How To

What Is “Fisheye” in Paint Repair?

Fisheye happens when paint pulls away from small contaminated spots on the surface, creating circular “craters” or ring-shaped marks.

How to Remove Excess Paint at the Edges of a Repair

Two techniques to remove overpaint from around a touch-up repair without disturbing the paint inside the scratch: dab wet paint away with a dabber, or carefully polish dried overpaint with water or polish compound. Never wet-sand — bare waterborne paint (with no clear coat) will lift immediately.

Find Your Vehicle's Paint Code

How to find out the locations on each brand vehicle where the paint code information is shown.

What’s Wrong With My Aerosol Paint Finish? (Quick Diagnosis Guide)

Sometimes a paint repair does not look right because of the way the paint dried, cured, or laid down on the surface. Use the guide below to match what you see with the most likely issue.

How Much Aerosol Paint Do I Need for a Motorcycle or Helmet?

The number of aerosol paint cans needed for a motorcycle or helmet depends on the part being painted and the number of coats applied. Motorcycle parts and helmets are much smaller than car panels, so they typically require fewer cans. Use part-based estimates for primer, base coat, and clear coat.

How Much Aerosol Paint Do I Need for a Pickup Truck?

Estimating aerosol paint for a pickup truck depends on panel size and how much area you’re spraying. Pickup truck body panels are generally larger than cars, which can increase paint usage. Primer usually requires the least paint, base coat requires multiple wet coats, and clear coat often requires the most.

How Much Aerosol Paint Do I Need for an SUV?

Estimating aerosol paint for an SUV depends on panel size and how much area you’re spraying. SUV body panels are generally larger than cars, which can increase paint usage. Primer usually requires the least paint, base coat requires multiple wet coats, and clear coat often requires the most.

How Much Aerosol Paint Do I Need for a Car?

The number of aerosol paint cans needed depends on the panel size and number of coats applied. Primer usually requires the fewest cans, base coat requires multiple wet coats, and clear coat often needs the most. Use panel-based estimates to avoid running out mid-job.

What Polish Compound Works Well for Touch-Up Paint Jobs?

For touch-up cleanup and edge refinement, use a medium-abrasive polishing compound — strong enough to smooth and gloss, gentle enough not to cut through fresh repair material or the surrounding factory finish.

How to prep aluminum or steel before applying touch up paint

Special considerations before priming aluminum or steel

Tricks for Super Small Chips and Scratches

For super small or shallow chips, brush-applied paint can be too thick — the repair sits higher than the surrounding paint, and trying to level it removes the paint entirely. Three tricks help apply less paint: thin with up to 25% distilled water, use a soft artist brush, or use a micro dabber.

How to Spray Aerosol Paint Without Spitting or Splatter

Aerosol cans most often spit paint because of three things — can temperature, finger position, or the spray tip angled into the can's rim. Manage those and your coats usually lay down clean. Less common causes like paint stuck in the dip tube are also covered.

Why Is My Aerosol Paint Lifting or Bubbling?

Lifting or bubbling is fixable — sand back, address the cause, and reapply. Here's how to identify whether it's incompatible products, contamination, moisture, or coats applied too heavy.

My Touch-Up Paint Job Doesn't Look Smooth. What Can I Do?

A smooth touch-up repair is about creating a level surface, not just matching the color. Brush-applied paint is only 5-10 microns thick — much thinner than most scratches — so deep damage needs primer as the first coat or multiple thin paint coats to build up to the surrounding level.

When Should I Apply Primer?

Smart question! The answer depends on how deep the damage is. Use a flashlight to check if your scratch or chip has gone through the factory coating to bare metal or plastic. If it has, you’ll need primer — it’s the foundation that helps your touch-up paint stick, smooth, and last in deeper scratches.

My Final Finish Is Not Glossy or Shiny

A dull, satin, or matte finish on an automotive paint repair is usually caused by clear coat application technique.

Can I Use Other Brand Primers and Clears with ScratchesHappen Paint?

