stage, flex agent evaporates in under 6 months, it still remains in the clear but not needed base coat is flexable, sealer is flexable, clear is flexable as well

the dp sealer line is still used to this day but again outdated product, the new stuff is the ncp sealers, its not corrossion protective thats why we apply a etch prime or use the ncp 271 primer, if the primer is not broken through during the prep for paint the ncp sealer can be applied and no worry about rust, because the 271 is still intact

applying the correct color sealer is critical for the amount of base being applied

bdyman

example
if your painting black, and you apply a white sealer obviously your going to put more black base to cover the white sealer, any red color apply grey, black use black sealer
silver use grey, light mettalics use grey

its always good to have more product left over for problem, if the paint gets scratched in assembly, stone chips, another accident, and so on

bagged67camaro

iTrader: (4)

i use nason cheaper line of dupont stuff works great on a budget but hok clears are awesome

greg campbell

iTrader: (2)

Crookedbowtie,

DP epoxy primer has excellent adhesion qualities, according to ppg, it is a better choice for custom work where the mil build is higher. Following the epoxy you should use a quality urethane based surfacer. The others are talking about production undercoats the are designed for speed, less mil build, and minimal sanding. If you want the deepest black use black concept acrylic urethane. Then lightly wet sand with 1000, then apply your clear coat. Then your wet sand and buff. I would use 1500 then 3000, then follow up with 3M's buffing system. It is a lot of work but it is a lot DEEPER than base/clear.
I have not used the 3/4000 clears from ppg. I still use 2021 because you can use DCX catalyst in the single stage and clear. DT reducer is also used throughout.

BdNflnc

I use PPG and House of Kolor.
If you are looking into black, then go with House of Kolor BC25 black. it is the purest black on the market. Some blacks have a blue tint, and others have a brown tint.

As for clear... my favorite is the PPG Global line, which is the 894 mentioned earlier. Yes it is very expensive, but part of that expense is because it includes a lifetime guarantee on the paint itself.. if the paint ever goes bad and its not painter error, then PPG will pay for the repairs.
The PPG 3000 and 4000 clears are good, but one thing to remember is that they are more of a spot repair clear used mainly in painting single or a few panels... not necessarily an entire car. They are geared more for body shops because of the fast cure time, so they can get work in and out faster. They are definitely not show quality clears. Although they do have good shine to them.

Alsa is a good brand if you are looking for a custom effect paint, but they dont offer a full line of paint products such as basecoats.

jims73z

iTrader: (1)

The best brands are Glasurit and Sikkens.

BdNflnc

It really comes down to personal preference... some people like one thing and other people like another.
Some of the top brands are(in no particular order)
PPG
House of Kolor
BASF
Glasurit
DuPont
Sikkens

Any name brand is going to have decent quality. The biggest difference is that some brands are more user friendly than others... in my opinion Sikkens isnt as user friendly as other brands, but it is still good quality, so it comes down to what you or your painter prefers.

ReggieWarrenJr

iTrader: (11)

What makes those brands the best? i havent used sikkens but ive seens cars painted with it and im not impressed especially for how expensive it is. Theres alot of good brands out there, Sherwin Williams, ppg, spies hecker, etc. I dont really like house of color any more, and i definately dont like dupont. I guess its just a personal preferance, I currently use Sherwin Williams, they have alot of products for custom painting and they have great quality at a reasonable price, and their customer service is great!!

BdNflnc

I'm not very impressed with the Sikkens stuff I've seen either - for the price.
BUT.. to each his own... thats whats great about having so many good options available.

jims73z

iTrader: (1)

i think dream car garage used to use sikkens and now uses glasurit. As to how a paint looks , if the prep isn't there no paint will look great. I've seen Earl Shieb paint jobs that people have colorsanded and buffed that looked great, doesn't mean it's a good paint.
Expensive paint is expensive for a reason.