Interior Exterior
Q:
A question for all you paint experts. I'm in the middle of painting my center console Chrome Orange and I want to wet sand it between the color and pearl coats. I ordered my paint from Tower Paint in pre-mixed spray cans and it seemed to take quite a few coats to cover well, maybe 8. the first 4 coats were applied in 2 hour intervals, then it sat overnight. The next 4 coats went on in about 2.5 hour intervals and it's currently drying. I was hoping to wet sand tonight but I don't want to rush it. I can currently easily leave a finger impression in the surface of the paint if I press it too hard, (luckily in area's that won't be seen). I've added a space heater to the spray booth to bring the temperature up to about 85 degrees and 35 % humidity. I think the room was initially about 65 degrees and 60% humidity before I added the heater.
Anyway how long does it normally take for the paint to cure to the point where it's hard enough to sand? I figure waiting is the safest thing to do. It looks good I just dont want to screw it up by being too hasty at this point. I think I may not have left enough dry time between coats at the cooler temperature. Any thoughts?
A:
I think you have the right mindset about waiting. If you hurry yourself, you will make a mess. I have painted a few cars in the past so here is my 2 cents.
We did all the painting in one shot. Clear went right over the color coats with only a simple washout of the gun. That was lacquer paint that dries quickly.
The other cars were painted with enamel but we didnt use any clear, just color coats. After the painting was done, we parked it in the sun to maximize heat and UV for paint curing. Of course, that is in Ohio where the sun isnt quite like CA. Either way, we waited 2-3 days to let the paint get good and hard before sanding. If the paint is too soft, the paint will pick up on the sandpaper and the finish will be crap.
So why are you sanding before the pearl? Is it to remove dust/dirt or to try to improve the flatness of the paint? If it is to improve the flatness, you can probably fix that after pearling by wetsanding then.
I would either paint the pearl now and wetsand/polish when the paint is thoroughly dry OR wait a few days, pearl, then wetsand/polish again a few days after that.
A:
So why are you sanding before the pearl? Is it to remove dust/dirt or to try to improve the flatness of the paint? If it is to improve the flatness, you can probably fix that after pearling by wetsanding then.
I'm mainly after removing the orange peel that is there, helping out a couple of dust hits and minimizing any polishing after the final pearl and clear coating. The paint is still pretty soft. I'm just going to give it time to harden, just seems to be taking longer than I had hoped.
A:
I'd give that puppy a few days if you are leaving a finger impression in it still. Eight coats in a day is quite a few and some of those middle coats have to outgas the solvent through the outer coats.
After you can't leave a finger impression in the paint, I'd let it sit another 24 hours in your warm/dry environment. Then sand it. Otherwise you'll certainly pick up paint and maybe even roll off coats of it. You want the surface to be rock hard before proceeding with wet sanding.
Good luck, breath deep and let it sit for a while longer...