Stealthy. Stylish. Sophisticated.

It’s words like these that might flit through your mind whenever a vehicle with a matte paint finish crosses your path. It’s easy to imagine a celebrity, sports star, or international spy behind the wheel.

But the sleek, eye-catching appearance that matte paint provides does not come without its drawbacks. In today’s blog, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of matte paint for vehicles in more detail, so you can decide for yourself if this attention-getting look is worth making a few sacrifices for.

How a Matte Finish is Achieved

First of all, it’s important to know that matte car paint is not actually a type of paint — it’s a finish. When base coats of exterior paint are applied to a car and left to dry and cure, the resulting surface is dull and rough — full of many tiny dips, dimples and imperfections. Traditionally, a glossy clear coat is then applied to smooth the surface, resulting in a highly reflective, shiny appearance.

A matte finish is achieved by applying a matte clear coat instead of a glossy one. Rather than smoothing and glossing over existing imperfections, the matte coat makes them more obvious, and even adds more irregularities to the finish. These miniscule surface flaws do not reflect the light, resulting in the dull, matte aesthetic that so many drivers appreciate.

Just like wall paint, there are a number of different matte finishes to choose from, each with its own level of shine. This fact may not matter so much for the purposes of buying a car with a matte finish, but it’s definitely something you must be aware of if you ever need to get your matte finish car repaired or repainted.

The Pros of Matte Car Paint

1. The way it looks.

The Cons of Matte Car Paint

1. High-Effort (Non-Negotiable) Maintenance

Matte paint needs to be washed by hand, period. Forget the convenience of automatic car washing … even the touchless systems can damage this finicky finish.

To further complicate things, you can’t use just any old solution for car washing. Even regular dish soap formulated to break down grease on dishes can weaken the protective outer layer. The same goes for protection… you’ll want to invest in one of the specialized waxes formulated for use on a matte finish. The use of traditional waxes is definitely not recommended.

Using the wrong kind of cleaner or wax can fill in and smooth out the tiny imperfections in a matte surface, which are precisely what give it that flat, understated appearance. There are a variety of cleaners, detailers, and protectants made specially for matte finishes. Although these products may cost a little more, restoring your damaged paint would be even more expensive.

2. Extra Protection = Extra Costs

In terms of longer lasting (and less labour intensive) protection, there are a couple of options:

Matte Paint Coating: These specially formulated solutions bond with the surface and follow the contours of the clear coat. Since they leave the imperfections intact and don’t fill them in, the finish remains flat.

Paint Protection Film: These films are formulated for matte finishes to add an extra layer of protection that prevents minor damage. However, they can be expensive. A more cost-effective option might be to wrap your vehicle in matte finish film, which produces very similar results. Best of all, it’s easy enough to remove the matte film if you get tired of the way it looks.

3. Collision Repair Considerations

Generally speaking, auto body repairs for a matte finish are going to cost more than for a traditional finish. Since minor scratches and flaws cannot be buffed out, the whole panel might have to be repainted, and then butt matching to the next panel can become a sheen matching issue.

Paint matching is extremely difficult on matte finishes. Beyond colour matching, the matte sheen itself is also a concern. Similar to interior house paint, there are many sheen options, making the whole matching process much more complex than with traditional paint. Shiny paint is so much easier to repair and refinish.

Additionally, matte finishes require specialized repair products, tools and techniques (not to mention experienced collision repair technicians that know how to use them), thereby adding to the overall cost of labour and materials. 

4. It Looks Expensive … Because It Is

For a new car, the cost of a factory-finish, matte top coat varies, but will likely fall somewhere between $2,000 and $6,000. Adding this finish to a used car can cost considerably more, due to the need to disassemble and reassemble the vehicle.

Generally speaking, the higher the base price, the more it’s going to cost you to tack on a matte finish. For high-end luxury cars, the cost can easily land in the $10,000 and up range.

For aftermarket matte painting of complete vehicles, we highly recommend wrapping the vehicle versus painting. Depending on the type and size of the vehicle, wrapping might cost between $4000-9000, whereas refinishing can be upwards of $12-20,000 for painting alone.  

At Mitek, Matte Has Met Its Match!

There’s no doubt about it: A stunning matte finish can add a whole extra layer of “wow” to your already amazing luxury car, but it’s a choice that also comes with some challenges.

Fortunately for our customers who are fans of this popular aesthetic, the collision repair technicians here at Mitek know their way around matte paint better than probably any other shop in the Waterloo Region. Whether you’ve got a small surface scratch or more serious damage, rest assured that we have the knowledge, equipment, and talent to ensure your vehicle will leave here looking the best it possibly can.