# What would you do? Direct gloss or base and clear



## lshigham (Apr 14, 2014)

I've just got my MK2 golf in primer am having second thoughts about what paint to use, it started off life in gloss black and I would like to change it to atlas gray. However, I am concerned about getting dust in the base and not being able to flat it out like I would with direct gloss.

What would you do? I don't have access to a spray booth so some dust is inevitable even if I sheet the whole garage up


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## Aaran (Sep 18, 2007)

i can tell you now its FAR easier and safer to wetsand and polish clear than it is to do that to single stage.


if you wetsand to much off single stage and thin it out to much it will go lighter (being that direct gloss is translucent unlike base which is a solid color only)

clear is better as you can thin it out farther and it wont make a blind bit of difference to the shade of the paint or the shine. 

either way if you thin either to much it can cause the paint to fail (to thin a film thickness) or get strike through.

the only advantage to gloss is its cheap, and very very easy to repair


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## lshigham (Apr 14, 2014)

My concern was getting dust in the base which would end up trapped under the clear, is that a problem? Don't get me wrong, when I paint direct gloss it's not full of dust but I usually get the odd bit

I've already got the paint for both options so cost isn't an issue


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## Aaran (Sep 18, 2007)

i have never had an issue (and i started painting in open air sheds lol)

just tac rag the primer, lay your 3/4 coats of base ( make SURE you have coverage over it all, so get on the floor and make sure all bottom edges are all uniform and no primer is showing , nothing worse than pushing a car out of the booth and looking at it in the sun and bam not enough base on the bottom side skirts so re-paint time) 

just do what you always do, tac rag the base before the clear, and lay the clear. if your worried about dust between the clear and base then tac it then just do a pass half trigger to "blow" any thats landed on it off before letting the clear flow.

any crap then then lands in the clear you can wet sand out no problems, i find its alot nicer wet sanding clear and buffing it to single stage but it depends on the clear your using and paint brand. 

if you do get crap in the basecoat (assuming its solvent base) then just get some P800 and use panel wipe as a lube (not water) and wetssand it. then lay a few more coats of base over it.


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