How do I guarantee my paint will be the correct colour?
A spray out! A spray out can save everyone a lot of time, money and frustration. It takes five minutes, but can save hours. Also, make sure to shake & Stir your paint very well before applying it. Some colours, especially silvers and other heavy metallic colours, can take quite some time to be thoroughly mixed. So please make sure the paint is shaken & stirred very well...it can make a world of difference.
Here's how to do it:
A spray out is the very most important thing you can do before painting your vehicle. It helps determine how much paint you need, how to apply the paint, and gives you a feel for using the paint. You cannot expect good results without first doing a spray out.
A spray out is simply testing the colour before you apply it to the actual repair job. If you are using a touch-up pen, just test the colour on a piece of scrap you may have laid around. If the colour takes a base colour, test the entire application. Make sure you feel comfortable before attempting the actual repair by practicing the entire application.
If you are using any method of spraying the colour, test the colour on a spray out card or on anything that you can accurately see the colour. Professional spray out cards have finish flag type squares; these are used to help you identify the colour is covering. Remember, you have to apply the clear too. It won't look the same without it.
If you are sending your parts and paint to a body shop, make sure they are willing to do a spray out. Any body shop worth its weight will automatically perform a spray out, but make sure they do it. Also, bring them a part of the vehicle with you so that they can obtain a proper match when they do the spraying. A body shop cannot be expected to match a colour when they do not know what it looks like.
If you would like more advice, please contact the Express Paints Team.