How to choose a custom paint for your car

Your car is your pride and joy, but lately you’ve noticed the paint needs to be updated, or you’ve seen some cars driving down the road that have eye-catching paint jobs. Getting a new paint job for your car can refresh it’s look, or give it a brand new, unique look, but most of all it doesn’t have to be difficult. The easiest thing to do is choose your favorite color, and figure that’s enough decision making when it comes to painting your car, but you a bit more planning has to go into the process so you end up with a color you’ll love for the life of your car.

Before painting your car you have to look at a few different factors. The main one is where you live, do you live near a beach with a lot of salt? Do you park in a garage, or on the street in a city where the paint may get scratched easily? Are salty roads in winter a culprit in causing rust on your vehicle? Is continually hot and dry weather fading your cars exterior? Also remember that you more than likely won’t have this car forever, so think about resale value in the future. While a custom paint job may look amazing right out of the shop, care must go into protecting the paint, and understanding your environment will help you get a handle on which paint to go with, and how difficult or easy it will be to upkeep.

Let’s go over the different types of paint so you can get an idea of what your color options are. Solid colors are the most durable colors, and easiest to apply. They come in a variety of colors, with black and white being the most popular. If you’re looking to refresh your car color, solid colors are the most economical way to go. Solid colors don’t have to be boring though, you can get still find eye-catching colors such as teal and bright yellow. Pearl colors have a bit more dimension, and come in a two or three stage colors, with the three stage adding more depth to the custom paint job. Pearl paints can be a bit more expensive and difficult to apply evenly, and while durable, you’ll find that scratches can be more obvious, leading to future touch ups. Metallic paint is less expensive, and more durable, with a variety of great colors to choose from, from gold to deep purples. If you’re looking to really stand out, candy paint colors may be your best bet. They’re applied in a three-stage system, where the sparkle mixes seamlessly with the paint itself. Candy paint colors are definitely attention getting, but they have about ⅓ the life of any other paint job, and are expensive to apply and retouch. Finally, a newer custom paint option comes from low gloss paints, which some refer to as “matte” or “flat” paint colors. While black is the most popular, and easiest option, other low gloss colors are finding their way onto the market.

Now that you have a better understanding of the types of paint, keep in mind the attention you’d like your car to receive. If you’d rather stay under the radar, perhaps a bright pink isn’t the color for you, but if you regularly attend car shows, a purple and teal car will definitely bring people over. Depending on your budget, and how you plan to care for the paint job, choosing the right formulation is essential when it comes to your custom paint job. Once you know which formula you want, you can work with the custom paint technician to plan the look of your car, so it can be the ride you’ve always dreamed of.