Talked to a painter who's been doing this 40 years and he told me something that stuck

Said he never uses a hardener in his clear unless it's winter time, just slows the cure rate down way too much for his liking... He showed me a job he did 15 years ago that still looks fresh. Anyone else ever go without hardener just to see what happens?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_parker1d ago

@robinj29 you make a solid point, and I feel you man, trusting the old tricks can be a gamble.

robinj291d ago

Gotta push back on this one a little. Telling people to skip hardener is reckless advice unless you're working in a very specific climate and know exactly what you're doing. That slow cure rate isn't just an inconvenience, it can mess with your whole finish if you get dust or bugs landing on it overnight. Also, modern clears are designed to work with hardener to reach their full durability and chemical resistance. Just because that guy's job from 15 years ago held up doesn't mean the same trick works on today's paints or in every garage. I'd rather trust the product data sheet than a decades-old tip from one painter.