Hit 500 collision repairs this year and it changed my mind about using waterborne paint

I always thought solvent-based paint was the only way to get a decent finish. But after my 500th repair this week on a 2020 Civic in Nashville, I looked at the numbers. I was spraying waterborne for a whole year without even realizing how much it cut down my rework. The color match was actually more consistent, and I saved like 20 minutes per job on cleanup. It finally clicked for me when I had zero returns on waterborne versus a 5% rework rate with solvent. Has anyone else had a similar turning point with a specific paint system?

2 comments

2 Comments

hugo82520d ago

Wait, do you think the cleanup time savings come more from the waterborne paint itself or the way you set up your spray booth for it? I'm curious if that 20 minutes is a consistent thing or depends on the gun setup.

hayes.jake20d ago

Yeah I read a shop foreman say waterborne cuts rework by like 30% which tracks with your numbers.