Motorists know that engine oil becomes thicker in the winter cold. Things are not all that different with clearcoats and hardeners, which also tend to become more viscous during the cold season, if not stored properly.

It is virtually impossible, to achieve perfect surface results with cold paint materials, which will inevitably produce flaws. David Dempsey of Standox, tells us how to achieve excellent refinishing results in the winter.

Paint material should have a temperature of 20 to 25 °C for spraying, as this ensures the best reaction between the clearcoat and the hardener. For chemical reactions to run smoothly, warm conditions are much better than cold. This is the reason why you heat up a low bake oven for drying clearcoat etc.

The same applies to the substrates. Here, too, care should be taken that the vehicle body is not too cold before applying the paint. If the substrate is too cold, this will have an adverse impact on the flow and the surface finish. Certain minimum conditions must be ensured to avoid complaints. A processing and storage temperature of 20 °C is ideal.

Does the product appear to be too viscous, although you have mixed it correctly? If this is the case, you should check the temperature of the material. In many cases, it is too cold. Adding thinner in order to reduce the viscosity is not the right solution. This is not only bad for the environment and your wallet, but will also cause flaws such as orange peel. Adding more coats to achieve a smooth flow will do even more harm, as excessive coats may lead to blisters and sagging ... and sometimes to costly customer complaints.

Every bodyshop has the means to ensure the right temperature and improve quality. For instance, you could place your daily clearcoat and hardener requirements in the still warm spray booth the night before, and also avoid storing products directly on cold concrete floors. This will allow your staff to start the next day with the perfect materials. This way, good reactivity of the paint is ensured and the material will flow perfectly on the vehicle.