Help & FAQ

All of our products are urethane based, base-coat/clear-coat applications. Our paints have been thoroughly tested and are as good as or better than O.E.M. quality standards.

You can take the tip out and clean it with thinner. This way the pen is good to use for years.

Absolutely, clearcoat is very important for multiple reasons. First of all, it makes the paint shine. Second, the clear actually creates a chemical bond with the base color that makes it chemical and weather resistant. Without clear-coat, your paint will not shine properly or be nearly as resilient as it should be.

If you are referring to the storage of the paint after use, it will last a long time. Typically, a touch-up pen lasts approximately 7 years. The aerosols and professional packaging typically will last 3-5 years if properly stored.

It will last as long as your original paint if you care for it like your original paint. It will not wash off, or fade off over time. It is real paint, tested and designed to last.

Tri-stage colors, or tricoats, are special colors that require an additional step during application. Many pearl whites and a few reds are tri-stages. They simply require that you apply a base color first, let it dry, and then apply mid-coat. After the mid-coat comes the clear. All ExpressPaint orders come with the appropriate, detailed instructions on how to apply your color. You can also find application instructions on our site.

All tri-stage colors are indicated as tricoat and/or 3ct in the color description. For each tri-stage color you order, you will receive a base coat color and a mid-coat color. You will need a clearcoat to finish your paint job properly, but tricoat paint does not include clearcoat, and therefore you will need to order the clearcoat separately.

Express Paint prides itself on fast delivery, easy ordering, and quality products. All of our products are made to order. You can usually expect to receive your paint within 3-7 business days from when you place your order.

We cannot send most of our products to PO Boxes. We can send touch-up pens, touch-up jars, and other small items such as sandpaper and masking tape to PO boxes via US mail. However, we must send any large size packages via FedEx, and they do not deliver to a PO Box.

No, currently do not ship internationally except Canada Shipping Policy.

We can only ship touch-up pens and bottles to APO, FPO, Hawaii, and Alaska, and we cannot ship aerosol or pro size to these addresses.

A spray out! A spray out can save everyone a lot of time, money and frustration. It takes five minutes, but can save hours. Also, make sure to shake your paint very well before applying it. Some colors, especially silvers and other heavy metallic colors, can take quite some time to be thoroughly mixed. So please make sure the paint is shaken very well...it can make a world of difference.

Here's how to do it:
A spray out is the very most important thing you can do before painting your vehicle. It helps determine how much paint you need, how to apply the paint, and gives you a feel for using the paint. You cannot expect good results without first doing a spray out.

A spray out is simply testing the color before you apply it to the actual repair job. If you are using a touch-up pen, just test the color on a piece of scrap you may have lying around. If the color takes a base color, test the entire application. Make sure you feel comfortable before attempting the actual repair by practicing the entire application.

If you are using any method of spraying the color, test the color on a spray out card or on anything that you can accurately see the color. A piece of scrap metal is perfect for this if you do not have access to a spray-out card. Remember, you have to apply the clear too. It won't look the same without it.

If you are sending your parts and paint to a body shop, make sure they are willing to do a spray out. Any body shop worth its weight will automatically perform a spray out, but make sure they do it. Also, bring them a part of the vehicle with you so that they can obtain a proper match when they do the spraying. A body shop cannot be expected to match a color when they do not know what it looks like.

We will hold your order until the electric fund transfer has been cleared by your bank. If you used PayPal funds to purchase our products, your funds will immediately transfer to our account. However if you used bank transfer via PayPal, we will hold the funds (eCheck) as "pending/uncleared" for about 2-3business days. Express Paint cannot send your order to you until the eCheck has been cleared. For more information, please contact PayPal.

Most likely we are unable to charge your card successfully or we can not find the color you have ordered using manual form. Normally we will hold your order for one week. If we do not hear from you, your order will be cancelled. We are not responsible for any email problems you may be experiencing. Please re-place your order or if you have any questions, please contact our customer service.

To protect against credit card fraud, the billing address you entered during check out is compared to the address your credit issuer uses for verification purposes. When we say there was a problem with your billing address, it means that through Address Verification Services, the address came back as unmatched. We may receive an error even when the billing address you entered exactly matches the address on your credit card statement.

The reasons for the error may be due to non-updated by credit card company, or minor errors or differences such as misspelling, wrong spacing, and/or commas. If your card issuer notifies us that the address you entered does not match its verification address, we cancel the transaction and your credit card will not be charged. However, you may have a "pending" item for the charged amount on your statement. Your bank will cancel this pending item in a few days according to their schedule.

Your bank statement may show the charged amount twice, but the first charge was cancelled and should clear after a few days.

Yes it is the same color. It is very common for automobile companies to have multiple names for one color. This is the reason the color code is so important. The code will always identify the correct color.

Colors on the web do not and cannot look like the actual color. Computer monitors simply cannot duplicate the pearls, metallic, and hues that are in paint.

Yes, many colors have more than one code, PFA/ MFA is same as PFA or MFA.

If you cannot find the two tone code from your vehicle, please Email us

We really cannot recommend colors because there are simply too many different styles of color. We can make any color you want if you find a color that you like, but we cannot send you paint without a code or some sort of reference.

A spray-out is a color test. ALWAYS CHECK THE COLOR BEFORE PAINTING YOUR ACTUAL PIECE. EXPRESS PAINT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING THAT HAS BEEN PAINTED THE WRONG COLOR. If you test your color, and it does not look right STOP. Contact us immediately and we will work with you to arrive at a solution.

For a proper paint job, use wax & grease remover to clean the surface. Then use sandpaper to remove clearcoat (if it's there) and to make the surface smooth. Next, mask the area you are painting with a masking tape. Apply the primer if the surface is down to bare metal or plastic as it helps "build" the surface. Then apply color and clear coat. Clear coat protects and adds shine to the paint.

