I keep seeing people swear by waterborne paint, but I think solvent-based still holds up better in cold weather

I work out of a small shop in northern Michigan, and for years I used only solvent-based paints. This winter I tried waterborne on a 2015 Ford F-150 repair job because a supplier pushed it hard. The finish looked fine in the booth, but after three days of below-freezing temps, it started to chip near the edge. I'm still not convinced waterborne can handle real winter conditions like solvent can.

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_lopez20d ago

Last winter I did almost 30 jobs with a PPG waterborne system in upstate New York and had zero chipping issues. My booth stays around 60 degrees but I let the panels sit for a full week before the customer takes it out in the cold. Maybe your clear coat was too thick or you didn't let enough flash time between coats. I've had solvent base fail on me just as bad when I rushed the cure time.

davis.noah20d ago

A whole week in the booth? You must have zero space in your shop or you're doing some real low volume then. Most guys I know are lucky if a car sits more than a day before the owner is calling asking if it's done. I've painted in upstate winters too and honestly the cold just messes with everything no matter what you do. Maybe your PPG is just magic paint or something but I've seen waterborne chip like crazy when the temp drops below 50 even with good flash times. Thick clear is definitely a problem but I don't think that's the main issue here.

the_elliot20d ago

Buddy of mine tried rushing a paint job in November last year, car sat three days then went out in 35 degree weather. Whole hood chipped by the time he got it back a week later.