Aerosol – Pearl Tricoat Paint Application Tips

Today, we're gonna talk about Tricoats. All Pearl Yellows, Pearl Whites, Pearl Oranges. They all use the same type of system where you have a colored Basecoat, you can see it in the cap here and you have a pearl Midcoat.

Also you can see in the cap. This color Cyber Orange on 2021 Fords, uses that type of system. Yellowish orange is base color.

Pearl Midcoat. Then the Clearcoat is what gives it the gloss. Comparing the color on the test card against the vehicle will help you ensure the accuracy of the paint before you begin your project.

If the color match looks good like this one does, you're ready to begin your project. If it does not, do not begin your project. Stop.

Contact us about our Color Match Guarantee. We're gonna use the Ford Cyber Orange as our example. This color, as we mentioned, is a Tricoat.

You will see that you have a Basecoat. You'll see the color on the lid. Same with the Midcoat.

There's a little color here, but this is where the pearl is. The Basecoat will be the first step. The Midcoat will be the second.

What we did with these test cards is started to go through the steps. Be sure to allow the paint to dry between coats. Usually it's about 10 or 15 minutes or when you see a matte uniform finish, it's ready for the next coat.

This is one coat of the base color. This is two coats of the base color. This is three coats of the base color.

You can see that the coverage is good. You don't see the writing or anything through it on this end of it. Once we're satisfied that we have good coverage of the Basecoat we're gonna apply the Midcoat.

We taped off an area so that you can really just see where a coat of the Midcoat was applied. This is what brings the vibrance to the color and adds the pearl. Finally, we've Clearcoated it.

This is the finished color and this will match the Cyber Orange on the Bronco we showed. Now we're gonna talk about candy Tricoats. Candy Tricoats are somewhat unique in the automotive world because it takes two colors to create the color you're looking for, but they can be distinctly different.

In this case, we have a gray metallic base color and a candy red Midcoat. This metallic will be actually shining through the candy Midcoat and enhancing the color. When you're applying the Basecoat you just need good coverage.

The candy Midcoat will be applied over the Basecoat. This is what will determine the finished color. You usually need 2 to 3 coats of the candy Midcoat but it's very important that you test first so you know exactly how many coats you'll need.

The more of the candy Midcoat you put on, the darker the color is going to get. The correct number of Midcoats will determine the perfect color match. It's important to apply Clearcoat to the test card, because that will give you an accurate representation of what the color will really look like.