I'm painting my truck soon and visited a paint store today. They sell PPG and Valspar. The guy insisted that buying PPG paint is paying for the name and that Valspar is the better value. Has anyone used Valspar and what did you think? Any help would be appreciated.

 

Yes, I use Valspar now. I found a dealer about 120 miles from home that told me the same thing as you were told. So for the 40% reduction in cost, I tried it.
I was nervous about how it was going to spray as I've used "cheaper" products before and didn't like them (Omni).
But to my surprise the base covered great just like any high quality base. I used the 4400 clear and it worked great and buffed just as good. In short I think it's great stuff.

That was about 4 months ago. On Monday (Oct 6) I am opening a new paint store in my town serving approx a 70 mile radius. I am the new jobber for Valspar and House of Kolor (owned by Valspar). While I'm nervous about trying to sway old ideas about paint brands, I have no doubts about the performance of the products.

In short, I like Valspar so much that I've risked my future on it!

Larry
www. larryscars . com

 

Is the AquaPrime 9 any good? What preparation is necessary? Can I use it over laquer (circa 1963)?

Bob

 

Hey Bob!

I don't carry Aquaprime as my area doesn't have real difficult VOC requirements. I will probably leave the data sheets out in case someone wants it though.
So obviously I haven't tried it myself. I haven't found a product in the line that's not good yet. So I'm sure it's a quality product.
As far as putting it over old laquer ... You'll be betting on the integrity of that substrate. That's true for any primer you choose. If it can't support the new finish over time you may have problems. That's why it's always safer to remove substrates you are unsure of. Check for cracking, checking, or chalking as they will reappear if you refinish over them. That being said, the data sheet does say it will go over OEM substrates (meaning ones in good condition), filler, bare metal, and many plastics. So if you're concerned about the AquaPrime not adhering or lifting the old surface, I don't think there would be any problem there.

If you don't need to meet the VOC requirements, I'd use the 92B060 primer. If you just want to stay away from a catalized primer, I've had good luck with the 87N Enamel primer. It just mixes with reducer and is ready to spray.

Here's the Aquaprime data sheet if it helps:
www. larryscars.com/val/aqua9. html

Larry