Matching paint

[MOAK]

I need an experts help here. We just repainted our cruzer and my paint guy gave me about half a pint of touch up paint. I painted a card with some of it and took it to my local paint store and they matched the color and made up a gallon of exterior gloss, latex paint for me to use on our trailer. It does not match. In fact I've been trying to match automotive paint and home exterior paint for years now and nothing will match.. What am I doing wrong? At least this time it is close, but not quite close enough... Thanks paint experts...

 

[mmnorthdirections]

I would get with the guy that painted the cruzer and have him mix you a gallon.
Good luck!!!

 

[MOAK]

The auto paint guy doesn't work with aqueous based household consumer paints..

 

[mmnorthdirections]

Can't you use auto paint on the trailer if you prime it first?

 

[MOAK]

Can't you use auto paint on the trailer if you prime it first?

I'm thinking that that is the heart of my question... I'm thinking that any primer that is for automotive use will attack the many layers of latex paint on the wooden sides..

 

[mmnorthdirections]

I'm thinking that that is the heart of my question... I'm thinking that any primer that is for automotive use will attack the many layers of latex paint on the wooden sides..

I found this article that some what answers the question, they say it's ok " Painting with an oil based paint over latex is OK"
http://hobbspaintingandconcreteflooring.com/about/resources/5-painting-mistakes-you-dont-want-to-make/

 

[Fatsquatch]

Latex paint retains a bit of elasticity that allows wood to breathe but since automotive paint hardens up, will the natural swelling and shrinking of the wood cause the paint to crack? Maybe ask your paint guy about that just to make sure it'll hold up. It might not even be an issue but it's something to consider.

 

[The other Sean]

Many factors contribute to the final color. The color of the primer, how many coats of color, any coats of clear, how thick the coats are applied, humidity and ambient air temps can al play in. The same color will look different if applied over white, gray, red, brown or black primer. That's why different color primers exist. So, when you applied it to a card, the under color and application method was not the same.

Google "paint let down panel" if you want to research a little.

If you want to attempt the closest color match, see if you can remove the gas filler door or some painted trim piece on the car and take that to the paint store for them to put in the color match machine.

With all of this said, when you have one panel repainted on a car, the body shop is actually spraying out on to adjoining panels in thinned out layers of paint (they mix in a little clear and fog on to the next panel and repeat by adding more and more clear) in order to trick your eye in to not seeing it. Look at color matched truck toppers and sometimes you will see a slight color variance, this is why. Painted off the truck and not blended.

 

[expeditionnorth]

the color code for your vehicle is in the VIN #, any good parts person can decode it from there for a perfect match
assuming the sun hasnt faded it

 

[MOAK]

the color code for your vehicle is in the VIN #, any good parts person can decode it from there for a perfect match
assuming the sun hasnt faded it

Oh, yes. 21 years of sun fading "krawl mall champagne to" an ugly silver and it's been repainted a brand new color.... You know what? I like the gas door idea, and lettin my guys at SW match that up. And yes, it is correct that wooden sides should have flexible latex paint. Auto paint will get hard as a rock and crack, blister, peel and alligator. Thanks Shizzy, and all others for input...

 

[Captain Josh]

Latex paint retains a bit of elasticity that allows wood to breathe but since automotive paint hardens up, will the natural swelling and shrinking of the wood cause the paint to crack? Maybe ask your paint guy about that just to make sure it'll hold up. It might not even be an issue but it's something to consider.

But surely steel panels are going to expand and shrink with temperature changes. Would wood swelling be different?

 

[MOAK]

But surely steel panels are going to expand and shrink with temperature changes. Would wood swelling be different?

Yes, a lot different... wood reacts to humidity which causes a great deal of expansion and contraction. I must repaint my carriage house after 15 years because of latex paint peeling off. Not because the "Duration" paint, ( guaranteed for life ) failed, but because the tongue and groove verticle siding expanded and contracted to a point that the original 25 plus year old non-aqueous primers and topcoats failed. Anywhere that I had been down to bare wood, the aqueous based chemical coatings, ( ie Duration ) did not fail, which was, fortunately, most of the barn, as it is designed to expand and contract, ( thanks to acrylic ) with the wood substrate. In short,, oil based, or non-aqueous based (enamels) chemical coatings are for only a handfull of things, steel, aluminum, garage floors, and or, in home wood trim or flooring, ( clear poly-floor coating), and those applications are becoming more and more aqueous based. My problem, as I originally posted was being able to match an aqueous based latex paint to a non-aqueous based automotive paint. I do know a little bit about chemical coatings, but very little about how to match up the two very different paints. I've been trying to do it now for nearly 10 years to no avail, and you just don't dare spray an automotive chemical coating on wood. It would fail very quickly.