Now, we take a look at how to take care of matte finishes for both paint and film.
The previous article had expounded on the matte finishes, covering both it’s advantages and disadvantages.
Use a traditional two-bucket washing method, the first for rinsing water and the other filled with pH-balanced shampoo. The first bucket acts as a filter, each time the microfibre towels works through a section of the car, it gets rinsed and dirt is dislodged before being dipped back into the 2nd bucket that contains the detergent.
Extra care is needed for matte finishes, so keep a spare microfibre towel or two handy.
A quality jet-pressure washer is highly recommended for its ability to dislodge dirt and various contaminants prior to hand-washing.
As with any jet-pressure washers, use a fan-blade nozzle and keep a minimum nozzle contact distance of one foot from the vehicle panels.
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| Matte Gold Finish on a car. |
Let’s start with matte 2K clear-coats. Because the paint has a textured surface which diffuses the reflectivity of light, thereby achieving a matte-effect, a lot of care needs to be provided during the maintenance cycles.
One of the first things to avoid would be automated car washes. As a detailer, I never recommend the use of automated car washes (even for any form of regular paintwork) as the coarse bristles will damage paint surfaces and because each car is uniquely shaped, only a quality hand-wash using an approved pressure jet washer will suffice.
In terms of quality, both matte and glossy clear-coats on paintwork are similar but if a scratch is made on a matte paint, it can’t be removed unless the panel is resprayed unlike regular gloss clear-coat which can be polished or sanded.
That’s probably the biggest difference between the two. Practice caution when removing bug splatter, tar, tree-sap, paint transfer and the like on matte paintwork as any form of vigorous buffing will cause sections of the paintwork to shine. Use a light alcohol based cleaning solution to dab the affected spots gently and remove gently.
Putting pressure onto the towel will result in a flattened surface of the paintwork which will induce shine. Avoid clay-bars and any form of paint cleansers that have micro-abrasives in the formula as it will create a glossy finish.
These are the easiest to maintain and offers the best durability compared to matte paintwork.
Washing and maintenance procedures are still similar to paintwork and avoid an automated car wash.
More resistant to stone-chips and scratches, automotive vinyl requires significantly less care than matte paintwork or even for that matter glossy paintwork.
When using a jet-pressure washer, use caution around the film’s edges as a direct stream will unravel the film.
For general care and maintenance, always use a regular pH-balanced shampoo that is free from any gloss enhancers, wax or silicones.
Never wipe any paintwork dry if it has been exposed to the elements outside including dust particles. It will cause scratches.
There are products from various manufacturers that provide detailing solutions for maintaining matte paintwork and a quick search on the web will list down a few quite easily.
A non-glossy coating or sealant will suffice as a barrier against the elements but avoid generic wax/sealant/coating products as they will add gloss to the surface of the matte paintwork.
Generally, lighter colours and tones are easier to care for compared to dark stronger colours. With dark-coloured matte finishes keep an eye on streaking and patchy spots caused by oxidation and improper detailing. Inversely with light-colours, watch out for dirty streaks under the door handles, side mirrors and the like.
Matte finishes can be protected from such contaminants using a last step product designed specifically for it.
For a more permanent solution to protecting matte paintwork, look for a professional automotive wrapping facility that can provide stone-chip protection film services.
At AutoDetailer Studio, one of the common requests for protecting the “frozen” or matte paint variations would be our range of clear automotive paint protection film that has a unique matte finish.
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The photo above shows a new BMW F10 M5 undergoing the process of being transformed with a clear matte finish.
There are paint protection films available in clear gloss finish as well as matte.
This unique material is designed to work seamlessly with matte paintwork as it will retain the original non-glossy finish but with the added benefit of a high-density impact absorbing film for protection against stone chips and fine scratches.
This will preserve the car’s paintwork for a much longer period.
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