Exploring the Colors, Finishes, and Types of Spray Paint
Spray paints are incredibly useful and versatile, but if you’re planning to use them for your business, you’ll want to explore the many available types before making a purchase.
Of course, spray paint can be found in virtually any color or finish you can imagine, from flat, matte colors to shiny, glossy finishes and even sparkling metallic colors. But that’s only the beginning. In fact, there are specialized paints available for almost every application, from automotive priming and painting to marking traffic lines in parking lots to painting specific materials, such as metal, wood, and concrete.
In this guide, we’ll examine eight different types of spray paint, helping you to understand the differences and make the right choice for every job.
General-Purpose, Rust Preventative, and Automotive Spray Paints
Designed for a wide variety of purposes and applications, these common spray paints are an essential component of any professional’s toolkit. From general-purpose spray paints to paints formulated for rust prevention and automotive jobs, we’ll review some of the paints used by professionals in a range of industries.
Spray Paint Comparison Guide
| General-Purpose Spray Paint | Rust Preventative Spray Paint | Automotive Spray Paint |
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Description Available in a wide variety of colors and finishes, general-purpose spray paint can be used for both indoor and outdoor jobs, offering a quick and even-looking alternative to painting with brushes. |
Description Available in many colors and finishes for different styles, these spray paints are specially designed to add a pop of color to metal, while also protecting it from the elements and preventing rust. |
Description These specialized automotive spray paints combine rust prevention properties with other useful features such as heat resistance and can be found in colors that match your existing vehicle. |
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Best suited for: A wide range of materials (including wood, stone, and metal) for both indoor and outdoor use. Works for everything from painting buildings to manufacturing and industrial coatings. |
Best suited for: Outdoor metal applications and jobs, such as applying a coat of paint to vehicles, fences, and more. |
Best suited for: Vehicle touch-ups, priming, and painting, as well as other projects that involve metal and heat. |
Professional Enamel Marking & Striping Spray Paints
A specialized job calls for a spray paint that’s up to the task. Here, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most commonly used paints in professional settings, from traffic striping to marking athletic fields. These high-quality paints offer unique features such as weather resistance, quick-drying capability, and eye-popping colors.
| Traffic Striping Paint | Pavement Paint | |
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Description Just as its name suggests, this specially formulated paint is designed specifically for traffic striping and marking. It’s available in bright, highly visible colors and the paint is weather resistant. |
Description Often used for marking underground utilities, this specialized spray paint dries super quickly, is available in bright colors, and can be used on a variety of surfaces, including concrete, gravel, and grass. |
Description Similar to traffic striping paint, these solvent-based pavement paints dry quickly and can be used with striping machines for quick applications. |
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Best suited for: Marking and traffic striping on asphalt, concrete, or cement. Used on roads and in parking lots and outdoor stadiums. |
Best suited for: Marking utilities and construction sites, painting roads, marking outdoor athletic fields. |
Best suited for: Pavement, blacktops, concrete, and curbs. |
| Athletic Field Marking Paint | Tree Marking Paint |
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Description Designed for grass and athletic fields, these paints dry quickly with one application, are environmentally friendly, and are formulated to last. They’re available in all of the most common colors used in outdoor athletics. |
Description Long-lasting, quick-drying spray paint that can penetrate bark and wood without running or chalking. Can be applied with a marking pistol or marking wand. |
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Best suited for: Marking athletic fields, including natural grass and synthetic turf. |
Best suited for: Marking trees and other wood or bark surfaces. |
Choosing the Right Spray Paint for Your Business
While the many available varieties of spray paint can seem overwhelming at first glance, the number of options available is what makes this type of paint so useful in so many industries. From construction, auto body shops, and industrial manufacturing to sports and athletics and even house painting, there’s a spray paint for almost every job.
Once you’ve landed on the right paint and style for your needs, you can shop Zoro’s full assortment of brands, colors, and finishes until you find the perfect hue and tone to delight your customers.
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Product Compliance and Suitability
The product statements contained in this guide are intended for general informational purposes only. Such product statements do not constitute a product recommendation or representation as to the appropriateness, accuracy, completeness, correctness, or currentness of the information provided. Information provided in this guide does not replace the use by you of any manufacturer instructions, technical product manual, or other professional resource or adviser available to you. Always read, understand, and follow all manufacturer instructions.