Spectral Paints Customer Instructions (2025)

Warning:

Hazards and Safety-VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! Automotive touch-up paint including primer and clearcoats are EXTREMELY hazardous. Keep away from children. Call a physician IMMEDIATELY if swallowed. Keep out of direct sunlight and heat over 120F. DO NOT STORE IN CAR and avoid freezing. Contains HAZARDOUS Waste. EPA requires proper disposal. Use with adequate ventilation. If you experience any dizziness, discontinue product use immediately and call physician. This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause birth defects, cancer and other health problems. Use an approved automotive paint respirator and WEAR safety goggles when handling automotive paint to protect your eyes. This includes the primer, paint and clearcoat.

Before You start:

Spray a test panel with base coat and clear coat firstto compare color match and coverage. Make sure the color matches. If you are new to this search YouTube for videos for “aerosol auto touchup”. Use at 65 degrees F or higher and 50% or less humidity.

Surface Preparation

Thoroughly clean the area to be repaired with dish soap and water. Dry completely. Use prep solventand a clean lint free towel to assure the surface is free of wax, oil, and other surface contaminates. For better results do not apply paint in direct sunlight, high humidity, or where silicone waxes and tire dressings are present.

Basic Sanding

Sand out rust, scratches, or bad surface damage with 180-320 grit sandpaper.Primer will cover over the 180-320 grit sanded scratches. Use 600 wet sandpaper to sand the area you wish to paint. Wet sand the blend panel (area that might get painted and clear coated) with 1000-1500 grit wet sandpaper. Entire area to be painted should be dull and smooth.

For new plastic parts lightly scuff the area with a grey fine scuffpad. For new metal parts you may lightly use a (medium) scuff pad for top coating with solid colors or (fine) scuff pad for metallic and pearls.

Masking Off Adjacent Panels

Mask off adjacent panels to prevent overspray. Use automotive grade 3/4" masking tape and masking paper or pre-taped film. Never tape off mid panel or you will see a tape line. Make a line with tape first, then tape paper to your existing tape line. Doubling up newspaper will work fine but paint has a possibility of bleeding through with excessive heavy coats. Use1 1/2" or 2" masking tapefor small areas like tail lights and reflectors. In the case of painting in an enclosed area mask the entire car with plastic sheeting to prevent overspray.

Primer/metal surfaces - Adhesion promoter/plastic

Use our plastic adhesion promoterover bare plastic (bumpers and mirrors). Spray 2 light coats over lightly scuffed plastic. If you use primer on plastic do so only on top of adhesion promoter.

Shake primer well. Applyaerosol primerover clean sanded metal. Primer will fill 180-320 grit wet sandpaper scratches. Apply 3 or more coats waiting 5-10 minutes dry time in-between coats. Sand the primer after 30 minutes dry time with 600 grit wet sandpaper. Use regular water to clean off sanding dust and dry the area and then replace the dust contaminated masking tape and paper. Do not use prep solvent over the fresh primer. Use a tack rag to pick up lint and dust particles.

Spray Paint touch up application

Thoroughly shake paint for two minutes before applying.Spray the cardboard test panel (included in the shipping box) with base coat and clear coat firstto compare color match and coverage. Make sure the color matches before painting vehicle. Apply as many medium coats as necessary to cover the area waiting 5-10 minutes between each coat. Each coat should appear uniform and dry between each coat. You may gently use a tack cloth between each dry coat of basecoat. Spray light dust coats if a metallic or pearl color looks too dark. Wait 30 minutes before using clear coat.

Tri-coat (some pearls and some metallics) paintsare different than basecoat paints. Spray the ground coat color first, one coat at a time until the area is covered. Then spray the mid coat pearl color. Apply one coat at a time until you achieve the pearl effect of the factory color.

Clearcoat

Shake aerosol clearwell. Allow 30 minutes after base coat color has been applied to apply the clear coat. Apply 4-5 wet (but not dripping) coats waiting 10+ minutes in between coats. Each coat should be dry to the touch (not tacky) before moving on to the next. Do not touch the freshly painted panel to test, you can touch the tapeline. Hot weather will shorten the dry time, cold weather and/or thicker film build will extend the dry time. Skipping the dry time may result in a color mismatch, heavy orange peel texture, and/or a loss of gloss. Wait one day to use rubbing compound. You may wet sand out orange peel and light texture, or dust embedded in the clearcoat film with 1500 wet sandpaper and then use rubbing compound to bring out the gloss. Wait 30 days before waxing.

Summary: Proper order:

Proper Disposal

If there is any paint, primer or clear left in the can(s), take them outside and spray until empty. Once empty they can go in regular trash bin.