quantity of clear, base, and primer needed to paint car??

[devonkyle77]

ok so i am having my s14 repainted from oem kh3 black to bmw m3 carbon black (416)

i just have to buy the paint.
so if you could tell me the quanitity needed i would appreciate it.
also, a forum member told me i should get a flex agent, can anyone explain that?

my car is an s14 with metal hood, urethane bumpers, and fiberglass fenders.
i mention those three items because unlike the car, they are not the oem color.
the fenders and hood are unpainted. just black
the bumper is white

not sure if that information is relevant, but i thought i would offer it
thanks!

[SlideAlliance]

Get about a quart of carbon black w/ reducer and I would say about half a gallon of clear (more if you want a lot of material to work with) w/ hardener and reactive reducer if the clear you choose calls for it.

As for primer, it depends on what all you are priming. If you have some body work that needs to be addressed, be sure to include that into your materials quantity.

Flex additive is only required for urethane bumpers, and sometimes FRP parts - pretty self explanitory, but be sure to add it into everything you plan on laying down on your bumpers....and possibly the fenders if you expect them to move a little bit (tire rub, extremely high speeds, people leaning on them, etc.)

Depending on the bumpers and fenders, you might also need adhesion promoter for the sealer/primer that you decide to use.


Oh yeah, don't forget to buy sealer for your fenders and anything you prime/sand on (outside of scotch brite prep and 500 wet)

[ALEXTHESUS*PECT]

pm widgets on here. he has all the answers!

[thetopcow]

Just a little note of the flex additive. You don't add it to your base coat only the clear and primer. you could add it to the sealer as well but usually that coat is so thin it really wont matter too much.

You should use some black sealer on any parts that arent black already as it will help the base coat cover faster, thus requiring less base.

If you are spraying the whole car I would get a gallon of color-sprayable(reduced) should be about perfect. That should give you two to three coats of base. Then a gallon of clear with activator and reducer will give you plenty of that.

As for the primer, just prime the bondo areas. if you dont have much to prime, just get a quart of primer with activator and reducer. Should have enough.

Some ppl might say this is too much stuff, but if you are doing this at home then you really dont want to run out. Then you will have to make a trip to the parts store and by the time you get back your flash times have elapse and you have to scuff what you just sprayed. But really, it should be about right.

[zugoi]

I remember something on spike tv. Something about the 3 3 3 formula. How many Coats x3 how many panels x3 etc etc i forgot and i know this is helpless but hopefully someone remembers and can remind us all!

[SlideAlliance]

Just a little note of the flex additive. You don't add it to your base coat only the clear and primer. you could add it to the sealer as well but usually that coat is so thin it really wont matter too much.

You should use some black sealer on any parts that arent black already as it will help the base coat cover faster, thus requiring less base.

If you are spraying the whole car I would get a gallon of color-sprayable(reduced) should be about perfect. That should give you two to three coats of base. Then a gallon of clear with activator and reducer will give you plenty of that.

As for the primer, just prime the bondo areas. if you dont have much to prime, just get a quart of primer with activator and reducer. Should have enough.

Some ppl might say this is too much stuff, but if you are doing this at home then you really dont want to run out. Then you will have to make a trip to the parts store and by the time you get back your flash times have elapse and you have to scuff what you just sprayed. But really, it should be about right.

A gallon of sprayable is a little overkill, but if you want to play it safe and not worry about having to tint or find black sealer, its the way to go. You won't use that, nor should you!!! -but running out is worse than buying too much.

If you manage to use a gallon of clear on a car, you had better be spraying the jams and underside of the hood, and some random other parts as well. To play it safe and have enough for another project, okay, but just for a one time deal, that's way more than enough.

[Kouki]

Well you have to remember that it makes a huge difference on what paint you're using. Most base coats use a 1:1 mix, which means if you buy 1qt of paint you're effectively making 2 quarts of paint by the time its reduced. Then clear, there are so many different ones, some are 4:1 which I prefer, some are 2:1, etc, so how much paint you will need will depend completely on exactly what products you are going to use. When you go to the paint shop to buy the stuff, ask them how much you will need, based upon what products you choose to buy.

