Many DIY automotive painters begin their journey by spraying entire cars, but it takes a refined skill set to color-match automotive paint at home. Although color-matching paint involves a shorter process than painting a full car, it’s not necessarily as straightforward. And if you’ve never color-matched before, the learning curve can be steep—but very rewarding.
Learning how to color-match automotive paint at home requires trial and error, but the results often speak for themselves once you find your groove. Below, discover why factory paint codes are only a starting point and what tools the experts use for the best results. After you explore the process of color-matching automotive paint in your personal paint booth, it’s time to suit up and spray out.
What does it mean to color-match automotive paint?
Color-matching automotive paint involves adjusting the paint formula until it closely matches the existing paint on the vehicle. Note that the existing paint can—and often does—look significantly different from the factory paint for several reasons. Weathering factors like normal wear and tear, sun exposure, and road salt can fade or discolor factory paint, resulting in the condition the paint is in now.
Many professional automotive painters use color-matching techniques when they need to address paint damage, whether that’s a deeply scratched panel or a multi-panel repair. Their goal is to ensure a seamless repair, so customers can’t tell which panels were freshly painted. Only a trained eye can spot the difference.
With some practice and time, you can successfully color-match automotive paints to add this skill to your repertoire. Once you’ve gotten the basics of automotive painting down after a few projects, it’s all about achieving the desired visual results. In fact, color-matching is often where painters (DIY or professional) with an eye for color truly stand out.
Why factory paint codes aren’t the complete solution
When repainting sections of a car, it’s common to turn to the factory paint code as a potential solution. While you can easily find the paint code and bring that to an auto body supply shop to have them mix the paint for you, chances are, the results won’t match the vehicle’s existing paint. This statement rings even more true for metallic, pearl, or tri-coat paints.
The challenge with color-matching paint lies in replicating a color based on the factory paint that has undergone significant changes over its lifetime. Sure, you can’t expose liquid automotive paint to sunlight or expect magnum chloride to turn it into the perfect shade. However, by changing the formula and altering other elements of basic painting techniques, you can get closer to a “perfect” match.
What tools help professionals color-match paint?
Professional automotive painters know that several factors affect what automotive paint looks like once it’s finished. From spray gun settings, spray angles, and air pressure to paint thickness and ambient temperatures, every aspect matters. Yet there are several tools these painters can use to narrow the gap between the factory paint color and the formula they need to successfully color-match.
Spectrophotometer
A spectrophotometer takes much of the guesswork out of color-matching paint. This device reflects light off the vehicle’s painted surface and measures it across multiple wavelengths. By analyzing the results, the spectrophotometer can more closely approximate the formula needed to replicate the existing paint color.
Most spectrophotometers require inputting the paint code as a reference before taking two readings. It’s best to perform these readings on a polished surface nearest to the panel you’re going to repaint. The more uniform the surface, the better the spectrophotometer reading.
It’s important to remember that spectrophotometers approach color matching scientifically, but nothing trumps the visual experience. Most professional painters use these tools to determine which formulas to spray onto test cards before comparing the results to the paint in question. Selecting the final formula requires comparing the spray-out cards with the existing paint in both natural and artificial light to find the best match.
Precision mixing systems
Professional automotive painters also use precision mixing systems to achieve a close color match. Automated dispensers and digital scales measure out pigments and binders to achieve the desired color, which can then be stored as a digital formula for later use. While these systems help introduce consistency, most pros make minor manual adjustments to achieve the final color they’re looking for.
Computer-based color matching
Most computer-based color matching programs combine spectrophotometers with sophisticated algorithms to determine the best match. While these advanced tools speed up the color-matching process, they’re not infallible. Most results still require professionals to make real-world comparisons and compare test cards to settle on the final paint formula.
How to color-match automotive paint at home
For the purposes of mixing and adjusting paint at home, you’ll need to find the paint code first before sourcing a can or two from a local auto body shop. Whether you use the VIN or input the vehicle make, model, and model year for the corresponding paint code, you’ll have a baseline to start with. Follow these steps to color-match automotive paint in your paint booth.
1. Evaluate the paint
As with any automotive painting process, key observations help you determine the next steps when color-matching paint. First, determine what type of finish the paint has, whether it’s just a solid color or it incorporates metallic flake, pearlescent tones, or a tri-coat application. Many DIY painters find it easiest to start with a solid color when color-matching, but the choice is yours.
Next, consider what might have altered the paint from its factory hue. If you know the vehicle’s history, it can help inform your evaluation. For example, is the paint faded from prolonged sunlight exposure, or has it oxidized from road salt sitting on the surface? Noting these changes can help you determine what you need to do to the factory paint to achieve a seamless final look.
2. Set aside small quantities of paint
Any painter worth their time in the paint booth knows that spray-out tests can tell you more about what you can achieve than any advanced tool or mixing station. To perform a few spray-outs, you’ll need to set aside several small quantities of paint so you don’t alter the entire amount.
With each separated amount, note what changes you made to replicate those results later if needed. For example, if you add metallic flake, note the quantity and any other relevant details to ensure complete and accurate documentation. If you added certain toners and tints, include those as well.
3. Determine a range of test settings
While the color formulation you choose primarily impacts your color-matching success, the settings and techniques you use in the paint booth also affect the final results. Write out what spray gun settings you’ll use, what temperatures you sprayed at, how long you let the paint cure for, and anything else relevant to the process.
4. Spray out multiple test cards
Aim to spray out anywhere from three to five test cards to start. While you may need more to get that ideal look, you’ll learn most of what you need to know in these first few cards alone. Once the test cards have cured, compare them to the vehicle you’re painting under various light sources, including direct sunlight and artificial lights.
5. Finalize your formula and paint
After you’ve perfected your formula, spray the car using proper blending techniques. Compare the final results to your spray card (if you made one) to determine if there were any differences. Keep detailed notes in case you need to replicate the same or a similar color again.
Color-matching a custom paint job
The skills required to color-match a custom paint job build on the same practices described above. However, even the most skilled automotive painters struggle with color-matching custom paint.
In a perfect world, car owners would return to the automotive painter who originally applied the custom paint to complete repairs, but that’s not always the case. If you’re faced with color-matching a custom paint you’ve never encountered before, expect to spend a bit more time in the R&D stage. While it’s important to get as close to an exact match as possible for any color-matching job, owners of cars with custom paint may look closer than your average person.
If you’re a DIY painter, you’re typically not going to be color-matching custom paint, at least until you’ve gained experience with solid and metallic or pearl paints. With that said, there’s nothing stopping you from turning a hobby like DIY automotive painting into a side hustle or even a full-on business venture. As with anything automotive paint-related, there are few limits given you have the motivation to go the distance.
Perfect your color-matching skills with the best materials
Learning how to color-match automotive paint can set you apart from the average DIY painter, especially if you’re interested in taking on some side work. Plus, it can teach you the fundamentals of achieving specific effects using various painting techniques.
No matter what type of paint you spray or jobs you take on, having high-quality automotive painting materials makes a significant difference. Here at Colors Edge, we’re proud to offer superior automotive painting supplies you can use in your own personal paint booth, whether that’s in the garage or a separate building altogether. Contact us today to order everything you need, or call us at 336-378-7872 with any questions.
