How to Measure Paint Thickness – Expert Guide

how to measure paint thickness on a car

Whether you are in the painting industry or shipbuilding and chemical industry, one thing remains constant. It is measuring the paint thickness of the object you are going to paint. Also, old car trading essentially needs the most precise paint coating thickness measurement to know about the car details.

This importance being said, you might be interested to know how to measure paint thickness, right? So, let's get to the point straight.

How to Measure Paint Thickness: The most straightforward way

Before we move on to see the paint thickness gauging methods, let's clarify one great confusion. When we talk about paint thickness scaling, we mean measuring the depth of DFT or Dry Film Thickness. We don't suggest the liquid paints.

This difference being said, we are going to measure the paint thickness on an object. And you can do it in two ways:

The Destructive Way

Did you notice the name? It says the destructive way that means you will eventually scratch the paint of the object to gauge it.

You will need a cutter to cut the paint coating in the substrate and measure it manually. Often it uses a gauge scale. The method is itself an ancient one and isn't either very practical. After all, damaging the paint isn't a good idea.

Just imagine, you scratched off an old car paint and later rejected to buy the car. You will have to pay for the dents, how expensive!

This being said, we move on the most advanced method to measure paint thickness of any objects-without damaging it.

The Non-Destructive Way:

It is the most convenient and widespread paint measurement method you will see. The best part about the non-destructive way is that they won't need to damage the paint anymore. Also, you can apply the method both on magnetic and non-magnetic metals.

So, the non-destructive method is applicable on all kinds of metals such as mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, titanium, and many more.

So, here's the process-

  • 1. You will need the best digital paint thickness gauge for the purpose. So, first, acquire one and move on to the next sections.
  • 2. The digital paint thickness gauge will come with a probe and LCD display.
  • 3. Turn on the digital display and calibrate it to zero. You should find the zero button on the board.
  • 4. Attach the other end of the probe with the car painting or any object which paint thickness you want to measure.
  • 5. A digital paint thickness measuring gauge uses an eddy current to measure the coating thickness of non-conductive coatings. While the indicator uses electromagnetic induction to find the paint depth for conducive materials.
  • 6. Once you touch the probe with the paint, you will see the readings in the digital display. The records are shown in three units, such as úm, nm, or mm, depending on the settings the screen has.

In most cases, the default display settings will be in mm or millimeter for our better understanding. The reading range is 0-12mm whilst some high-end digital paint thickness gauge facilitates up to 20mm.

Advantages of using a Digital Paint Thickness Gauge

Paintings on cars, ships, or other metals are sophisticated and expensive. So, naturally, you won't want to damage it. And that's here the digital paint thickness meter comes handy. It won't create scratch marks on the object.

Also, it is easy to use. Just touch the probe with the painted body and see the readings on the digital display. Moreover, with such convenience, the whole process needs only a few minutes. Besides, the paint thickness meters aren't any expensive products.

So, don't worry about the money slipping in our pocket either.

The Bottom Line

So, metering the paint thickness on any old material is essential for repainting. Without knowing how much you need to scratch off in each rinsing, the whole process becomes messy. A digital paint thickness meter will relieve you from the tedious manual gauging.

We aspire you understand the procedure and take a leap in your painting experience. Also, if you want to purchase an old car, use the measuring technique to effectively find the numbers of paint a vehicle has gone through.

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