Provided is a method for forming a multilayer coating film, comprising simultaneously curing an uncured base coating film, an uncured effect coating film, and an uncured clear coating film. In this method, an effect pigment dispersion (Y) contains water, a rheology control agent (A), and a flake-effect pigment (B), and has a solids content of 0.5 to 10 mass %; the flake-effect pigment (B) is an interference pigment in which a transparent or translucent base material is coated with a metal oxide; and the flake-effect pigment (B) is contained in an amount of 30 to 90 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total solids content in the effect pigment dispersion (Y).

A multilayer coating film forming method to form a multilayer coating film having a glittering appearance. Forming a multilayer coating film by sequentially applying, on top of a base material, a first base coating material, a second base coating material, and a clear coating material in a wet-on-wet process, wherein: the first base coating material is a transparent or colored coating material; the second coating material contains a flaky lustrous pigment; the amount of flaky lustrous pigment being 10-60 parts by mass to 100 parts by mass of resin solid content in the second base coating material, and the concentration of solids in the coating falls being 5-20 mass % with respect to the total mass of the second base coating material; and the thickness of a coating film obtained from the second base coating material falls being 1-8 μm on the basis of the coating film when cured.

A laminate containing a metallic base layer and a transparent colored layer formed on the metallic base layer. The metallic base layer contains an aluminum pigment, a light-scattering component, a surface adjusting agent, and a rheology control agent, the aluminum pigment being present in an amount of 15 to 70 parts by mass, on a solids basis; and the light-scattering component being present in an amount of 5 to 55 parts by mass, on a solids basis, based on 100 parts by mass of the metallic base layer. The transparent colored layer contains a resin component, a curing agent, and a color pigment, the color pigment being present in an amount of 0.5 to 10 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the resin solids content of the transparent colored layer.

Described herein are an aqueous coating composition including at least one anionically stabilized binder, effect pigment, polycarboxylic acid, and solvent, and a method for producing a multicoat paint system by producing a basecoat directly on a substrate, producing a clearcoat directly on the basecoat, and then jointly curing the basecoat and the clearcoat. At least one of the basecoat materials includes the aqueous coating. Also described herein are multicoat paint system obtainable by this method, and the use of at least one polycarboxylic acid in an aqueous coating composition for improving the effect pigment orientation, or for color matching.

The present invention provides a multilayer coating film-forming method that is capable of forming a multilayer coating film with excellent finished appearance and excellent luster. The aqueous base paint (X) is applied by using a rotary-atomization bell-shaped coater under coating conditions of a shaping air pressure of 0.15 to 0.25 MPa and a paint discharge amount of 100 to 300 cm3/min. The viscosity 60 seconds after the application of the aqueous base paint (X), measured at a temperature of 23° C. and a shear rate of 0.1 sec-1, is 90 to 160 Pa.Math.s, the solids content 60 seconds after the application is 20 to 40 mass %, and the film thickness 60 seconds after the application is 17 to 35 μm. The effect pigment dispersion (Y) contains a flake-aluminum pigment (A) with an average thickness of 1 nm or more and less than 70 nm, a flake-aluminum pigment (B) with an average thickness of 70 nm to 250 nm, a hydroxy-containing acrylic resin (C), a rheology control agent (D), a surface-adjusting agent (E), and water, the effect pigment dispersion (Y) having a solids content of 2 to 9 mass %. The effect coating film after curing has a film thickness of 0.5 to 2.0 μm.

Provided is a method for forming a multilayer coating film, comprising simultaneously curing an uncured base coating film, an uncured effect coating film, and an uncured clear coating film. In this method, an effect pigment dispersion (Y) that forms the effect coating film contains water, a surface adjusting agent (A), a flake-effect pigment (B), and a rheology control agent (C), and has a solids content of 0.5 to 10 mass %.

Described herein are coating systems for preparing multi-layered finishes, multi-layered finish coated substrates, and methods of applying multi-layered finishes to substrates. A coating system for preparing multi-layered finishes includes a base coating component and a clear coating component comprising effects particles. An additional coating system for preparing multi-layered finishes includes a base coating component, a printed coating component, and a clear coating component.

A method of applying a multi-color finish to a plumbing fixture includes depositing a first coating on the plumbing fixture; selectively applying a masking material in a graduated fashion over at least a portion of the first coating to define a gradient from a first portion of the plumbing fixture that is substantially completely covered by the masking material to a second portion of the plumbing fixture that has substantially no masking material; depositing a second coating over the masking material; and removing the masking material from the plumbing fixture such that the plumbing fixture has a surface finish including a transition region representing a gradual transition between the first coating and the second coating.

A method for forming a multilayer coating film comprising the steps of:

applying, to a substrate, an effect pigment dispersion that comprises water, a surface adjusting agent, a flake-effect pigment, and a rheology control agent, and that has a solids content within the range of 0.5 to 10 mass % to form an effect pigment-containing coating, film; and

applying a colored transparent paint to the effect pigment-containing coating film to form a colored transparent coating film having a total light transmittance at a wavelength of 400 nm to 700 nm of 20 to 70%.

In a method for coating motor vehicle wheel rims, a polymer priming layer, a polymer intermediate layer, a decorative layer of a heat-cured polymer layer with embedded flake-like metal pigments covering the visible surface of the decorative layer, and a polymer cover layer are consecutively applied to the wheel rim metal surface. The coated wheel rims achieve a polished metal appearance without substantial extra costs by producing the polymer intermediate layer with a high-gloss surface and applying the decorative layer to the high-gloss surface of the polymer intermediate layer in the wet spraying method with a layer thickness of max. 2 m, where it is dried at ambient temperature and, before applying the polymer cover layer, it is fixed to the polymer intermediate layer via a thermal post-treatment so that it adheres to the surface thereof with a cross-cut pull-off strength of Gt=0 to Gt=2.