Duplicolor (Not So) Perfect Match... Review and Regrets

[boy&hisdogs]

I have always wondered about those Duplicolor spray cans they always have on the shelf at O'Reillys, Autozone, etc and I had some rust under my toolbox so I decided to do a bit of repair work before putting rail caps on. Since the entire job was going to be covered and protected by the rails I didn't try to blend anything, just masked it straight and went for it.

I sanded with an RO sander to get the rust and chips and junk off, then shot it with 2 coats of filler primer, sanded with 500 by hand, then shot 4 coats of Duplicolor Perfect Match (matching my paint code of course) and 2 coats of the duplicolor clear. I followed the directions on the cans pretty carefully. I sprayed every first coat very light and got progressively thicker with subsequent coats.

This paint is THIN. Really thin. The plus is that it goes on smoothly, the minus is that it doesn't cover. I used almost the entire can to do about 4ft worth of bed rail (2 on each side, under a cross bed toolbox). Everything went smoothly, even though I was painting outside on a cool, breezy day. I didn't do any final sanding/polishing of the clear, what you see is straight out of the can. The dirtyness is from spending the night under a pine tree.

The green tone looks good, and the metalic looks OK, but its too light, even after 4 coats. I think my problem was using a light colored primer under such thin paint. I bet if I used a black primer it would have matched much better.

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[JOHNGAAA1]

Your better off to buy a mixed set on ebay. These guys make the paint from the original formula, it will match and make sure you get the 2k clear. It will cost more money and do a better job. The dupli color is homeowners crap and really doesn't have what it needs to do a good job.

 

[Carlaisle]

I used some products previously from paintscratch.com. They white labeled everything so there was no readily apparent way to tell who manufactured the products, but the quality was impressive. Their high build primer was excellent as was the paint color match. The primer was the standard light grey and the paint had excellent coverage. It was not cheap, but I was satisfied with what I received for the money spent. I have no affiliation with the company other than being a satisfied customer.

Some O'Reilly auto parts stores can custom mix Sherwin William automotive paints to your paint code. I have used this product and was very satisfied. Take a breath before asking about the price of the custom mixed rattle cans, but for small touch up jobs you can't beat the convenience.

 

[thinger2]

That teal is a pain to match.
Go to an auto body supply store with your paint code.
They can make you spray cans of paint.
But, shop around. My local wesco auto would only mix a 4 can minimum for 168 bucks.
The wesco 20 minutes away was a 2 can minimum for 58 bucks.
Even some NAPA stores can make spray cans if you have no other option.
You still have to do normal auto body work to get it close.
Feathered edges, no hard lines, surface built up to the same level, etc..
The hard part with a metallic is the "flip and the flop"
Basically how the metal flake lays down when you spray it.
It reflects light differently and that catches your eye.
Ive had pretty good results by changing the angle and the distance when I spray and by laying on a thin coat, let it cure, another coat, let it cure.
Wet sand it and do it again.
Dont use a hard line of tape. Instead lay the tape down and curl the edge back so it is radiused and standing up.
Spray carfully over that edge from a distance when you fog that first coat.
That radious helps you avoid that hard line.
On the next coat, a little wet sand to knock it down and find the high and low.
Move your tape radious back further
Do it again.
You want lots of paint for the next step.
Takes a bit of practice but it works.
When you are happy enough with the tone of the paint, Not the gloss or the reflectivity of the paint.
The color. It may look lighter in the shade, it may darker in the sun.
Leave it alone for at least a month.
Carefully wet sand from the old paint into the new paint.
Buff the old paint next to your patch without hitting the patch.
Now you can see what you need to copy.
A light touch with a brand new wool pad and just wax.
And then leave it alone again for a month
It will never be perfect. But you can make it pretty damn close.
My latest teal green patch is cooking in the sun.
Because i live in Seattle I figure I should be able to buff that thing about 2 or 3 months from know.
Wet sanding is not a problem.
We just go outside with some sandpaper.