paint

[Mike Mulholland <meyeke@netinc.ca>]

to repaint a dark car to a lighter colour you first have to seal off the
original colour to prevent any bleed-through. this usually involves spraying
with an epoxy primer. the next step is to apply a base coat...white in your
case. this base coat is necessary because pearls are relatively transparent
and the quality of the base ensures the quality of the finish coat. pearls
can be had either as dry powders or as mixed paint...the dry powder is added
to a suitable clear and in the case of white pearl..a small amount of black
is added as this helps the pearl effect to stand out. pearls cannot be
sanded directly without spoiling the effect...so after the pearl coat has
"flashed off" a sandable clear coat is applied over the pearl...after a
suitable drying/curing time the finish is scuff sanded to ensure adhesion of
the clear finish (which adds depth to the pearl, and protects it) the clear
is applied as a medium dry coat followed by a wet coat...if you're
particular...this is then followed by a light coat of clear thinned ~25%
which will impart the smoothest finish. if you chose urethanes for your
finish then the wet look is the most durable and needs no further work.

hth

mike 
86 5kcdtq