Expert: Gary - 4/21/2008

Question
I am not a painter, but have painted several cars over the years with better and better results. My Question is
How many coats of clear (a good PPG) can you apply before getting into solvent issues?
For me I have put on up to 4 light coats and then color sanded 600 then 2000. Can I apply more then that?

Answer
Hi Larry,

It's hard to say how many "coats" because everyone's "coats" is different. PPG measures the film thickness in what is known as Mils. 1 Mil is 1/1000ths of an inch. Also, A wet Mil (thickness of wet film) and a dry Mil (thickness of dry film) is usually different.  PPG's DCU2021 Clear-Coat recommends a maximum of 2.5 Mils. I have seen restoration shops apply 2 wet coats let it cure for a day and then sand it with 1000 grit and re-clear with 3 wet coats and then re-sanded with 2000 grit and buffed. This usually gives a very deep gloss and fantastic durability. If you use too much clear it can actually get brittle with the possibility of delamination. I hope this helps.