What is Basecoat (Color)?

What is Basecoat (Color)?

The layer of paint that is the actual color you can see on your vehicle.

What is Basecoat (Color)?
What is Basecoat (Color)?
Pen, jar, aerosol and combo basecoats
About Basecoat

Nowadays, practically every vehicle you see driving on the road is painted in a basecoat/clearcoat paint system. Basecoat is frequently referred to as the colorcoat because this layer is the actual color you see with your eyes. If the car is blue, the basecoat is blue. If the car is white, the basecoat is white. Sometimes people are surprised to find that most of our paint is waterborne based. Actually, most cars being manufactured today are painted using waterborne technology. It creates a much deeper, vibrant color.

Applicators for tricoats
What is Tricoat?

Some colors are what we call tricoats. These work the same way as regular colorcoats, but there’s one additional step. A tricoat adds an additional layer of colorcoat onto the paint job. Vehicle manufacturers typically charge more for these colors because there are actually additional steps involved. For instance, vehicles with a pearl white sheen would have a white bottom layer and a pearl mid-layer. Once those layers are applied, then it’s the same clearcoat.

Basecoat Video
How to apply Basecoat?

  • This is the level of paint that will match the color of your car.

  • To make sure that you have the right color, take a test strip and apply the paint to it.

  • If the color matches your car, you have the right one and can proceed.

  • Remember to shake the paint well before you start.

  • Apply the basecoat paint in even, consistent coats. Plan to do 2-3 light coats on the area.

  • Once you are done applying the basecoat, wait 15-30 minutes for it to dry before you move on to the clearcoat.