why does car paint scratch so easily? You can leave an ugly mark with a piece of plastic that wouldn’t do anything to, say, wall paint or enameled kitchenware.

Question

why does car paint scratch so easily? You can leave an ugly mark with a piece of plastic that wouldn’t do anything to, say, wall paint or enameled kitchenware.

In: 1

Answer 1

There are different kinds of paint with different abilities.

Indoor paint can trade off “being waterproof and tolerant of a wide range of temperatures” with “ability to withstand scratches.” Enameled items require the ability to heat an object to crazy temperatures in order to apply, which doesn’t work for cars.

Car paint has prioritized things like “protect the car’s metal parts from rusting” and “being waterproof and stay attached to the metal under a wide range of temperatures.” There are also cost concerns that have reduced the thickness of the layer of paint on the car.