Which primer to apply before Candy® bodywork ?

In this article, to avoid any confusion, let us specify that we are not talking about primer, adhesion primer or surfacing, but only about an undercoat to achieve a Candy paint, which is quite different! So what do we mean by underlay for Candy ?
As you know, Candy is a sleight of hand* consisting of an undercoat (1) and a transparent colored layer (2) which tints the light.

The color that the eye perceives is therefore the result of the rebound of light on the reflective background and the passage through the colored varnish.
It is therefore necessary to have a well-reflecting background. You cannot use a solid, flat color. You have to use pearlescent, metallic, glittery, iridescent, chrome. In short... Anything that makes light bounce. And the choice of this base is therefore very important for the final appearance.

Here's an important tip : it's important to create maximum contrast between the base coat and the top (color) coat. It is also very interesting to choose opposite colors for the two layers: you can for example choose a blue or a green, under a red finish.

Which undercoat to choose for your Candy paint ?

Stardust offers an exceptional choice of specially reflective paints, with :
- different color choices
- different types of composition and effects
- different grain size choices*
* This is the size of the particles which is expressed in thousandths of a millimeter.
The finest measure around 10 to 20 microns, the standards around 60 microns and we find the flakes from from 100 and up to 600 microns

Among the types of undercoats for Candy paint, there are 3 main types:
The traditional aluminum-based metallic undercoats, effective, covering, which produce beautiful colors.
The pearly undercoats which have finer and more elegant reflections and which are available in many colors
The Diamond undercoat which is a large mother-of-pearl which creates sparkling reflections.
There are undercoats -special layers for Candy that we will see further down in the article.

Can you use any underlay for Candy ?

Absolutely not! It is important to use a base that is 100% metallic or pearlescent. What does that mean ? That the base must not contain tint and that its pigments must be fully effective and not "drowned" in opaque colors. This is particularly the case for manufacturers' metallic or pearlescent paints which add white, for example, to improve coverage, but in return, the reflective power is weakened.

Special underlays

Under a candy you can use a lot of things, like glitter or chrome. An interesting base layer is the BC13 made from micro Metal Flakes.
Stardust has also developed 2 high-end base layers which are the BC60 and BC71. They are made with very high quality, ultra-fine, ultra-shiny and very covering pigments, which give silver or gold effects, resembling polished metal.

How to make Candy paint with beautiful colors ?
Varnish for Candy paint
Candy spray paint
How to make Candy paint deep red ?