# Making matte finish glossy



## Bensley7 (Mar 23, 2012)

I have a Specialized Tarmac that sports the matte finish that seems to be the new wave in bike finishing. I really wish it was glossy. Does anyone have any advice whether or not this could be attained at a local auto body shop with the application of clearcoat gloss finish after sanding the matte down?


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## Danimal (Jan 4, 2005)

Yeah, I don't get the matte thing. My mountain bike is matte and it sucks and is impossible to clean.

Why not stop by a reputable body shop? Maybe a good bike shop can tell you who they use? The experts will surely chime in, but painting a bike takes some careful prep to keep paint out of places where it shouldn't be. Of course, a total tear down is required.

I don't see why the matte paint/clear would need to be sanded down, though. I'm guessing a good, thorough solvent wipedown would prep it pretty well. I suppose that depends on the specific finish of the matte paint, but a good shop can advise on this.

Dan


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## nhluhr (Sep 9, 2010)

I know a guy used automotive polish to turn his matte black 2003 Giant TCR Composite into a gloss black. It looked really good.

When I say polish, I do NOT mean wax - you want something specifically designed to polish. Some people mistakenly use those terms interchangeably but they are very different products.


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## MXL (Jun 26, 2012)

Yeah, what's up with all the new bikes finished in matte black? They remind me of all the dirtbag cars that received a rattle can, black primer paint job; however, it's one step above those with the camo paint job. Sorry, it just looks cheap and unfinished - even Colnago has painted the C59 with flat black. Yuck!!! Would anyone here go to their local car dealership and buy a car painted primer black?


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## vaetuning (Oct 1, 2009)

*From Matte to gloss finish*

Hi Bensley7

Go nutz with polish and finish off with a good coat of wax!!

I have done so with several of my components and frames.

Most people believe that matte finish is obtained without clear coat, but it is NOT - it is made with a specific clear coat that ends up in the matte finish, when applied correctly.

One can actually obtain the finish with normal clear coat, if sprayed correctly!!

If you do polish the matte clear coat, you'll discover that the finish you can obtain is actually "deeper" and glossier than factory finish.

Back in the day, when final finish was made on a car, they actually "matted" the final clear coat with very fine grit water sanding paper, and then polished it up by hand, obtaining a rather fantastic deepness in the clear coat!!

With respect

Mads


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## maxfrm (Jan 15, 2012)

I am in Northern CA & I have looked into this myself regarding Specialized & Scott carbon bikes at the LBS. I have been told multiple times from different shops it will void the warranty on the frames. I asked about clear coating, gel coating & even powder coating. It was explained to me that the manufactures want no other chemicals on their paint finishes. If that is not a concern then there are a few options to get the glossy look. Make sure that the person that is going to do this for you understands the chemicals used in the current carbon layup so there is no integrity issues. Also you gain grams of weight not much though. Good Luck if you decide to go for the shine


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## stanseven (Nov 9, 2011)

I guess a basic question is why buy a matte finish if you don't like it to begin with?


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## maxfrm (Jan 15, 2012)

We as consumers don't have the choice to pick colors when purchasing a specific model of bike many only come in 1 color for that specific year. I do not know if you were trying to be funny or if it was a legit question but tried to answer it without being rude.


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## shoot summ (Oct 1, 2012)

I'm on the other side of the fence, I dig the matte finishes, and plan to take the gloss off of my bike. Going from matte to polish could be accomplished with standard auto body supplies, I would start by wet sanding with a very fine grit of paper, 1500-2000 or so, go lower if needed but the lower you go the more material you remove. Then use a fairly aggressive cutting polish, same thing though, it's always easier to get more aggressive, and really hard to add material back onto the finish. Check out a site like autogeek.net, they have a slew of small foam pads that would be useful on a bike.