[LowNismo17]

i say:
1-quart black sealer
3-quarts base
2 quarts or one gallon clear.
let the paint supply shop help you with reducers and hardners

[Addicted2Kouki]

i say:
1-quart black sealer
3-quarts base
2 quarts or one gallon clear.
let the paint supply shop help you with reducers and hardners

i agree.

also.. you want to know how good the color covers.
my color didnt cover for shit and i used ppg.
needed 5 coats of base to cover.
wouldve probly done more like 6 or 7 to get it more uniform...
but i ran out of paint.

[ByeByeSti]

i say:
1-quart black sealer
3-quarts base
2 quarts or one gallon clear.
let the paint supply shop help you with reducers and hardners

idk about where you are, but 3 quarts is more expensive then a gallon here. when i painted my a4(bit bigger then a 240)(i painted all door jams, inside trunk etc.) i used bought a gallon of clear gallon of paint gallon of primer. most of which i went through. also the car was black so i covered it with a grey primer(3 coats) to play it safe, then 3 coats of base, and then 3 coats of primer. and like everyone else said let the storee help you with reducers and hardners, also explain to them what temps your spraying at because the reducers will vary. also... its always better to have a little extra then to have not enough... incase you mess up or anything.

[Bubba]

My paint guy gives me a price on a gallon and just lets me divide by 4 to get individual quart prices. Of course I don't pay the same prices as everyone else though. I usually get a gallon anyways, just in case I change a body part (kit) or have to fix/change out a damaged panel along the way.

[Bubba]

i say:
1-quart black sealer
3-quarts base
2 quarts or one gallon clear.
let the paint supply shop help you with reducers and hardners

BTW, ^^^^ he does his own work so he is good on his advice. He works at a shop for a living.

[thetopcow]

i say:
1-quart black sealer
3-quarts base
2 quarts or one gallon clear.
let the paint supply shop help you with reducers and hardners

I too agree with his quote on materials. And as to what I said earlier in the thread. I was assuming you were painting the whole car with a body kit and misc. parts, so that is why I suggested more. Black should cover fast though...IMO.

Hey Kouki, way to hold it down for the NE connection...lol. btw buy my headlights!

[SlideAlliance]

BTW, ^^^^ he does his own work so he is good on his advice. He works at a shop for a living.

He's pretty close to my recommendation.....oh yeah, I paint and do body work for a living too.

Anyway, be really careful on what you get. If you end up getting a kit and want the paint to match without having to blend it, get like twice as much as you really need to paint the car and make it easy on yourself later :bigok:

[fromxtor]

Ok so if I'm painting my hatch w/ satin paint and am painting the over fenders seperatly, and the roof and a pillars another color how much paint and clear do i need?

[SlideAlliance]

Ok so if I'm painting my hatch w/ satin paint and am painting the over fenders seperatly, and the roof and a pillars another color how much paint and clear do i need?

About a gallon of whatever color the car is going to be, and about a quart or so of whatever the roof is going to be, and if you are going satin, you won't use clear unless you are going to mix base and clear to create the satin

Do you even know what satin paint looks like?

[fromxtor]

TCPGLOBAL sells satin clear along w/ satin paint. Nice shot at my intelligence level there broseph. :keke:

[SlideAlliance]

TCPGLOBAL sells satin clear along w/ satin paint. Nice shot at my intelligence level there broseph. :keke:

...why would you need to buy satin clear if you already have satin base? That makes no sense.

Regardless, how much are they charging for the satin products. I ask because it might be cheaper to go with regular clear and regular base. You can make them as satin as you want by adding more and more base into the clear. That's how I would do it if they want a lot for it.

[LowNismo17]

i agree.

also.. you want to know how good the color covers.
my color didnt cover for shit and i used ppg.
needed 5 coats of base to cover.
wouldve probly done more like 6 or 7 to get it more uniform...
but i ran out of paint.
I just sprayed my friends hatchback with "shopline" which is a cheaper version of PPG and it covered like complete crap. It took 7 coats to get it right. I should have used a red sealer before the base coat

[fromxtor]

...why would you need to buy satin clear if you already have satin base? That makes no sense.

