Sometimes the touch up paint looks too dark, especially for metallic or pearl colors.

The orientation of the flakes of metal (or ceramic in the case of pearl finishes) can affect the final finish. For Tri-Coat L2 (aka the “mid coat”), or metallic or pearl finish paints, these flakes need to be consistently aligned so the finish reflects light properly to achieve the final finish. When such paints are brushed on, these flakes can lay in the paint differently, causing less light to be reflected. When less light is reflected, the paint appears darker. We recommend that you apply another coat. Try to brush this coat on lightly. Then, apply clear coat. The control or top coat should help reduce this dark effect.

Aerosols and Control or Top Coats

When spraying Tri-Coat L2, or metallic or pearl colors, the same concept applies. The final coat is called a "control coat" or "top coat", or “drop coat” and it is applied differently to get the metallic or ceramic particles to lay down in alignment. Typically, the top coats are sprayed from further away, around 10 inches, misting the paint, but moving the can a little slower than a normal coat. The result is a lighter dusting of the last coats, which allows those metallic flakes to lay down properly to achieve the metallic or pearl effect.

This video shows how to spray a Control (or Drop) coat.