The Science of Paint Washington DC

Ever wonder about the people formulating today's paint products - and if they have any clue how their creations affect refinishers? Wonder no more. Some of the industry's leading paint chemists answer the questions on everyone's minds.

By Michael Regan
5/1/1999

For many of you, painting is a huge part of your life: For shop owners, the paint finish is a critical factor in selling the customer the finished repair. For paint shop technicians, years of training and experience go into every panel that makes its way out of the paint department. Match the color, match the gloss, match the texture and, while you're at it, don't waste a drop.

It's an absolute testimony to the talent in this industry that so many shops have CSI ratings in the high 90s. These statistics show that despite the amazing number of product, application equipment and painting environment changes in the last 15 years, the people doing the work have adapted - and adapted well.

It's a good thing, considering the profound change paint products themselves have undergone. Where factory-pack lacquer used to be the predominant product sold in the United States, the vast majority of shops currently utilize in-house mixing stations with computerized formula retrieval. Painters have the capability of mixing mere ounces of color for a small job rather than buying at least a pint or, most likely, a quart. When variances from vehicle manufacturers have been detected, the painter can put the formulas next to each...