June 24, 2024 Good Stuff, How-To

The One Hour Paint Job

If you’re anything like us, you take immense pride in keeping your vehicle looking pristine. But let’s face it, scratches, chips, and nicks are inevitable battle scars of the road. However, fear not! With the magic of TouchUpDirect’s one-hour paint job, you can bid farewell to those unsightly imperfections in a snap. With our expertise in the touch up paint field, TouchUpDirect offers solutions that are quick, easy, and effective. We’re going to walk you through everything you need to know to get the perfect car paint fix for smaller scratches on your car. Learn how to get the exact right shade of touch up paint. Get to know our versatile and easy to use applicators: the Pen, Brush, and Combo. And when you’ve got your color and touch up paint tool, we’ll talk you through the touch up process. You’ll be done with that DIY project in no time!

Why Settle for Imperfections?

We’ve all been there – a careless door ding in the parking lot or a rogue pebble leaving its mark on your hood. These minor blemishes might seem inconsequential, but they can really detract from the overall aesthetic appeal of your beloved ride. That’s where TouchUpDirect comes in, offering a quick and easy solution to restore your vehicle’s flawless finish. Say goodbye to the hassle of lengthy paint touch up projects. With TouchUpDirect’s innovative range of paint pens, brushes, and combo (a mix of pen and brush) applicators, achieving a professional-quality finish has never been easier. Whether you’re tackling a small scratch or a tiny chip, our products are designed to streamline the process, allowing you to get back on the road with confidence in no time.

Choosing Your Touch Up Paint

In the early days of automotive paint, you could only get your Model T in black. Things have changed a bit. It feels like every make and model has its own fabulous color that you can only get if you purchase a specific car. It’s not so dire as that but you will have to do a tiny bit of leg work to ensure you perfect color match. More specifically, you need to locate your color code to find the right touch up paint for your car. The color code is a string of numbers, letters, or both that identify your exact car color. Its location depends on the make and model but you can usually find the code on the door jamb. Give us your paint code when you order and we will scour the manufacturer’s database for the exact right color match to fix up your car.

Choosing Your Applicator

Precision is key when it comes to small paint touch ups, and our products deliver exactly that. The Pen tool offers pinpoint accuracy, dealing with small nicks, chips, & scratches. Meanwhile, our Brush tool provides versatility, making it a breeze to tackle larger areas of damage the size of a quarter or smaller. And for those who want the best of both worlds, meet the Combo. With the Pen on one side and the Brush on the other, the Combo tool will have you ready to fix any scratch.

The Pen is best for small scratches and offers pinpoint accuracy for small nicks, chips, & scratches. The versatile Brush covers areas of damage up to the size of a quarter. The Combo combines the Brush and Pen and is perfect for all types of small scratches and chips.

Once you’ve selected your applicator tool, it’s time to figure out which of our kits is right for your vehicle. Modern automotive paint technology works in a multi-layer system, with Primer on the bottom, Colorcoat in the middle, and Clearcoat on top. Sometimes, a scratch will not affect the Primer level. If you cannot see metal or substrate in the damage to your car, truck, or motorcycle the scratch is light and you don’t require Primer. In this case the Essential Kit is for you, as it provides just a Colorcoat and a Clearcoat. If you’ve got slightly deeper damage, both the Preferred Kit and the Platinum Kit have Primer. The Preferred Kit has your basics. You’ll get a great touch up paint experience out of it. The Platinum Kit, however, has all the bells and whistles that will help you give your vehicle the works. From road rash to rust, we’ve got you covered.

How to Fix Up Your Car Paint

You’ve gone through the paints, tools, and kits to find what’s right for you. Now it’s time to actually get rid of that scratch.

Test Your Paint & Prep the Surface

Before starting the touch up process, test your paint on the testing card, including the Clearcoat, to ensure you have the correct match.

Apply Primer

If you require Primer, cover the damaged area with 2 to 3 even coats. Allow it to dry for 15 to 20 minutes before proceeding.

Apply Colorcoat

Next, add the Colorcoat. The Colorcoat provides the actual color you see on a paint job. Apply 2-3 even coats, letting it dry before adding the next coat.

Apply Clearcoat

Once the Colorcoat is dry, apply Clearcoat to the damaged area. You know the drill by now. 2-3 even coats with 15 minutes in between to dry. This layer adds a glossy shine and provides durability, protecting the paint from the sun and everyday contaminants. Allow the Clearcoat to dry for 48 hours before applying any wax or polish to the area.

Shop for your perfect color match paint at TouchUpDirect. Our store has everything you’ll require to fix your car’s coat. Additionally, TouchUpDirect’s color match guarantee ensures that you will get the exact paint color that is on your vehicle. And if you’re still looking for a little bit of guidance on the touch up process, we’ve got that too! Between our blog posts and the giant library of instructions we’ve created, we’ve got touch up paint walkthroughs that go into more detail. And if you don’t want to read, check out the many instructional videos on our YouTube page.