Hot take: I think mixing different paint brands is fine most of the time

I know everyone says stick with one brand for everything, but I tried mixing PPG clear with a House of Kolor basecoat on a 2018 Mustang last month in my shop. It laid down perfect and hasn't shown any issues after 6 weeks. I'm not saying go wild with it, but I think the fear is overblown when you test small batches first. I even got a consistent gloss reading within 2 points across all panels. Has anyone else tried this and gotten decent results long term?

2 comments

2 Comments

nancy_miller16d ago

Six weeks is nothing for a paint job (especially on a daily driver). I've seen clear coats that looked perfect for months and then started lifting or crazing once the weather changed. You're probably fine but I'd want to see a full year of sun and temperature swings before I'd call it a success. The chemistry between different brands isn't really a thing you can eyeball in a spray booth.

drew80516d ago

Yeah, Nancy's got a point about that full weather cycle thing. I've seen a buddy's car that looked flawless for eight months and then the clear started spiderwebbing after the first big heatwave. Six weeks is basically still in the honeymoon period for a paint job. Sun and temp swings are the real test, no way around it.