1pntsic

looking to paint my car flat black but different shops have different ways,two shops said you wont need clear coat because u want the flat black look but they were the type of shops that do ****ty jobs, but two other shops that i knew do amazing work said ill need a special clear coat that gives it the flat black look but the clear coat is more expensive then regular clear, also said if u put no clear coat the paint will just chip and fall off. So if anyone has painted there cars flat black or would know about this please give me some info, Thanks.

Nova_Dust

I have painted other parts of the car flat black and I saw no flaking, well of course, if the part is rusted and not treated properly, the rust will form again.

1pntsic

thanks for the info nova but still dont know if clear coat is needed,the shops that said dont need clear coat said that all u need is hardner in the paint and it wont chip.but still not sure shop that dooesnt need clear coat is 800 bucks to paint but shop that said needs clear wants 2000 so i dont know which one would be good, any help?

Nova_Dust

Perhaps a matt finish clear coat.

You can contact Team_Rukus, he runs a body shop.

The thing about DIY flat black is that it is cheap, and if there is a scratch, you just paint over it and it will and should look the same.

sugarcane

Acrylic Enamal vs BC/CC (basecoat/clearcoat)

if you want the dull look go for the AE if you want gloss shiny BC/CC

Yes if you go basecoat you need the clearcoat....you don't put hardener in BC....the hardener goes in the clear. A high solids clearcoat does cost quite a bit...but worth while for the UV protection and durability.

Whereas with arcylic enamel the hardener goes with the paint...a single stage solution, it involves less work than BC/CC which is a 2-stage process.

If you just want flat black...i wouldn't bother with bc/cc.

1pntsic

so then if i want the flat black look i should go with the acrilic whic is just base coat with hardener in it,so then i wont need the special clear coat that the two shops were telling me about and the paint wont start chipping if theres no clear?

imported_95bluelx

I'm not sure if you're considering diy, or paying someone to do it because you posted prices... if you're goign to pay to have it done consider flat black vinyl also, should cost considerably less then both prices you posted.

kwasley

can you put a CC over a acrylic enamel painted object?

sugarcane

i believe there are acrylic enamel clears....but its optional, not mandatory as with a 2-stage

imported_Team Rukus

to answer the initial question.
you have to use clear coat on flat black. if you dont it will easily chip and also smudge from finger prints etc cuz there is nothing that is protecting the paint.

the clear that is used is basically a matte finish clear. it has no shine its sole purpose is to protect the paint not to shine it.

you can apply regular clear on top of single stage paint (acrylic enamel) to shine it up more.

imported_SpoonEr

I was told from a local body shop here that not to use ture flat black as it holds water and tures grey after sometime and we all know how much Hondas like water ( lol ) He suggested a gloss black with a dulling agent it will look flat but not hold the water.

sugarcane

DIY! it was my project for '06 lol

This is what i did for my dad's truck.

$220 - compressor 11.8cfm @40 21g tank
$160 - LVLP 1.4mm 1.8mm guns
$200 - misc. items...water trap, hose, sand paper, sand block, auto tape, plastic wrap, respirator, gloves.
$250 - gal. arcylic urathane, gal. reducer, qt activator/hardener, wax and grease remover.

did my dad's truck with $800

with the same setup i've painted my car's OEM 2-stage paint EK FBP with BASF/RM's Diamont line.

$100 - qt Base
$30 - qt Reducer
$120 - qt Clear
$50 - pint Activator

That was enough to do my fenders, side trims, skirts, and 2 bumpers.

Just got myself a porter cable polisher, some cut compound, polish, glaze to take the peel outta the paint.

$200 - polisher & pads
$ 60 - on the compounds (meguiars mirror glaze line)

Oh yeah, plus a good 5-6 months reading the stuff....$30 book on how to paint & autobody101.com/forums

It's not hard....just takes alot of time...and good weather if your painting in your garage.