How many coats of clear?

[markss28]

I'm having my 73 camaro painted again. I had it painted in 04 but they only put about 2 coats of clear. When they sanded it was about one coat and not so shiny. A year later I had another guy lay on 3 coats of clear and wet sand. It had by far more shine and depth but he didn't spend enough time sanding. Either way at the time I was much happier with the finish then before.

Now it's back in the booth. What is the best way to lay the clear, how many coats, and how much sanding to get a straight and deep look?

[elitecustombody]

Are you or the shop is doing the work?It takes skills and right tools to make finish slick and straight and it has alot to do with what's under that paint. For a nice wet slick look you need at the minimum 4 coats of high-solids clear that has 2:1 mixing ratio or 6 coats of watered down clear with 4:1 ratio. After application you must let it sit for a month or so to let all solvents out ,so it won't die back after sanding and buffing.

[markss28]

Thank you so much for replying. I've done about 100% of the work on the car with the exception of the paint and body. I wouldnt know where to begin. I have it at a body shop but I want to make sure that they are doing it right.

[Rick D]

You want to watch how many coats of clear you put on at one time, all clears are not the same. Go with what the company that makes the clear recommends. We have a clear that if you put on more than 2 coats with out curing it first the first coats WON'T cure and it will cause issues down the road. Just make sure when applying more then 2 coats at a time the paint company recommends it. Most of our clear coat are max 3 coats during one application. If more is wanted or need you can sand it down and then reclear.

[markss28]

right now there is 3 coats that were put on 3 days ago. They said they were going to start sanding tomorrow. I think they are going to lay another 2 coats and then sand and buff again.

[elitecustombody]

I'd say let the shop do what they are paid to do.Nobody likes a customer that tries to tell the shop how it should be done. With that being said,I'm assuming the shop explained the process and what materials they will be using.

[markss28]

I agree, and would love to sit back and watch the magic happen but the owner of the shop told me he already put down 2 gallons of clear but the painter says he's only sprayed 3 coats. Just want to make sure I'm not getting hosed.

[elitecustombody]

I agree, and would love to sit back and watch the magic happen but the owner of the shop told me he already put down 2 gallons of clear but the painter says he's only sprayed 3 coats. Just want to make sure I'm not getting hosed.

Between the shop owner and painter someone is not telling the truth.I'd try to get a better answer. What type and brand of clear are they using?

[GregWeld]

A lot of the flat slick look you're looking for might have more to do with the way it's blocked AFTER the clear is laid on... some start with too fine of grit and end up getting the "lake effect" -- because the fine won't block it hard enough to really get it flat. You end up with no orange peel but end up with "the lake effect".

[markss28]

A lot of the flat slick look you're looking for might have more to do with the way it's blocked AFTER the clear is laid on... some start with too fine of grit and end up getting the "lake effect" -- because the fine won't block it hard enough to really get it flat. You end up with no orange peel but end up with "the lake effect".

Make sense. I saw a friends chevelle they wet sanded with 1000 and it looked great until u looked down the lines. They sprayed it again and I think they used 600 or 800 first and worked their way up. Took him about 1.5 days but it was awesome.

[Boss 5.0]

Between the shop owner and painter someone is not telling the truth.I'd try to get a better answer. What type and brand of clear are they using?


Agreed, unless they are respraying the door jambs as well....

When sanding and buffing a "show" car type of paint job. I let the car sit for a couple days, then sand open the clear with 800. Let it sit for another week to let all the solvent escape. Then sand with 1000, then 1200, then 1500, 2000 the 3000 Trizact. Very, very flat. A ton of work, but that is what it takes for that real nice flat straight look. I did a 32 Ford roadster last summer for a friend, spent 40 hours anding and buffing. Your average car, it would have been fine right out of the booth. But that isn'e enough when dealing with hi end hot rod paint jobs.

[64mali]

I'm sure your car is done now but this thread really interest me. If you talk to ten painters you'll get ten answers, then factor in the difference in materials from now to even five years ago. In my opinion, the bottom line is how the clear is sprayed not how much you put on. If you put too much and don't know how to san and pollish it's gonna look horrible. If you know how to lay it on, you can get away with a lot less work and have a beautiful paint job. If I'm gonna sand a car flat, I usually go three coats. Most of the new clears aren't meant to have more and you can run into solvent popping or poor drying. It can also be difficult to pollish out scratches if you start with a really course grit like 800 or 1000. To me, when you add a lot of clear, it can be difficult to not get the flat but material wave look. I spray my first coat like my last and use higher pressure and fine spray gun tip to break up the newer high solid clears. Some guys lay down a tack coat first, that just adds orange peel and doesnt really count as a coat. To me coats are defined by the mil thickness, not just a pass of a gun. You can lay 6 dry coats and pollish the hell out of it or lay 2-3 wet coats and have little work.