I've got a question for the experienced painters out there.
If I wanted to add a pearl finish to my car would they (paint shop) just slap a coat of clear/pearl on or does the pearl have to be mixed w/a base color and then cleared over?

 

there's 2 stage and 3 stage pearl painting. 2 stage is mixed in with the base coat then the clear coat is applied, on 3 stage it has base coat, then pearls are applied after then clear coat... it depends on how much you want to spend. i did a 2 stage white pearl paint job on my eclipse, with a 2 stage the pearls are small, but you can see them for sure. with a 3 stage the pearls are more visible and more larger, but that's depending on what kind of pearls you pick out.

 

do you know whether our Scions come with a Stage 2 or 3? cause i'm been wanted to wet sand my box to get some of the "organe pill" off, but dont want to jump into doing it if our cars come with a Stage 2 paint job...

 

so, if I'm reading this correctly, I should be able to (1) use the factory paint as the base (after sanding/prep/whatever), (2) lay down the pearl, then (3)clear it...essentially creating a 3 stage pearl?
Or will I need to have the thing completely stripped and then resprayed? If that's the case, I think I'll just leave it alone :?

 

pearl can be added to the clear as "tint" but if you want more brilliant looking pearl

it must be applied to the base

 

why didn't i take the blue pill.






j/k ---i know you mean 'peel'

 

actually i think he meant Orange Peel if you wanna get technical on him... anyways, i think our cars have a 2 stage paint, i think the pearls were mixed in with the base coat... the paints so damn thin on these things there's no way it could be a 3 stage job.

you're going to try it yourself? thats going to be fun

 

yes it looks like it's a two stage job. i have my door panels off and can see the overspray of the layers.
and it does seem reasonable. 2 layers vs. 3 layers, 2 is faster and prob cheaper too.

 

So i could bring my car to a paint shop, and just get a few coats of a pearl clear coat on? Ive got a BSP Xb right now, id like to get some more clear coats on if that owuld help bring out the blues and greens in the paint...any ideas?

 

All factory scion colors are a basic basecoat/clearcoat or a "2 stage" as you all are referring to it, adding more clear will only give the paint a deep look not bring the colors out anymore. If you want to add more clear for a more perfectable color sand and buff finish, atleast add 1 coat of your basecolor over the entire surface your painting, it will give the clearcoat a much better adhesion and will be easier to make a smooth clearcoat finish. But if you want to add more pearl, their is several options: 1. If you want a subtle change, have your pearl of choice added into a mix of factory color, have them document how much they added and color match will never be an issue. Then it will be sprayed as a normal basecoat /clearcoat application. 2. Mild to crazy pearl alternative 1: I know as a painter this is a prefered way for most, spray your main base color whether it be factory or custom over whole vehicle. Then add your pearl into a basemaker, i know PPG and Sikkens (065) have this for sure. Adding the pearl into a basemaker allows you to spray the pearl of your choice on like a 2nd basecoat and gives it the effect you see on the pearl white escalades, apply as many coats as you like depending on how crazy you want your pearl to standout. Then just clearcoat as normal. alternative 2: The old school way: Putting your basecoat down and adding your pearl into the clearcoat. Many, many cons to this, its alot easier to get uneven pearl amounts on vehicle if not applied just right. If you have any perfections in paint , which contrary to popular belief their is no such thing as a perfect paintjob, when you do your color sanding you will be removing pearl more where you get imperfections out leaving unevenness. Matching the pearl in a spot repair would be difficult to impossible, but with blending ( ask a painter, long explanation ) alternative 1 would be fairly simple. Hope this will help a few of you out, i know its confusing but ive been in the autobody industry for 10+ years and learn something new on a regular basis, procedures are always changing. chris

 

Actualy this is backwards.
I have been painting for about 10 years. I have added pearl several times to factory colors in this maner. It actualy changes the color a great deal. One VW i did was a solid mid blue. I added a Lilac pearl and the result was a teal car with lilac highlights. It was a very cool effect. The pearl needs to be on top of the paint to be able to reflect the light. Pearl is actualy mylar in diffrent colors. and if it is mixed in with the color most of you pearl will be in or under the color lessening the effect. Much like Urbancamo exlpained. White is the only color that gives trouble... not that the effect dosent work but they look dirty when not in direct sunlight. It can be in a clear/pearl coat combinatuion. But when you sand and buff it you reveal the pearl and it can cause pad spots. The best is as Urbancamo explained, add it , then a clear topcoat.