Regardless, how much are they charging for the satin products. I ask because it might be cheaper to go with regular clear and regular base. You can make them as satin as you want by adding more and more base into the clear. That's how I would do it if they want a lot for it.

To protect the base paint silly, it's very inexpensive.

[SlideAlliance]

To protect the base paint silly, it's very inexpensive.

If it's a satin base, it should have some type of clear or hardener in the paint (like single stage) or come with something to add to it to cause a reaction. A satin base is base mixed with clear. A satin clear is something totally different.

PM me a link or post one to the TCP stuff you are talking about. I use their shit, it's pretty good quality stuff and covers well without being too heavy.

[fromxtor]

^^The paint is hot rod flatz, and you'll find the clear under the same name.

[devonkyle77]

my local paint supply guy gave me an estimate, and he is using the shopline basecoat. you guys say it covers like crap, would that be true even if i went with a black sealer? also your suggestions are 3 quarts base, his is 2 quarts.

[SlideAlliance]

my local paint supply guy gave me an estimate, and he is using the shopline basecoat. you guys say it covers like crap, would that be true even if i went with a black sealer? also your suggestions are 3 quarts base, his is 2 quarts.

Get about a quart of carbon black w/ reducer

Since you are planning on using black sealer. 2 to be safe, but 1 quart reduced is typically 2 quarts or more.

[bo2o]

1 gallon base 1 gallon reducer.
1 gallon clear comes with activator.
you dont need flex because fiberglass doesnt need it. unles you have poly stuff, and or rubber or plastic.
this is for a whole car.

1 gallon of both is a lil on the high side. but for noobs thats what you need. it could b done clean with 3 qrts.
but its easier juss gettin the gallon.



your going to need gallon body filler for just incase, glaze.
thinner for cleaning.
comet and scotchbrite red pad.

[bizzyj83]

what solution.thinner do you use to clean parts when you've used urethane paint/primer/sealer??

last time i painted, i threw away the $10 gun I got from HF because i dipped it in a solution that made the laquer paint gel up...

[Bubba]

TCPGLOBAL sells satin clear along w/ satin paint. Nice shot at my intelligence level there broseph. :keke:


From my understanding, if you are doing a satin clear you can put any black underneath it. It will still come out with a satin finish as long as you use the satin clear on top.

I think one of the more experienced body guys should confirm this though.

[bizzyj83]

^there are red and green apples too :]

[SlideAlliance]

1 gallon base 1 gallon reducer.
1 gallon clear comes with activator.
you dont need flex because fiberglass doesnt need it. unles you have poly stuff, and or rubber or plastic.
this is for a whole car.

1 gallon of both is a lil on the high side. but for noobs thats what you need. it could b done clean with 3 qrts.
but its easier juss gettin the gallon.



your going to need gallon body filler for just incase, glaze.
thinner for cleaning.
comet and scotchbrite red pad.

2 gallons of sprayable base can get me through 3 cars with big time color change AND jams, you must be using some seriously shitty paint that refuses to cover or something.

He has urethane bumpers, he needs flex.

The clear you don't want to buy too much of because it's typically the most expensive thing (outside of that nissan burnt orange sunset color) and if you don't store it properly (temp wise) the clear becomes shitty and the hardener will begin to turn to gel

Okay a gallon of body filler........ummm....:wtf:
If your car is TOTALLY fucked then yes, but A GALLON?!?!?!


From my understanding, if you are doing a satin clear you can put any black underneath it. It will still come out with a satin finish as long as you use the satin clear on top.

I think one of the more experienced body guys should confirm this though.

I've been trying to confirm this for about half of the thread.

IF you use a satin clear, you shouldn't NEED to buy a satin base. That would be like pre-mixing satin paint then throwing a satin clear over it.....that would be absolutely worthless and would end up peeling from so much material being on the car, BUT there are some satin clears that do require you to use a specific base (hence why they call it a "satin base") it's kind of like using PPG stuff with PPG stuff instead of using something like Sickens with PPG for example. It's more than likely just to keep the "systems" together to keep their warranty in tact.