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It’s true; not all paints are created equal.
You may be familiar with the visual differences between paint styles: solid paint provides a clean, smooth finish while metallic paint leaves flakes of metal embedded underneath the paint’s surface, creating a sparkling texture. Pearlescent paint adds a distinctive shimmer to your vehicle, while iridescent paint casts a color-shifting chameleon affect across its surface. There are even some pigment options that glow in the dark!
Certainly, you’ve seen the way various paints can appear to the naked eye, but when was the last time you considered the makeup of paint — the importance of paint’s chemical composition?
Today, we’re discussing how Shur-Way’s water-based paint repair techniques did more than just introduce St. Louis to a new way of painting cars. It started a midwest collision repair revolution.
What is water-based paint repair?
Hand-painting artists are most likely familiar with water-based acrylics, but did you know that this painting trend also applies to vehicles?
Water-based paint, also known as waterborne paint, shares many similarities with its solvent-based predecessor. Both include pigments to add color and binders to create the final film. Both are acrylics that are designed specifically to withstand various weather conditions, including rain, snow and hail. In fact, to the untrained eye, both products are the same almost every way!
The biggest difference between them lies in what is known as their binding agents, or the “liquid portion of a paint which solidifies and binds together the pigment particles and develops adhesion to the painted surface.” Basically, it’s all about what makes the paint stick to your vehicle.
Solvent paints commonly use oil or other chemicals to latch on to the painted object’s surfaces. Water-based paint relies on the evaporation of water particles contained within the paint solution, thus bonding the pigment to the object once drying has been complete.
Why choose water-based paint for repair jobs?
Despite their different binding agents, waterborne paint offers the same strength and longevity as solvent paint. So why choose water instead of oil? Here are several clear-cut reasons:
1: 70 perecent of the world’s vehicle manufacturers — totaling up to hundreds of OEMs — have replaced solvent solutions with waterborne options, making water-based paint repair the most popular technique available.
2: When it comes to the environmental impact of automotive paint, there is no comparison. Superior waterborne paint generates 75 percent less hazardous waste than its solvent counterpart. Less odor is also produced upon application.
3: Due to the data revealed in reason #2, solvent paints have already been outlawed in several states; thus, water-based options may be the only lawful solution in the near future.
Collision repair, the Shur-Way…
Recognizing the many benefits of water-based paint repair, Shur-Way Auto Body was the first to bring this innovative technology to the midwest. As a result, we’ve been working with this process for more than 45 years, making us the most skilled, knowledgeable and capable water-based paint repair service in the area.
We understand that when producing consistently exceptional results, a superior technique is only half of the equation. That’s why we use PPG’s Envirobase® High Performance paint, a waterborne option that provides the same durability and color-accuracy that you would expect from your auto manufacturer, all with the benefits that we discussed above.
Finally, we know that while collision repair may not be a service you want, it’s nice to have an expert when you need it. As a result, we openly invite you to contact Shur-Way with any questions you have regarding our collision center, our water-based paint repair process, our paintless dent removal service, and/or any of these other great services we provide. We’d love to discuss the ways we can help you and your vehicle.