Ghost Pearl is a type of pearlescent paint made from see-through Mica Particles, kind of like glass.
It reflects one color while letting the underlying color show through. When it’s in the shade, it doesn’t shine, but in the sunlight, it can create various reflective effects.
Making Pearl paint isn’t too different from regular painting, except for a few added steps. When we talk about Ghost Pearl on our site, we’re referring to pearlescent pigments used to create effects like ghost flames or iridescent pearl paint jobs. Custom painters use our pearls to achieve those stunning pearlescent effects seen on many custom and factory paint jobs. You’ll find these ghost pearl effects on new cars and motorcycles, like the Lamborghini orange paint with a lovely gold pearl or the pearlescent white paints on Cadillacs and Infiniti cars, which can be achieved with a silver or gold pearl over a white base coat. Essentially, turning a two-stage paint job into a three-stage one is the key to creating quality pearl paint.
With that in mind, anyone can transform a regular paint job into a pearl paint job. Instead of the usual base-coat clear-coat process, we add pearl paint in the middle. It goes like this: Base-coat, ghost pearl paint, clear-coat. We always recommend making your own mixes and spraying a test panel before tackling the entire project. It’s also wise to use a base clear or binder to mix the pearls before adding the final clears. The final clear step is only for custom paint, not for powder coating, gel coating, or faux finishes.
If you’re planning a project with this lovely ghost pearl, here are some suggestions for which colors work well over different base coats:
- White base coat: You can use any of the pearls, but be aware that the red ghost pearl will give a pinkish look in the sun. Blue, violet, orange, gold, and silver are popular choices for white base coats.
- Black base coat: Again, you can use any ghost pearls, but don’t overdo it, or the project will take on the pearl color and overwhelm the black. To achieve a cool midnight color shift, keep the pearl ratio low, about a teaspoon per quart in the clear base or binder. For powder coating, use a tablespoon per pound and add more if needed.
- Red, Burgundy, or Orange base coat: We recommend Gold pearls, including shimmer gold or satin gold. Blue pearl red pearl, and violet pearls can also create fantastic effects over darker red shades.
- Blue base coats: For very light blues, like cornflower blue, green pearl can give excellent results. But for a cool color shift on any shades of blue, a violet ghost pearl will give you a nice purple color shift in the sun. Silver pearl paint can also provide a subtle effect on darker blues. Green can create a fantastic pearl effect over most blue bases.
- Yellow base coat: For lemony yellows, try green ghost pearl, and for darker racing yellows, go with gold pearls.
- Green base coat: Gold ghost pearl looks great on green base coats. You can also experiment with orange and red ghost pearls.
- Pink base coat: Surprisingly, silver ghost pearl looks amazing over pink, as does the red ghost pearl.
- Purple base coat: You can try our Red Ghost, Green Ghost, or Silver pearl.
If you’re still unsure which products to use over your existing paint or have questions about pearl, feel free to contact us. Or check out our FAQ’s page for more information. We’re here to help!
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– Matt
