Re: [A/S] Airstream Painting Clearcoat vs paint durability

["Oliver Filippi" <ofilippi@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dan,

All other things being equal, opaque paint with a comparable resin system is
more durable than clear.

The reason is that ultraviolet light is a major contributor to paint (and
clear) finish failure.

In the case of a clear, the UV penetrates the film and breaks it down from
within.   Modern clears for outdoor use include a UV filter (actually
similar to that in a sun screen or sun tan lotion) to minimize the UV caused
degradation.  However, the UV filter is often broken down or consumed by the
UV  and thus has a finite life, after which the clear finish is more
vulnerable.

Paint, on the other hand, is opaque and tends to reflect and/or prevent the
absorption of the UV energy, hence the finish is less vulnerable to this
sort of failure.

Oliver Filippi