What Type of Paint Is Best for Your Vehicle?

When it comes to car paint, you’ve got some options. The “right” type for you may not be the right type for someone else, so here’s a closer look at a couple of common paint types, along with their pros and cons, to help you learn more about your choices. And remember to always work with an experienced car body shop in Visalia, CA for all of your auto body needs!

Acrylic car paint

This type of paint is a popular favorite because of its smooth, glossy finish. It gives a luxurious appearance to any vehicle and is a nice choice for many types of cars. Acrylic paint is easily applied by your trusted body shop technician, and acrylic enamel paints are actually baked onto the car to achieve that hard shell coating.

On the downside, acrylic paints are often described as being soft, because the lacquer version in particular is not very durable. If exposed to chemicals or UV light, the paint can fade and require reapplication, which is not an easy task for the average DIY-er. The urethane version of acrylic paint is also extremely quick drying, so it must be painted on and finished immediately.

Urethane car paint

Urethane paint is a versatile option that can be sprayed over nearly any kind of existing vehicle paint without reacting. You can even spray it over lacquer, which is not true of many other types of car paint. If you have your vehicle out in the sun a lot, or live in a region with some extremes in weather, urethane offers a good option for you—it dries quickly and has a very long life, with strong resistance to chipping and fading.

A few cons should also be noted. Urethane paint is a little on the pricy side, and its durability also means it has a somewhat plastic-looking finish. The paint itself is also toxic, which means whoever applies it will have to bundle up in full protective gear, including eye goggles, respirator and suit.

Metallic car paint

Metallic is a popular type of paint among sports car and muscle car enthusiasts. It has a very unique and edgy appearance that adds a hefty dose of pizzazz to any vehicle it covers. Many cars actually enjoy an increased resale value with metallic paint because it effectively masks imperfections like small nicks, scrapes and dings with its reflective properties.

Your car body shop in Visalia, CA will let you know up front that metallic paint is a fun and fantastic option, but it can also make repairs more difficult because it’s hard to get the paint colors to match, and there are not very many color choices available. Metallic car paint will definitely set you back a pretty penny.

As you can see, all of these paints have excellent qualities, and they all have some drawbacks, too. To find out what type of paint is best for your car, and to have your vehicle professionally painted, call or stop by Tom’s Body & Paint, Inc., your experienced car body shop in Visalia, CA.

Categorised in: Auto Body Shop

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