Our touch up kit includes everything you need for a proper paint job. Color application is sold separately, so please find the color code of your car and order the correct color code following the easy 1-2-3-step ordering system first, and then add the touch up kit to complete your order.

We only test with our own products and therefore do not recommend any other company's products.

If the parts are not primed, you will need to do so.

Yes our catalyzed primer will work on the wood, no problem.

You can paint virtually any wheels. With the correct preparation, primer, and clear-coat, your wheel paint will last for many years. Express Paint has everything you need so you can get the job done.

It all depends on what you are repairing and how large of area you are repairing. If you have a minor nick or scratch, a touch-up applicator should do the trick for you. If you are color matching a part or repairing a larger area, you will probably need an aerosol can.

Aerosols are the ideal answer for do-it-yourself jobs. They are easy to use and produce excellent results. Professional sizes are only recommended if you have the appropriate spray equipment and painting experience.

An aerosol can produce a very nice paint job, but it simply cannot reproduce the original finish as well as a body shop can. The color will be exactly the same, but there are many other variables that can be controlled in a body shop. Dirt, spray pressure, spray-gun atomization...all these things can affect the outcome of a paint job. The only way to control these variables 100% is in a spray booth at a body shop.

Yes, it is ready to go.

If the area you are painting is properly prepared and is smooth, the paint should apply smoothly. It may not be shiny, but it should be smooth. After you have applied the coverage you need and you have clearcoated the color, then you can sand the clear. Wait a few days before sanding the clear, but once you do this will make the paint very shiny and very smooth. We do not recommend sanding between color coats so that the clearcoat works properly when applied.

The paint does have a relatively high temperature tolerance. If you paint your calipers and use your car as a daily driver you will be just fine. If you take your car to track days or autocross it, then you may perhaps eventually have some discoloring. The paint will hold up fine in the engine bay.

Almost every individual part of a car can be painted entirely with 2-3 aerosol cans of paint. Small repairs will, obviously, only require one can of paint, but if you are painting an entire door, hood, roof, fender, bumper, or trunk, you will likely need 2-3 cans to do it. If it is a larger car, go for the 3 cans. If it's a more compact car, go for the 2 cans. Trucks are typically larger than cars, so they will usually take between 3-4 cans to paint the comparable part of a car. For example, a front fender would probably take 3-4 cans whereas a car may only be 2-3 cans. Truck tailgates usually take 2-3 cans.

Again, all of this is subject to the vehicle's relative size. A Hummer will take more paint than a Ford Ranger although both are trucks. A Cadillac DeVille will take more paint than a Kia although both are cars.

Sometimes the clearcoat does not shine like you want it to. Varying atmospheric conditions and application techniques usually causes this. Luckily it's not terribly difficult to resolve. First, wait 5 days from painting and then try using our polishing compound on the area (follow instructions for compound). If this does not help the situation, then use the 2000 grit sandpaper in our 3M Sandpaper Combo pack. Again, follow the directions for wetsanding. After wetsanding then use the compound again and you should have a very nice gloss.

Some metallic colors, usually silvers and grays, sometimes look too dark. This is caused by the orientation of the small flakes or "metallic" in the paint. When sprayed from a spraygun or aerosol these flakes usually lay very nice and even. But when applied from a touch-up, they sometimes do not lay properly. Very often clearcoat will make the color look better by adding gloss to the color and allowing it to sparkle more. But if it still looks to dark, you may want to lightly sand the finish with the 1500 grit paper and then apply a little more paint. Be sure to apply is very lightly and evenly; this will also help with the color. You can do this a few times to build the paint up a bit.

Orange peel is the rough look you sometimes see after your clearcoat dries. It looks like the skin of an orange; hence the name. It's fairly easy to rectify. Just let the paint dry for 5-7 days and then wetsand the area with 1500, following the directions with the 3M Combo kit. Then buff with the polishing compound. You may need to repeat the process a couple times, but you will smooth the surface and achieve a nice gloss.

This is a chemical reaction caused from using incompatible products. You should not run into this trouble if you use all ExpressPaint products and follow the included directions. There are some tips to help avoid chemical problems: always allow the paint to dry thoroughly between coats. Apply even, medium coats of all products. Don't go too heavy; paint doesn't like being apply too thick.

This is caused by too much moisture in the air. Sometimes it will just go away on it's own, sometimes you need to redo the paintjob. Prevention is key here; don't paint when it's really humid out. Wait until it's under 50%-60% humidity and you won't face this issue.

Follow the tips on how to roll the masking tape (for more details, please read our "how to apply" ) and you won't have tape line problems. Also try not to tape in the middle of a panel; look for body creases where the line will be less noticeable. But if you do then normally you can wetsand with 2000 and remove the lines. Then use the polishing compound to bring your gloss back. If your line is really thick you may have to redo the job and go lighter on each material. Remember, you do not have to lay the paint on super thick, you only need good, even coverage.

This goes back to the chemical reaction issue. If your paint will not dry properly then you have too much on. Remember to let each coat dry thoroughly before applying the next coat. Also, do not apply heavy coats. Nice, even, medium coats are what you want. The same hold true with the clearcoat-two medium coats allowing them to dry in between is all that's needed. Too Heavy coats will not dry properly.

Sometimes paint blemish happen before you apply your clearcoat. If so you can lightly wetsand the area with 1500 grit paper and then apply more of the colorcoat. Then proceed to clearcoating. If a blemish shows up after you have clearcoated, sometimes it can be fixed, sometimes not. If it's just a little piece of dirt or a dust bunny, then wetsand with 2000 and then use our polishing compound. This should take care of the blemish. If the blemish is too deep into the paintjob you have no choice but to redo the paintjob or live with the blemish.