Single stage vs. base/clear

[Mongoose]

Knowing what you know about paint care and which paints are easier to work with,etc. which would you lean towards in regards to having a vehicle repainted today? Assuming a skilled painter,quality materials,prep and such.

[BillyJack]

Re: Single stage vs. base/clear

IMO it's a no-brainer. I've massaged SS finishes since the 60's, and still have one in the garage. The BC/CC coatings of today are just flat better. Harder, but yet more flexible and so much easier to maintain. Having the layer of clear over the color reduces fading and oxidation concerns greatly. All you have to worry about is keeping the clearcoat glossy and scratch-free.

Bill

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Single stage vs. base/clear

Bill sums it up quite nicely.

For a daily driver bc/cc is definitely the way to go. For a show car, however, you might be able to make an argument for a single stage red or black, but that's maybe about it.

[Mongoose]

Re: Single stage vs. base/clear

Just out of curiousity,mainly from a correction standpoint I figured single stage would be friendlier than the harder clearcoats of today.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Single stage vs. base/clear

In many areas of the country you can't even get true "old school" single stage lacquers any more and will instead end up with a more modern catalyzed single stage paint. Whether this would be any easier to correct or not is dependant on a wide range of variables. Heck, even clear coats vary widely in "hardness" or "workability" so just because a paint is clear coated or not is no guarantee one way or another about its hardness.

We've worked on clear coat paints that were so delicate you can correct them with a good cleaner wax (ie ColorX, D151, M66) on a finishing pad via D/A, and we've worked on single stage paints (primarily SS white, which uses titanium dioxide as the pigment) that were so hard that even a wool pad on a rotary struggled to correct it.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Single stage vs. base/clear

Here is another vote for the bc/cc combo. Just like working on it better.

[Fly Bye]

Re: Single stage vs. base/clear

IMO it's a no-brainer. I've massaged SS finishes since the 60's, and still have one in the garage. The BC/CC coatings of today are just flat better. Harder, but yet more flexible and so much easier to maintain. Having the layer of clear over the color reduces fading and oxidation concerns greatly. All you have to worry about is keeping the clearcoat glossy and scratch-free.

Bill

Bill sums it up quite nicely.

For a daily driver bc/cc is definitely the way to go. For a show car, however, you might be able to make an argument for a single stage red or black, but that's maybe about it.