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Everything You Need to Know about Aerosol!
The TouchUpDirect Aerosol FAQ
We’ve reached the big one! Let’s talk about the Aerosol. These gorgeous applicators have a smooth spray that is great for both repairs and restoration. Still have questions? Don’t worry. We’re going through everything you need to know about TouchUpDirect’s Aerosol Spray Paint!
We here at TouchUpDirect love a good paint applicator. One of our absolute favorites is the touch up Pen. This DIY marvel will help you avoid the body shop and rid yourself of car coat damage with ease. We’re sure you still have questions so we’ve put together a little FAQ to answer all your burning questions about these handy car paint markers.
What is the Aerosol?
TouchUpDirect’s handy spray can covers a much larger area, giving everything from accessories and larger panels a professional finish.
When Do I Need to Use Aerosol?
Aerosol’s rotatable comfort tip makes for an incredible fan spray that is perfect for painting larger areas like bumpers, mirrors, hoods, and trunk lids. You could even do a whole repaint if you had enough cans!
What’s the Difference Between the Aerosol and the Brush & Pen Applicators?
The Brush and the Pen are made to deal with smaller scratches. For bigger and complex jobs, the Aerosol is your best bet.
How Do I Know if I Have the Correct Color?
This is actually an important question. Even the slightest mismatch between your new car paint and your body color paint can be noticeable. The best and fastest way to find your color is by finding its color code.
What Is the Color Code?
A color code is a string of letters and numbers that identify exactly what color has been put on your vehicle. Even the most common of car colors can come in a variety of shades and going by name or sight could cause you to put the wrong paint on your car. For example, a 2021 Acura ILX has two gray colors: Lunar Silver Metallic and Modern Steel Metallic. The naked eye might not know the difference between Lunar Silver and Modern Steel but the manufacturer’s database knows the difference between NH-830M and NH-797M.
Where Do I Find This Code?
It depends on your vehicle. Many cars place the code on the inside of the door jamb. Sometimes it is towards the back of the car, under the spare trunk lid, the mat, the spare rear tire compartment, or trunk lid. Looking for an easier way than searching your car for a code? We’ve got your back. Go to TouchUpDirect’s website and simply enter to find your make and model in the dropdown menu to find your code.
How Much Paint is in the Aerosol Can?
Each Aerosol is filled with 10 oz. of our low-VOC touch up paint.
Why Do TouchUpDirect Aerosol Cans Have Paint Inside the Cap?
It’s meant to look like that. The paint inside the cap is part of our Aerosol filling system. The cap is placed into the filling machine. Paint is then added to the Aerosol can. The Aerosol can is then inserted into the filling machine and the cap is pushed to the top along with the paint.
What is 2K Aerosol?
Ok. This might take some explaining. TouchUpDirect sells two different types of Clearcoat: 1K and 2K. 1K is your normal Clearcoat spray paint, providing good protection and creating a great looking finish for your paint job. You apply what’s in your applicator to the surface of your car and wait for it to dry. 2K Clearcoat is a two part Clearcoat. The Aerosol can has a separate compartment to store the catalyst. When you activate the 2K Clearcoat spray paint, it mixes the Clearcoat and catalyst together. The result is a Clearcoat that dries harder and faster, while giving your car a more professional looking high gloss finish. So why is the 1K traditionally the one people prefer? 2K’s many advantages are due to the fact that it has the paint and hardener in the applicator. Because of this, the paint has a very short pot life. It hardens in the bottle some time after it has been activated.
Do I Need a Spray Gun to Apply TouchUpDirect Aerosol?
No. But if you’re concerned about finger cramps, we would point you in the direction of our Universal Spray Can Trigger. In addition to the comfort provided with its ambidextrous arthritis-friendly grip design, this spray gun was devised to create an even more professional looking paint job. To begin use, simply pop the car spray paint into the spray gun applicator and begin spray painting our fast drying car paint. The spray gun is not included in the kit.
How Do I Apply Primer, Colorcoat, & Clearcoat Using the Aerosol?
Hold the spray paint can about 6-8 inches from the surface being painted. Begin spraying 1-2 inches before the target area and stop spraying 1-2 inches past the target area. Shake spray paint can prior to spraying and intermittently while spraying.
Apply 2-3 coats of paint, overlapping the previous pass by at least 50% to ensure thorough coverage. Allow for 15 minutes of dry time in between each coat.
Once you have finished the Colorcoat stage, wait 30 minutes for the final coat to dry before moving on to the Clearcoat.
Apply a thorough, even coat of Clearcoat with the same 50% overlap of the previous pass. Repeat for up to 4 coats with a 10-15 minute dry time in between coats.
Allow the Clearcoat to dry for 48 hours before polishing or waxing.
