How to paint without shagreen: causes of the defect and methods of elimination, shagreen as an advantage

Although painting a room’s walls can completely change it, occasionally the results are not what you had in mind. Shagreen, a textured, dimpled surface that can detract from the sleek appearance you’re going for, is one frequent problem. This issue can be annoying, particularly if you want a polished, seamless finish.

Shagreen frequently arises from a variety of causes, such as using the incorrect paint type or performing inadequate surface preparation. However, before you lose hope too much, it’s crucial to understand that this flaw can be effectively fixed and prevented. Gaining an impeccable paint job and preventing repeating the same mistakes in the future are both possible with an understanding of the causes.

It’s interesting to note that shagreen isn’t inherently bad. In certain instances, this texture may even give your walls a distinctive, artistic touch. It is possible to transform an apparent flaw into a feature that improves your space if you know how to work with it instead of against it. This guide will walk you through your options, whether your goal is to embrace the shagreen or fix it.

What is this phenomenon and how dangerous is it

• We all admire shiny cars with a body polished to a mirror shine. Also, almost everyone has noticed that upon close examination, the paint on the body of some cars seems to be slightly rippled or looks like an orange peel. This is exactly the effect called shagreen. Among professionals, it is also called automotive cellulite.
• This does not threaten the integrity of the metal in any way, and it does not affect the aerodynamic properties of the surface. This defect is more likely to be aesthetic than physical. But still, it’s not very pleasant to realize that your favorite “swallow” doesn’t look as impressive as before.
• Painting without shagreen is, first of all, knowledge and understanding of all the main reasons for its appearance. Such a result can arise due to a combination of several factors, but the most common reason can be called unclear compliance with atmospheric and temperature requirements.

Paint flaws in cars.

This article will discuss how to paint a wall smooth without creating a texture defect called shagreen. We’ll list the typical causes of shagreen, such as inadequate surface preparation or paint application, and offer helpful advice for resolving these problems. We’ll also talk about how shagreen can occasionally be used as a design element to give your walls a distinctive texture.

Reasons for the occurrence of a defect and methods of elimination

• The principle of drying of automotive enamels is based, for the most part, on the evaporation of the solvent from the surface. The drying speed of paints depends on the degree of volatility of the solvent. But besides this, the evaporation rate is also greatly influenced by the temperature in the box, the total humidity of the air and, finally, the degree of saturation of the atmosphere with solvent.
• It would seem that there is nothing simpler, dilute the paint stronger, and the problem is solved. But in this case, an overly liquid composition will cause streaks on the surface. And too thick paint will immediately lead to shagreen.
  Therefore, to achieve the golden mean, you need to consider a number of the following factors.
• The packaging of any high-quality automotive enamel always has instructions with precise mixing proportions. You need to take this seriously, mixing "by eye" will not work here. Every professional has graduated containers for precise proportions.
• But the correct proportions are not everything. A lot depends on the quality of the solvent itself, it can evaporate too quickly or, conversely, slowly. There is only one piece of advice here, follow the manufacturer"s recommendations, as a rule, each type of finishing paint has its own solvent.

Important note: Only professional boxes with adequate ventilation can use the solvent packaging data provided by the manufacturer. You should expect the composition to take longer to dry if you choose to paint by hand in a basic garage.

Modes of operation for spray guns.

1. The box for painting a car should have a stable temperature, professionals advise keeping it within 18 – 23º C. At higher or lower temperatures, it will be necessary to adjust the density of the composition by increasing or decreasing the mixing proportions. Alternatively, you can experiment with the distance from the spray gun to the surface. (Cm. See also the article Spray gun for painting: features.)
2. Much depends on the stability of the pressure in the system. Shagreen painting may result if the compressor is not adjusted. Spontaneous air exhausts will provoke uneven application of paint and, as a consequence, the appearance of a defect.
3. The diameter of the spray gun nozzle and the distance to the surface are of great importance. The fact is that at a large distance, some of the paint can dry before it comes into contact with the metal, this is especially true at high temperatures.
4. The ratio of the temperature of the car enamel and the temperature of the metal is of great importance. If you try to apply a cold composition to a warm surface, there is a high probability of various defects.
5. You should also strictly monitor the drying time of the metal between layers, the main thing here is not to rush, the composition must firmly adhere. Beginners often make a common mistake, wanting to dry the surface faster, they use a directed air flow from a spray gun, this almost always leads to the formation of shagreen.

Advice: As was already mentioned, you can control the solvent level, ventilation, and room temperature. In other words, if you choose to work with the dilution proportions, all other data should be stable, so you don’t need to change multiple parameters at once. If not, you won’t comprehend the reason behind the flaw’s emergence.

Paint box for cars.

• Professionals advise trying your hand on a test sheet of paper before starting to paint the metal. Moreover, the composition is applied in several layers, until streaks form. It is better to glue the paper to a hard surface.
• Another very important detail is that painting without shagreen is not possible if you have a low-quality tool. The popular wisdom that says that a miser pays twice is 100% true here.
• The price of a good spray gun starts from 2,000 rubles, in addition, the compressor must be at least semi-professional. Air blowers, which are well suited for water-based paint, will not cope with car enamels. The diameter of the gun nozzle must be adjusted after each painting, because even the best spray guns, during operation, slightly get upset.

