Thread: Candy Apple Red

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As a custom painter for 35+ years, it sounds like you aren't familiar with custom paints, and how candies are applied. It is usually a reflective base, like silver, gold, or other brilliant metallics. That is covered with a transparent tinted clear. After that a regular clear is used as a protective finish coating.

The reason they are so radiant is because the light passes through the candy paint, and then reflects back from the base coat... illuminating that transparent color from behind.

Candies are one of the most difficult to do, and unless it's a show car, they are not adviseable... especially for a street car. They are very hard to spray, and almost impossible to repair.

If you are determined to do it anyway, I have two options I would recommend.

The first is a factory tri-coat color. They are a candy, but use a darker basecoat, about the same color as the candy on top. They are easier to spray... and easier to repair, because if the candy on top is not of an even thickness, it doesn't show as much, since the base will not appear much lighter, where the candy layers are thinner.

The other is a product called "basecoat Kandy" and is offered by House Of Kolor. It is a transparent candy, with a pearl or metallic mixed in. The appearance is simillar to a tru candy, but easier to spray and repair. They even offer videos showing how to use it.

Good luck.