Prestige paintwork, perfect paintwork, mile deep paint, award winning paintwork or however one prefers to describe our paintwork was the key element to us gaining the reputation we have, proven results all through hard work, incredible attention to detail and an abundance of enthusiasm
Our choice
Our chosen paint brand is Lechler so when colour matching any car we have a huge choice of over 40,000 visual colour options to choose from in our Lechlercolour library.
Lechler is a leading specialist paint brand that started in 1858 so it's fair to say their experience in the paint field is possibly unrivalled and we have maintained a great working relationship with this brand since we started in 2009.
In the extensive colour options that we have they of course include solid colours and metallic /pearl base coats but in the event none of those are close enough we will tint the closest sample to a perfect match and now with the addition of our own Lechler Spectrophotometerwe can further enhance our colour matching capabilities and services saving valuable time..
We don't tint so that the colour is just close to where it needs to be, we strive for edge to edge colour matching even on metallic basecoats so that any blending necessary is kept to a minimum and will fall in effortlessly. There is very little we cannot match to and we also develop unique colours on request.
So when painting an Aston Martin, Ferrari, Jaguar or any other classic car that may be on site, once the final colour is chosen, the paint is mixed in our generous 4m x 3m temperature controlled paint room dedicated to housing three specialist paint mixing schemes that include one water based scheme for the basecoats and 2 direct gloss ones for the solid colour options, buying it in pre mixed from a paint supplier as many shops still do with the hope that it matches for us is a distant memory.
We are also able to mix a range of alternative topcoats like polyurethane for example whether it's matt or gloss, textured coatings and nitro cellulose etc. Colour samples are also provided for the customer to have a visual of what a particular colour will look like when applied to a panel. Most know exactly what they want but for those who are unsure we sometimes paint classic mini front wings as samples to give a 3D perspective and a much clearer indication of how the final colour will look.
All paintwork is applied and cured in our 8m x 4m gas fired low-bake oven.
So what’s the difference?
We all know quality comes at a cost, but at what cost ?
Well the reality is you get what you pay for.
Here's one typical example, How many times has one looked along the side of a car and putting the glossy finish aside for one moment can see no true reflection of its surroundings?
That is all due to a lack of invested labour in the preparation and nothing more.
Hours of patience and methodical preparation will ultimately determine the final paint finish which some clients seeking a great job would have as their preferred choice.
Whereas others are simply happy with how much the paint shines and little more but in turn saving money.
Or consider this for a minute,
A more standard request, a modern era car for example needing a bumper painting, there are really only two ways of approaching this:
Option 1, You can prepare the bumper as necessary leaving it on the car, mask everything up then paint the bumper. Of course this is common practice for many bodyshops because it's quick and can be relatively cheap but does come with an element of risk because none of the edges can be keyed well enough for paint to adhere properly, so over time the paint can start to lift.
Option 2, Remove the bumper from the car then remove all its fittings, thoroughly prepare the bumper ensuring all edges are keyed then paint the bumper ensuring good coverage to all edges thus ensuring longevity.
Now they are two entirely different tasks with different labour investment so it would be unfair to compare them from a monetary standpoint, but one does come in with less financial cost so will always be cheaper. but is it as good ?
No it's not... and quite rightly so but is preferred by many looking for the cheaper option, especially those trying to sell the car. It's safe to say most people would prefer work carried out on their car to actually 'be good' whereas some only want to pay for it to 'look good' so naturally that's where prices vary because of the labour disparity.
Everyone is different and naturally with different demands and expectations so it's important to get it right with the client from the outset. To determine what job they actually want when estimating any work so that it can be costed as accurately as possible.
Below is a short video of the V12 E-Type we restored to the highest standard and the quality of the preparation and workmanship is clearly evident from the reflection in the panels. The branding on our trailer which is 40 plus feet away and can clearly be read through four panes of glass.
View some of our case studies to see the results of those efforts and feel free to call if you have any requirements you would like to discuss with us. Below is also a short time lapse video that gives a brief insight into the Ferrari Daytona Restoration having a coat of tinted wet on wet epoxy sealer applied prior to four coats of Rosso Chiaro 2k, there are more photo's of the finished car in our case studies.
Do you have a special project that you feel would benefit from the use of our services that you would like to discuss with us ?