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## stanseven (Nov 9, 2011)

maxfrm said:


> We as consumers don't have the choice to pick colors when purchasing a specific model of bike many only come in 1 color for that specific year. I do not know if you were trying to be funny or if it was a legit question but tried to answer it without being rude.


Thanks for the reply. I wasn't trying to be funny. What I meant is most bikes come in a variety of colors based on the group and other options in the package. Many stores will gladly swap the components and build a frame up differently.


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## carlislegeorge (Mar 28, 2004)

maxfrm said:


> We as consumers don't have the choice to pick colors when purchasing a specific model of bike many only come in 1 color for that specific year. I do not know if you were trying to be funny or if it was a legit question but tried to answer it without being rude.


Sorry, I'm calling BS on this one. As a consumer, you have all the choice. If you don't like it, don't buy it. So many models available, you can get what you want. I happen to like black, gloss or matte. But the matte is a little PIA to clean, even though I personally love the ultra stealth look. Signed, Johnny Cash...


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## maxfrm (Jan 15, 2012)

really you calling BS, I was looking at a 2012 Scott Foil 15 with Ultegra Di2 which actually has a gloss finish & in silver with black lettering and a 2012 Scott CR1 Pro with mech Ultegra has a matte black finish with red accents also matte finish what other colors choices did I have? Now if you wanted me to get the team, comp or elite frame then yes there are a few choice but if you want the CR1 specifically then let me know the option's, on the foil same issue, My LBS doesnt have a Foil 10,20,30,40 or team or premium just laying around, yes they can order a different frame, still not a Foil 15 with the lettering. now a specialized yes you have more choices


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## carlislegeorge (Mar 28, 2004)

I'm not saying you don't have a point, and there aren't a plethora of new matte finish models available right now. 

Me, the 3 bicycle purchase decisions I've made (at steadily rising dollar outlays) in the past 4 years have been based on a combination of performance capability, "feel" and appearance. In reality, performance levels can be very very very close, at every price point So I buy based primarily on what looks best to my eye and other intangibles at the moment. I have never felt there weren't plenty of options at any given point in time. If you "gotta have a Scott" then I truly do sympathize with your issue.


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## enr1co (Oct 30, 2009)

Bensley7 said:


> I have a Specialized Tarmac that sports the matte finish that seems to be the new wave in bike finishing. I really wish it was glossy. Does anyone have any advice whether or not this could be attained at a local auto body shop with the application of clearcoat gloss finish after sanding the matte down?


Carbon frame repair shops like spidercomposites.com or calfee.com can refinish to gloss- you can email them on line for a quote.


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## Quattro_Assi_07 (Jan 13, 2006)

carlislegeorge said:


> Sorry, I'm calling BS on this one. As a consumer, you have all the choice. If you don't like it, don't buy it. So many models available, you can get what you want. I happen to like black, gloss or matte. But the matte is a little PIA to clean, even though I personally love the ultra stealth look. Signed, Johnny Cash...


It is but one of the many reasons to choose a particular frame/bike. How anyone ranks it with all of the other reasons is up to them at the time they make that purchase. It does not mean that those decisions will always rank the same. If fact, everything else being equal, the color scheme of the frame might rise in importance. Unfortunately, unlike other decisions, choice of components for example, the color scheme is a lot harder or more expensive to change. Obviously it can be done but depending on the complexity, it might not be worth it. In this case, I would think it would be relatively simple to have the frame clear coated but I am not a SME in this field, just a consumer, so what do I know? 

Personally, I like color, not black. I also do not like matte finishes so color would be at the top of my list. Even if given to me, I wouldn't ride a black matte finished bike, no matter the brand or model.


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## fivekabob (Sep 16, 2008)

Let's say your matte black finish has a bit of discoloration as mine has...(2014 Trek Domaine 5.2. Might have gotten some sunscreen cream on the top tube)....If you polish it up a bit and there are white graphics there as well....(Trek Logo on downtube and model type on back of top tube), would those details be removed?


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