Collision Repair Terminology - Blending

The vehicle in these images is a 1996 Nissan 200SX.  The vehicle was damaged on the left side quarter panel right next to the rear door edge.   The damage was repaired, primed,and hand wet sanded to prepare it for refinish.   Any time you replace a panel or repair a panel near another panel you need to blend into the adjacent panels to achieve a blendable match.  It is the seam between the two panels that helps the eye differentiate between two colors so you need to blend across that seam so the eye cannot detect a difference in color.  With the new pearl/mica colors an even greater area my be required for the blending.

  Notice the left front door has been sanded in addition to the left quarter panel that was repaired.  The door handle and trim have been completely masked and the remainder of the vehicle has been covered by a big plastic bag.

  We need to blend on the door because the repaired area on the quarter panel is adjacent to the seam between the door and the quarter panel.  Even with the new paint custom tinted from the factory formula you need the area on the door to help achieve the blendable match.

  Here the clear sealer has been applied over both panels being refinished.   This is a required step for the particular Sherwin-Williams refinishing system being used.

  The vehicle is being refinished in a booth with heated air make up.   As paint products get more environmentally friendly the solvents that used to help the paint cure are being removed so the heated air is needed to help the paint cure.

  Here the first coat of the basecoat color has been applied.  The refinish technician only sprayed enough to cover the repaired area and just a little bit beyond the damaged area both in front on the door and behind on the quarter panel.

  Here the second coat has been applied with the technician going just a little bit further into the areas adjacent to the repaired area.

  Here the third coat has been applied and the repaired area is almost completely hidden.

  The fourth and final coat has been applied and there is no visibly indication of the repaired area.  In some cases the primer itself can be tinted to closely match the basecoat color so less basecoat material is required to get good coverage over the repaired area.  Here the gray primer was used to help illustrate the technique.

  You can see by looking at the masking tape and paper outlining the refinished area that the area below the tail lamp and along the edge next to the trunk did not get painted with the new basecoat color.

  This picture really shows the progression of the blending into the door.   If you look at the paper under the door you can see how the paint starts out darker on the rear of the door and gradually lightens toward the front of the door.  This is the blend.  The new paint gradually feathers into the old paint.  There is no new paint on the front edge of the door so the fender and door will still match.

  The final product seen from the front.  The clearcoat has been applied over the basecoat color.

  The clearcoat is what gives the vehicle its high gloss finish and contains a UV blocker to protect the basecoat color from oxidation and the elements.

  Because of the blending we have maintained a good color match between the left quarter panel and the trunk lid.

  And between the left front door and fender.  Blending takes more time, requires more preparation and more material, but it is important to the overall quality of the repair.  How many times have you seen a vehicle driving around with a door or fender that looks like it just doesn't quite match?  In that case blending probably wasn't used.