PPG Concept vs. “Essential”

M

MAKZ06

Newbie
I made the 45 min drive down to the nearest auto paint supply this morning to pick their brain about my upcoming color coat.
I plan to use a solid color single stage, and based on what I’ve been reading here, was thinking PPG Concept. I gave him my background and painting newbie status, and where I was in the process with using SPI epoxy, etc. He recommended I go with the PPG “Essential” line. I then asked about the Concept line and he said that was of course a great paint, but he still recommended i save my money and go with the Essential…. Said he didn’t think I would see a difference, plus for the price I could afford to practice with it more before I get started.
So, do any of you have experience with Essential? Would you still recommend Concept instead? What differences would I see for a truck that will spend most its life in the garage?
I don’t know enough to know what the differences are in an inexpensive vs expensive paint… Does the Concept cut and buff much better? I assume it’s more durable or has better UV endurance.
Wondering if he was steering me toward the cheaper stuff because he figured a newbie spray job would look like crap anyway…:rolleyes:
 
Friend of mine painted his street rod back in 1990 with concept. Drove it to rod runs , world of wheels etc for years. He never had to paint it again in all those years. Course today's concept might be different, I don't know and can't offer my opinion.
 
shine said:
i'm a concept fan . been using it forever. dont listen to idiots behind the counter. 2nd line crap will not save anything .
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Thanks, I remember seeing you had recommended and were a fan. Just wondered about the other stuff he was pushing or what the differences would be.
 
Chris_Hamilton said:
It is "essentially" SS Omni. Low end stuff. It is not on the same quality level as Concept.
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Thanks. Sounds like I’ll be going with concept after seeing your and Shine’s comments.
So in a nutshell, what are the main differences you would see between the two?
 
A young guy who was just getting his shop on its feet painted a Checkmate boat for me in the early 90's using black Concept. The boat has been kept outside most of the time since, sometimes covered but most times not. The paint is still in good shape. Much better than the factory base/clear on a Chevy pickup or the factory SS on a Ford pickup, both of which I bought new within a year of the time when the boat was painted.
 
there are other brands but concept is just something i have used for many years. price sucks but so does a repaint. you might check with chad on wanda paint.

for the record omni sucks. it is piss water thin and takes more to cover which creates solvent problems.
 
Concept is nice stuff, it’s the price that hurts. This is Concept that I painted a few years ago before the price went up.
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Don
 
metlmunchr said:
A young guy who was just getting his shop on its feet painted a Checkmate boat for me in the early 90's using black Concept. The boat has been kept outside most of the time since, sometimes covered but most times not. The paint is still in good shape. Much better than the factory base/clear on a Chevy pickup or the factory SS on a Ford pickup, both of which I bought new within a year of the time when the boat was painted.
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Thanks. Great input.
 
shine said:
there are other brands but concept is just something i have used for many years. price sucks but so does a repaint. you might check with chad on wanda paint.

for the record omni sucks. it is piss water thin and takes more to cover which creates solvent problems.
Click to expand...
Thanks. That’s what I was wondering regarding specifically why it is lesser quality.
 
shine said:
i'm a concept fan . been using it forever. dont listen to idiots behind the counter. 2nd line crap will not save anything .
Click to expand...
I want to do my Falcon project in single stage as well. PPG Concept has always been the first choice a respected friend. Recently he went to base coat clear and used all SPI products. I am not sure what base he used.

Anyhow do you think you could ballpark what a gallon of concept would be in a white solid OEM color, quite close to SPI SS white. I would prefer if it was an OEM color for resale purposes. I have spent way too much money on this car so cost is becoming a concern. If the PPG is crazy expensive I will likely just stick with SPI pure white SS because I know it is high quality and reasonably priced.

Also I thought some members have reported that PPG Concept has been discontinued or unavailable to them.
 
Toolin said:
I want to do my Falcon project in single stage as well. PPG Concept has always been the first choice a respected friend. Recently he went to base coat clear and used all SPI products. I am not sure what base he used.

Anyhow do you think you could ballpark what a gallon of concept would be in a white solid OEM color, quite close to SPI SS white. I would prefer if it was an OEM color for resale purposes. I have spent way too much money on this car so cost is becoming a concern. If the PPG is crazy expensive I will likely just stick with SPI pure white SS because I know it is high quality and reasonably priced.

Also I thought some members have reported that PPG Concept has been discontinued or unavailable to them.
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A couple posts on one of the Corvette forums were from people who said they paid $1000/ gallon for 69 Can Am white Concept (code 972). These were posts from Dec 2021, so if their prices have followed the upward prices of most everything else this year, it's likely more expensive now.

At the rate things are going, some of the paint stores are going to need to install those portable defibrillators to handle heart attacks at the sales counter.
 
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