Enamel vs Laquer...?

[Samckitt]

What's the difference & why use one over the other?

[toxicz28]

Both are single stage
Laquer/ fast dry time(30 minutes)- minimal shine without color sanding and polishing
Enamel/ slow dry time(24 hours)- good shine without color sanding and polishing

[mikey]

Laquer has no chemical restance it also dries to a very brittle finish. Enamel when catalyzed is a very durable chip and chemical resistant finish. Laquer is also a air dry paint meaning more of the solvents are lost to evaporation whereas enamel is cured by chemical reaction. Bottom line is if you want a show car finish that you are afraid to touch use laquer. Oh and plan on polishing it alot because it doesn't hold a gloss for any decent amount of time. I hope this helps you out some.

[Samckitt]

Yes that helps, thanks.

[JYD]

theres really no reason to use laquer paint anymore. today's paints are much, much more durable, and have much more intense pigments. much easier to maintain as well.

[RobM]

single stage urethane can look really good and is durable. I would never use laquer any thing on a car. I would also never use a non catalyzed top coat

[Hogshooter]

A word of caution, only use single stage for solid colors, base clear for metallics. If you are spending the time to prep a car or part right then spring for the better material, you will be happier in the long run. Acrylic enamel is pretty old technology and without the lead it was formulated with it is not as durable as a urethane. In PPG we would be compaing Delglow with Concept color. The single stage is great for solids but metallics will fade in a hurry and cannot be buffed in single stage.

[Alchemist]

Here's a brief overview:

Both lacquer and enamel are therosetting paints. Meaning they will "dry" by air and heat. These two types of paints are resolvent - meaning that a solvent will/can dissolve the paint. Certain wax and grease removers will soften the paint and applying lacquer thinner or acetone to remove a stubborn contamination will definitely ruin your day besides your paint job.

Some definitions I believe will help:

Single part paints (no hardner/catalyst) "Dry". Lacquers and enamels are in this category though there are "accelerators" available for enamels!

"Two part" paints (require hardner/catalyst) to "Cure".

Two-stage paint systems is a basecoat color which requires a clear topcoat applied over the basecoat to protect it from environmental exposure. Basecoat paint is not formulated to be applied as is and put into service. Basecoat paint will always dry "flat" in appearance. The "2-part" clear material applied over the basecoat is what gives you the gloss.

There are also 3-stage and 4-stage paint systems but I won't go into detail. I believe you get the idea.

I wrote this tech article for another automotive forum I use to frequent and I'd like to share it.

FYI - For quite some time now lacquer (nitro and acylic) are illegal in California as well as enamel (both synthetic and acrylic).

If I may suggest you refrain from using either lacquer or enamel. My advise would be to look at the urethane paint systems for durability. From my experience having painted with both types of lacquers, both types of enamels and the urethane paint systems; The lacquer and enamel paint will not hold up to the performance level of the catalyzed paint systems available today.

Here the lacquer info:


Lacquer Paint History:

Allow me to share a little history about lacquer paint. Lacquer coating originated in China about 7,000 years ago. The Chinese discovered that a Japanese lacquer tree, a common tree at the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, produced sap with very good adhesive properties and a beautiful gloss. It could be used as a protective and beautifying film for various objects.

Lacquer was used in the automotive industry as the earliest of automotive refinish coatings. During the early 1900's lacquer paint was originally applied by brush then later literally "hosed" (thru tubes with holes) onto the body then sanded and polished. This paint version was known as Nitrocellulous Lacquer. It wasn't until later that acrylic was added to lacquer to enhance durability.

Sanding Lacquer:

Lacquer being of very low solid content has more solvent (thinner) to paint material ratio when mixed, to allow sprayability out of a spray gun and not have it come out looking like grit. Thus, you must spray, as an example, 5-6 coats of lacquer, sand; apply another 5-6 coats, sand; and apply a final 5-6 coats. Let dry for about 30 days. Sand and polish.

From my understanding and experience the reason for sanding in between coats is this. Say, you're painting in your driveway. You're going to get a variety of debris in your paint coats. That is why you need to sand them out and other imperfections that you find. Then you apply more paint, let dry and then resand to remove more debris. Now remember, lacquer is very low solid material so you need adquate film build in order to allow for sanding and polishing, which reduces paint film buildup. That is why you hear of someone putting 20 coats of lacquer!! I painted a car many years ago in metalflake, the real coarse glittery stuff and had to apply over 50 coats of clear lacquer. Unfortunately, it only lasted one summer before it cracked!!!

Sanding Between Coats:

Actually, when using lacquer, you wouldn't need to sand for adhesion because the lacquer thinner used in mixing lacquer paint is so hot that it chemically adheres/bonds to the lacquer substrate. The only reason for sanding is to remove imperfections and dirt. Though it doesn't hurt to sand for adhesion - it will help promote adhesion.

Pro's and Con's of Lacquer Paint:

Pros: ease of application, (you could paint your car in the driveway!) somewhat inexpensive.

Con's: very low solids, low natural shine, poor chemical resistance, poor UV durability, labor intensive. Lacquers are not catalyzed and thus air dry. Lacquer is always drying, until they become so dry that they crack and flake away from the substrate (if there is too high of film build), also known as lacquer checking. Lacquer is an unstable substrate when refinishing due to the solvent sensitivity.


If you're going to refinish anything substantial, like repainting/restoring your car, please look into using the urethane paint finishes. You'll be much happier with the finish, durability and lower maintenance of the new paint systems.

Thanks!

Alchemist