Important information. Please Read before making your repair!

Blending Instructions:

Blending automotive paint is the process of transitioning the new base coat being sprayed onto the repair area and old existing paint. This will provide the best match possible because you don’t know where the new paint ends and the old paint begins. It’s like an illusion or fooling the eye to believe it is a perfect match. Paints can be very difficult to match perfect. Even if you are using the exact same batch of paint, gun settings, temperature, and humidity, can all cause slight color change, which will look like a mismatch if the entire panel was painted without blending. Even if the metallic lays down different, it can cause the color to shift darker or lighter. So, blending is standard body shop repair procedure and helps the car appear as if its never been painted. And don’t worry, just because it’s standard auto body procedure it’s easily doable at home to save you a ton of money! 

The Basic Process

Prepping the panels should be done using the following guidelines:

  • After priming any repaired areas, sand with P400-P600 in the area to be fully color coated.
  • In the area to be blended with color, sand with P600-P800.
  • The area to be cleared only should be prepped with P1000 grit sandpaper. Many paint manufacturers prefer the P1000 over a scuff pad.

Especially important when sanding with finer grits is to thoroughly sand all edges.

  • With the proper color and prepping, finish coating may begin. Color is applied to any new panels and any repaired areas to achieve full hiding. The number of coats will vary depending on the color being sprayed usually 2-3 coats.
  • The last coat of color should be sprayed onto the original finish of a repaired panel and onto any adjacent panels. These coats should be faded out with each coat extending farther out from the repair than the last. Clear coat should be applied to the entire panel or panels as necessary.

 

There are many high quality videos on youtube which do a great job of explaining the blending process. If you are not familiar with blending process, we highly recommend watching these videos prior to making your repair. American Touch Up will feature our own videos on youtube in the coming months.

 

Check out these videos below for now: