A fresh look at car paint

Noxious paint fumes and the whirring of agitating paint cans are conspicuously absent at Wilson's Auto Collision Inc.

The lack of traditional smells and sounds of an auto body shop doesn't mean owner Ray Wilson doesn't have any work. It means he's joined a growing industry trend.

A few months ago, Wilson stopped using solvent-based paint to repair damaged vehicles at his 22-year-old shop on East Platte Avenue and started using water-based paint.

Although European automakers have been applying water-based paint on new vehicles for more than a decade and domestic car manufacturers have jumped on board in the last few years, the more environmentally friendly product is just now making its way into the automotive aftermarket.

Auto body shops only recently started switching because water-based products weren't readily available from manufacturers and what was on the market was expensive, said Dale Francis, body shop manager at Red Noland Collision Center.

Now, "it's a break-even deal," said Francis, who said his shop plans to change systems by the end of this year. "It's a great marketing tool if you can combine waterborne with recycling in your shop - it attracts people who are green-conscious."

Only a handful of collision repair shops in Colorado use water-based paint, said Richard Turner, a Colorado territory manager for PPG Industries, which manufactures automotive finishes. Wilson's shop is the first in southern Colorado.

Water-based paint doesn't look different or behave differently, but it emits fewer pollutants into the air, Turner said, because it has one-tenth the amount of petroleum products commonly found in solvent-based paint.

Although a can of waterbased paint usually costs more - PPG's products are 10 to 15 percent higher, Turner said - less is needed on jobs. That helps recoup any extra product cost, said Keith Zeornes, owner of Auto Paint & Equipment Inc., a local distributor of PPG paint.

Other advantages: Wilson has reduced his hazardous waste removal costs by onethird because water-based paint produces fewer hazardous byproducts, and drying time drops from up to 15 minutes with solvent-based paint to one to three minutes with water-based. Wilson said that expedites jobs at his shop, which handles about 100 cars a month.

For example, a hood usually takes an hour to refinish with solvent-based paint, he said, and water-based paint cuts the time to 35 to 40 minutes.

Francis said he will send employees to a training program offered by the manufacturer - he's selected DuPont - to learn how to correctly use water-based products, and will invest about $17,000 to install ceiling fans and other equipment to get his shop up to speed to perform the application.

Wilson's staff traveled to Kansas City in June for training by PPG Industries. The manufacturer also footed the bill for new equipment, such as paint guns and cleaners, Wilson said.

The industry development is gaining the attention of lawmakers. Southern California's South Coast Air Quality Management District made water-based paint mandatory for auto body shops as of July 1, and Canada has followed suit. Other states are expected to soon enact regulations.

"Improvements in technology, equipment and price are all coming together at the same time, and the EPA is noticing," Turner said.