#28 - Why We Must Blend
This article is part 1 of a 2 part series.
Why We Must BLEND
Ever wondered why blending is such an important step in achieving a perfect colour match? Blending ensures new coatings seamlessly transition into existing finishes — avoiding visible patches and maintaining long-term gloss, durability, and colour consistency.
The reason is simple, if you want to maximize the profit from a paint repair, you need to complete a (quality) repair in the shortest possible time frame.
The investment of a jobs labour time is the most expensive component of most jobs, and it is the one thing you can have the most control over to improve your bottom-line profit.
Focusing on only buying the cheapest products to bring perceived profit back will only go so far before it bottoms out, often at the expense of the job.
Focusing on only buying the cheapest products to bring perceived profit back will only go so far before it bottoms out, often at the expense of the job.
Examples of this are:
- Minimal film builds coming from OEM = transparent colours (effecting most cars on the road today).
- Application differences at both OEM and refinish level. Remember when we paint a repair on a transparent factory OEM colour we must paint to full opacity over the damaged area, yet still match the transparent colour!!
- Colour trends: clean vibrant colours using more translucent pigments.
- 4 stage transparent overlay colours (creating candy type affects).
- Chrome style metallics changing both repair preparation and colour application.
- Spraygun set up: nozzle size, needle setting, air pressure, speed, distance, overlap.
- Applicators skill level needing to constantly stay ahead of these trending colours.
Due to the examples and challengers given above (plus many more) there is NO money to be made trying to create a perfect “Butt Match” (pearl, metallic, overlay colours) it is simply too time consuming, with any profit long being lost.
*Estimators need to be aware of these colour challenges to be accurate with quotes.
The Goal
In the Smash Repair Industry, the goal of any mixed metallic, pearl or overlay colour is to be that of a Good Blendable Standard.
- Mix it once,
- Match it once,
- Blend it once,
- Blend invisible to the eye?
- Blend invisible to the eye?
Time, Time, Time
This tip was originally written for DBNZ Coatings and has been re-posted with permission.
Download Tech Tip #28Size: 249.17 KB | File Format: .pdf