Removing the shagreen effect

• Even high-class professionals sometimes have a slight ripple on the car body. It is not at all necessary to completely repaint the car, since you can remove shagreen after painting using step-by-step polishing. This work is not difficult, but it also requires attention and accuracy.
• First of all, you should prepare at least a bucket of slightly warm, preferably distilled water, it should not contain any dirt or detergent additives.
• You will need a wide range of sandpaper, starting from P1200 – P1500 for primary processing, to P2000 – P2500 – P3000 for final sanding. In addition, after processing with sandpaper, you will need to polish it with polishing pastes. Here, No. 74 and No. 75 are used, or you can polish with 3M paste, both pure abrasive and under the transition. (See.. also the article DIY Primer for Putty.)

The best base for sandpaper is made of hard rubber, but if a wooden block works better for you, go for it. The paper is soaked in water until it curls into a tube before using. This is done in an effort to make the abrasive layer softer.

Polishing pastes and grinding wheels.

• Processing begins with matting the surface with P1500 sandpaper, after which a smooth transition is made to P2000. When rubbing with paper, you need to constantly wash the surface with clean water, remove the remaining moisture with a piece of hard rubber.
• You can polish manually, but this will require a certain amount of skill, since the pressure must be uniform. If you do not have the necessary experience, it is better to use a grinding machine, you can adapt an electric drill or grinder with a speed controller for this type of work, equipping them with special attachments.
• Both matting and polishing must be done evenly, without lingering in one place and pressing the tool to the surface with the same force. Otherwise, characteristic stripes and differences will remain on the metal, which will be quite problematic to eliminate later.
• Specifically, to remove the shagreen effect, modern industry produces special polishing wheels; their grit size can be P2000 and P3000, but they differ from sandpaper in that they are on a soft base. It is much easier and more efficient to work with such a tool.
• After thorough matting, a special soft nozzle for polishing is installed and the polishing process begins. The process is quite long and, one might say, tedious. At least 3 types of polishing paste are used, from coarse abrasive to finer. Each time you switch to a finer paste, the surface being treated must be washed.

• Polishing the varnish coating and removing the shagreen defect from its surface is somewhat simpler. It is much more difficult, from a professional point of view, to eliminate defects from the painted surface before applying varnish. The fact is that matting and removing waves from paint using abrasives with a grain size of P1500 and P2000 is not acceptable here, since the adhesion to the varnish composition will be very low and with any, even a slight impact, the varnish will peel off.
• In such cases, they come differently, the stripping of the painted surface is carried out with sandpaper with grain P1200, high -class professionals having a hard, stuffed hand, even use P1000. But the work is done with very light pressure, because the enamel is quite easy to damage. After such sanding, the surface is washed, dried and a varnish layer is applied.
• But if even after such processing and polishing the defects cannot be removed, then the only way out is to completely remove the paint layer and repaint.

This article’s video demonstrates how to polish a disassembled car body.

When shagreen is an advantage

• If in the automotive industry this effect is considered a serious drawback, then in many other areas, this is already an enviable advantage. For example, shagreen powder paint is specially produced for covering commercial equipment or safes.
• Due to its original appearance and relief, such a coating is often used to hide small, minor defects, scratches, welds, etc.. Visually it looks as if it was a deliberate design decision.
• Powder compositions are divided into 3 main types, these are epoxy-based paints, polyester-based paints and mixed compositions with an epoxy-polyester base.
• The coating can be glossy and have a wide range of colors, such as fire-retardant metal paints Polistil, or matte single-color, such as silver conductive paint Zinga. In addition, the outer structure of the “orange peel” itself can be large or small.
• Powder compositions in general and shagreen powder paint in particular are products of new modern technologies, therefore they have unique resistance to mechanical and chemical influences, plus the durability of these compositions can be envied.

• When selecting a composition, you should take into account the operating conditions of the item. If you need to protect a metal object that is outdoors and exposed to all the surprises of the weather, then it is better to take polyester paint.
• If resistance to chemically active substances is required, then an epoxy-based composition should be taken. Well, for things located indoors, an epoxy-polyester mixture is taken.
• Powder paint shagreen is the only one with which you can achieve an exclusive visual effect of "antique". Its essence lies in the fact that the tops of the tubercles have a shade slightly different from the color of the base. As a result, a very beautiful shimmer is obtained. It can be "silver on yellow" or "gold on lilac" and many other combinations.

Variety of paints in powder form.

Recognizing the root causes of this flaw and learning how to avoid and fix it are essential to painting without shagreen. Problems such as poor paint application, improper surface preparation, or the use of the wrong kind of paint can result in shabby areas. It takes careful attention to detail and appropriate technique to solve these issues.

You can attain a smooth, polished finish by making sure the surface is properly prepped, applying paint evenly, and selecting the appropriate products. Shagreen can occasionally even work to your benefit, giving your room a distinctive texture that could improve its overall appearance.

The key to painting successfully without shagreen is having the correct supplies, preparation, and technique. By taking the proper steps, you can steer clear of typical pitfalls and benefit from a faultless paint job that improves the appearance of your house.

Video on the topic

Shagreen what is it? Shagreen when painting a car.

How to get large and small shagreen on varnish when painting a car? What affects shagreen?

Why you SHOULD NOT paint in a mirror? Advantages of painting a car in shagreen | Factory shagreen on varnish

Polishing shagreen after an unsuccessful painting in the garage

HOW to adjust shagreen, INSTRUCTIONS without water!