Hi guys,

Was attempting to respray my car and noticed it now what i think is orange peel?

As directed by my Paint supplier, i firstly sanded the panel down and then i sprayed 3 coats of colour before applying few coats of clear paint..

I noticed it had orange peel from the second layer. First layer was just as worse but kept at it as i thought it would improve but to no effect.

I googled the net and researched on youtube where this seems to be a common issue and some ppl have suggested to sand the orange peel back with some sand paper as it was caused b the clear coat but my orange peel was there even before applying the clear coat?

I can try to sand it back a bit and buff and see how i go as this has worked for ppl but my situation is slightly different.

I used a one of those cheap balckridge supercheap compressors with a $80 gravity 2mil gun, along with acrylic paint and thinners...

The paint supplier said i didnt need to prime the panel as the body was pretty straight and suggested it will come up ok but unfortunately id didnt and would like to get some professionl advise as to what to do as I cannot paint any further as im worried it will come up with the same result...

Remember preperation is the key.Prime it,undercoat it and then your top coats of colour.

Remembering with acrylic you need to put many coast on because you will need to buff it once the paint has cured.If you are getting orange peel finish then i would do lighter coast and then work up to heavier wet coats.

When i started to learn to paint i would alsways have a peel finish and then sanded it ith 1800 to 2000 sand paper with soapy water and then buffed it and the finish was quiet good.Over time you learn and now i can paint with acrylic and have a great shiney finish.A nice little bush to get it really shiney.

I'm an amatuer at painting but you learn.The main reason you put many coast on is because over time you will need to buff acrylic if it isnt looked after.cheers

Thanks for your reply mate but didnt really understand it as im a newbie to painting...
As for priming it, my paint supplier said i didnt need it as the body was in really good nick?
Also what do u mean by lighter coast and then work up to heavier wet coats?
Sorry lastly, whats undercoat and top coat.. I know i may sound like an idiot but know absolutely nothing about painting but would like to give it a try myself along with the support of the forum..

thanks heaps....

undercoat is primer, its purpose is to adhere to the existing paint (it does this better than your colour coats ) and your colour also adheres better to the primer. Step by step, sand your existing paint with 800 wet and dry paper (used wet) until the surface is smooth and scuffed . Apply several even coats of primer and once dry sand smooth again with 800 wet and dry . Mix your paint and thinners as per directions and apply light coats to avoid runs in the paint (generally 3-4 coats should suffice and over lap your spray pattern by 50%). While the colour is tacking off mix your clear coat as per directions and apply several light coats (i would say no less than 4 coats and probably no more than 8 ) you also need to make sure that you spray at the correct pressure for your gun (i use a low pressure gravity fed gun) allow the paint to harden properly ( the longer the better ) then sand the clear coat till peel has gone as per instructed above in a previous reply and then buff with cutters to a mirror finish

thanks for your help mate. greatly appreciated..

anyway, Tried a few different settings mixtures and am pretty happy with how its come out but a little concerned with some spots/dimples with the finished product. I noticed this on the first coat (refer to first pic ) and thought it would disappear after applying a few coats but its still somewhat there?
My mixtures are now 60% thinnners and 40% paint. This is the formula recommended by my supplier and if i go any thicker than ill get orange peel as per my first post.

Note: as said earlier i didnt apply primer as it wasnt recommended by my supplier but will that help with the bondage of the paint cause during the first layer it looks like the paint doesnt want to stick on hence the dimples???

Dimples noticable on first coat


Dimples noticable on on finished product, improved slightly but still noticable. Refer to black arrow

Besides the dimples, im really happy with the result given its my second time. lol

looks like silicon on the old paint,when you paint over the top you get seperation -fish eyes to olskol guys.onlt way to fix it,is to sand it dead flat and use a cleaner===prepsol,spray 1 coat,if its dead flat and smooth=keep going,if not sand it and use a alcohol isolator to seal it off,dont sand it.when dry paint over it.the paint should be the sane finish as a new car off the gun,your fan may be to big and the edges are dry.sand every 4 coat or thin the paint more to melt the coats in to 1 coat and 1 even colour,when dead smooth clear coat,as its a mirror on the colour.

Sorry abut my spelling im ment coats....lol

Primer is not an undercoat,primer is primer.You dont have primer directly under your top coat because for starter the paint doesnt adhere to it properly thus also you colour will not come through properly.Colour representation changes.

Eg:If you have a light colour use a white or very light grey for an undercoat base,then apply your top coat.

I use wax and grease remover to wipe away after you have sanded and ready to apply primer or undercoat.

You may also try using a spray putty or high build primer to help get the surface dimple free.

As for a clear coat on acrylic i wouldnt bother,ive painted panels and couple of cars and never worried about clear coat.On most of what i paint i do almost 10 coats of paint letting it cure for a week or so and then either giving it a light sanding with 1800-2000 grade wet dry paper and soapy water and then cutting it back and buffing it.

This is some of the methods as i was taught and never had any dramas.I've painted panels and cars out in the open with just a tarp under the car and also painted in sheds still comes up a good job.Acrylic is easier to work with than 2pak.

If you really want a clear coat,paint your car in acrylic what ever colour floats your boat and then just hit it with a 2pak clear.2pak clear works and has a better finish than acrylic clear.

As for cutting back clear on acrylic i have never ever done or heard that,just a waste of time/money.


Acrylic can have a very good finish but as with anything you also need to look after it.If a car is to be out in the weather and so on i would suggest 2pak for its durability.cheers

if using a metallic colour coat you must use a clear of some description, even if you are just using a solid colour, clear will add more depth, shine and protection to you paint. It also cuts back better and buffs up better. A lot of older cars ie white xf's and xe's didnt have clear on base models but fairmonts and fairlanes did, just to add that bit of prestige . Now days all cars have clear coats and all are painted in 2 pac. I would say definately use a clear coat, you will be much happier with the end result. Oh and yeah from what i can see the dimples look like fish eyes. Meaning contamination of some sort. Clean the surface with wax and grease remover or prepsol as suggested above.

thanks for all the reply guys, some great info that will certainly help heaps....

now, im trying to take off the orange peel that i applied on yesterday but its very difficult to come off as i applied a few coats of paint than clear so yeh if anyone can suggest on how to take it off will be a great help.
thanks.

Paint stripper. Start from scratch. If you keep putten layers of paint on, that filler door isnt going to fit in the hole.

it wouldnt strip my original paint will it? as long as it takes of the ornage then ill be happy.

sand back what you have already applied until the surface is flat and smooth. then give a coat of undercoat/primer. once this has dried out wet sand it until the surface is smooth with no sanding marks in it. any inperfections you can see at this point will be seen in your next colour and clear coats, so spend the extra time and get it right. once sanded back clean with prepsol or wax and grease remover and apply colour and clear.

looks like you need to do better prep work..
the surface on the fuel door still has what looks like small scratches and sand lines from rough grid paper under the fresh paint..
and the dimple/fisheye is from the surface not being clean..

one of the best replys i have got...thanks soo much mate it really makes sense now. lol finally!!

um, when i sand back the car as it is (original paint) what grade sand paper should i use?

also after primer again, do i use the same grade as i originally used to sand back the car??

thanks champ...

first sand back with maybe 800 wet and dry (used wet) till the surface is smooth. you could use 600 wet if the paint is in poor condition. after undercoat probably stick with the 800 or even 1000 grit, always wet sand though.