Semi-matt varnishes as a special finish

Here is an article for those who are wondering how to make a matte motorcycle and car : varnishes and paints are the modern coatings that dress our vehicles to protect the sheet metal from corrosion, and above all, nowadays, to differentiate themselves and embellish your car or motorcycle with beautiful colors, sparkling, deep and now, matte or semi-gloss.

To change the “gloss” of a body finish, you need to reduce the shine. In a way, this amounts to breaking the natural properties of acrylics, to creating smooth and reflective surfaces. And yes, fashion dictates its law, and from now on the "wet look" reflections, the much sought-after glossy effects, have tired consumers, who are now looking to stand out with different finishes.

Usually it is by adding a matting agent*, that we manage to reduce the perfection of the glossy surface.

Semi-gloss varnish

If you look at a surface under a microscope, the more perfect it is, the smoother it will be, without defect and will then reflect light.
But then, what do you see if you look at a matte surface ? After the addition of "filler" and matting effect powder, the surface, seen very closely, appears as powdery or wrinkled, and this will capture the rays of light and avoid all "puddle" type reflections.

In the body shop world, gloss levels are classified in degrees. A classic gloss varnish reaches 90 to 95 degrees. A semi-gloss varnish is a rather vague qualifier, which can also be described as semi-matt, with a shine measured around 50 to 60°C.

It must be admitted that a semi-gloss varnish on a car looks more like a poor quality varnish, lacking in gloss. It is better to choose either a real matte effect or a real shiny effect.
Tastes and colors are not discussed !

Can we reduce the shine of a nail polish that is too shiny?

Yes, you can somehow damage the too perfect shine of a varnish with an "incomplete" polishing technique.
The important thing will be to do this clumsy maneuver, in a homogeneous way on the whole of the surface.
During polishing, the shine is effectively "broken" and found again by gradually increasing the luster with increasing grains of finesse.

Matting agents or mattifying additives

These additives are not very easy to use. We recommend that users favor ready-to-use products, classic matte varnishes. For those who want to venture into the world of automotive paint manufacturing, then there is a choice of liquid matting agents (thick pastes) or even harder, powder additives.
Results can be excellent, but difficulties may be encountered during the mixing phase.
Often, it is necessary to integrate large quantities of thinner to be able to "wet" and incorporate these powders without creating lumps.

Satin varnish
Matte varnish
Super matt varnish