California Paint Restrictions?

[iaw4]

From a website:

The only car paints you can legally get in California are enamels and low-VOC urethanes. You can?t get lacquers - which really screwed up the custom-car industry in LA County, but most people would prefer to breathe clean air than look at some stranger?s sweet candy paint job. If you?ve ever used lacquer thinner, you understand why they aren?t available any more.

Your best bet would be enamel with hardener added. Unless you?re set up to shoot urethane, it is not the system for you - that stuff can kill you if you aren?t equipped.

what are the best paints for an aircraft job? is the above a real limitation for aircraft painting? would it make sense to paint in AZ rather than CA?

[bruceh]

From the Corona Air Paint web page:

Fact: We can use any aircraft paint available in the UNITED STATES

Lie: California does not allow us to use paint available in Arizona

PLEASE DON'T LET PEOPLE LIE TO YOU, WE CAN USE ALL THE RIGHT PRODUCTS FOR YOUR AIRCRAFT. WE ARE NOT BANNED FROM USING THE PAINT THEY USE IN ARIZONA, NEVADA OR ANYWHERE ELSE!!!

So that being said, call the paint shops and see what they say.

[scsmith]

You really do want a high quality cross-linked Urethane paint. PPG Concept or Sherwin-Williams JetGlo are a couple of examples. In California, these are supposed to only be sold to qualified professionals, but I have never had a paint shop decline to sell it to me. They will admonish you that it is not legal to just use it outside, or in your garage. You are supposed to have a proper paint booth.

And yes, these paints are toxic, you must wear proper respirator and other protective equipment.

[N402RH]

This is what I used on my RV-10 and I am currently painting my Cessna Aerobat with.

Aluminum Primer
PPG Variprime

Fiberglass Primer
PPG Prima K36
K201 Hardener


Base Coat Color
1:1
PPG Deltron DBC
DT870 Reducer

Clear Coat
4:1:1
PPG DCU2024
DCX61 Hardener
DT870 Reducer

Just finished the door with clear coat, all the stripes and letters were painted before the top clear coat.


Rudder is ready for clear coat after lots of masking and painting.


Rob Hickman
N402RH RV-10
N6120F Cessna 150 Aerobat

[iaw4]

thx. Corona is high on my list of choices to investigate. I will find out what they recommend to use.

[emsvitil]

Paint restrictions in CA are more by county than state.......

[pilotkms]

Check out Art Craft in Santa Maria.

[Bavafa]

Originally Posted by pilotkms

Check out Art Craft in Santa Maria.

I had my plane painted there, if you are interested in my feedback, let me know. Hint, it is not going to be flattering

[ReidVaitor]

I used Stewarts Systems for my -10 and 10 years later, contrary what I was told, its still holding on like new. Its a waterborne based paint and my family never smelled a thing when I painted the plane in my garage.

[xblueh2o]

Originally Posted by emsvitil

Paint restrictions in CA are more by county than state.......

This.

What you hear from shop to shop will vary wildly based on where they are operating.