You can. Match the primer tint to what we shipped in your kit, and know that we've only tested our paint with our own clear coat.

How can I tell if I have purchased the right touch up paint color?

Two-step verification — confirm the paint code matches your vehicle, then test the paint on the included card before applying to the car.

How do I fix small blemishes in my paint job?

Can this paint be used on brake calipers or in the engine bay?

Which touch up applicator should I use?

How To Apply Tri Coat Paint Properly (with a brush)

The correct order to apply base and mid coats, and how to polish excess away for each layer.

How to Apply Tri-Coat Layer 2 (L2 Mid-Coat), Metallic, or Pearl Finish Paint

Tri-coat and metallic finishes can look darker if flakes in the final paint coats don’t align evenly. A light “control” or “drop” coat helps those flakes settle correctly so the color reflects light evenly and blends smoothly with the original finish.

My paint doesn’t feel completely dry, what can I do?

Paint that doesn't fully cure is usually due to one or more of these 3 things.

The clear coat (or mid coat) is removing the base coat that I just painted on

Too much pressure with the brush, and the solvents in the clear coat or mid coat can remove the new base coat

Painting in High Humidity

Humidity has a major impact on how your paint dries and cures. For best results, paint when Relative Humidity is below 50%.

Can I Paint More Base Color Over Clear Coat?

Yes — wait for the clear coat to fully cure, scuff with 600-grit wet, clean, apply base color in thin coats, then re-clear.

How to Use an Airbrush with ScratchesHappen Paints

An airbrush requires a few extra steps to get good results — here are the documented settings for spraying ScratchesHappen primer, base color, and clear coat through an airbrush.

What Causes the "Orange Peel" Finish When Spraying?

Orange peel happens when the paint doesn’t lay down smoothly and instead dries with a textured, bumpy surface (like an orange skin).

Aerosol Clear Coat Cracking (Spider-Webbing or Hairline Cracks)

Clear coat cracking (often called spider-webbing) is usually caused by temperature differences, environmental conditions, or application issues during curing.

What Sandpaper Grit Should I Use for Car Paint Repair?

The right sandpaper grit for car paint repair depends on which stage of the repair you’re working on — from smoothing primer to polishing clear coat. Each stage has a different goal: leveling, blending, or polishing.

How to Mask with Tape to Create a Soft Transition Line in Your Paint Repair

Fold over one edge of the masking tape to avoid a hard tape line

The Art & Science of Invisible Brush-On Touch Up Paint Repairs (Quick Diagnosis Guide)

What makes a brush-on touch-up repair invisible: color match, a surface that's level with the surrounding paint, and clean edges. If your repair doesn't look right, this guide matches what you're seeing — bumpy surface, excess paint at edges, paint too thick on tiny chips, or a deep scratch — to the fix.

Why Won’t My Touch-Up Paint Stick?

If your touch-up paint is wiping off, sanding off, or “won’t stay,” the most common reason is that the damage/scratch goes right through the factory primer to bare metal or plastic, and new primer wasn't applied before painting. This is expected behavior and does not indicate a problem with the paint.

How to Use 2K Aerosol Clear Coat

Activate the can, shake, and spray within 48 hours. Here's the full procedure plus when 2K is the right call over 1K.

Can I Use Scotch-Brite Pads Instead of Sandpaper?

Scotch-Brite pads can substitute for sandpaper on some prep and finishing steps — the colors map roughly to grit ranges, but the pads cut differently, so the equivalents are approximate.

Why Is My Aerosol Paint Wrinkling?

Wrinkling is fixable — sand back to a sound layer, address the cause, and reapply. Here's how to identify whether it's heat, humidity, thick coats, or an adhesion problem beneath.

Why Is My Aerosol Clear Coat Bubbling?

Heat-driven bubbling in clear coat is fixable — sand back, cool the surface, and reapply in lighter coats. Here's how to identify whether it's a hot panel or coats applied too heavy.