Nothing brings a truck to life quite like a splash of color. We’ve painted a lot of vehicles in our time — everything from basic black or white, to classic hot rod red, to exotics like purple and lime green. To deliver exactly what our customers want for their rides, we rely on companies that produce the wide range of colors that we need to create something awesome. One of those vendors is PPG, one of our favorite sources for great truck paint and van paint.
A Long and Colorful History
PPG is one of those acronyms that lost its original name over time. Originally, it stood for Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. PPG is what you might call “OG”: this Fortune 500 company has been in business since 1883. Founded in Creighton, Pennsylvania, they quickly rose to prominence as the first successful US producer of thick, high quality flat glass.
By 1900, PPG had earned the nickname “the Glass Trust.” They had expanded into an industrial titan. They had 10 plants, a 65% share of the US plate glass market, and had become the country’s second largest paint manufacturer. Today, this multi-billion dollar company has 156 manufacturing plants located all over the world.
A World Leader for Car & Truck Paint
Among PPG’s many successful products are their automotive paints. They’ve been making truck paints for over 80 years — almost since the beginning of the auto industry itself. Today, their OEM coatings and refinishing products are some of the best on the market.
Their sheer selection of products is impressive. Almost anything you need to paint a van or a truck, you can get from PPG. In fact, they were the first company to innovate electrocoat technology.
- Pretreatment. Before any paint is applied, a vehicle’s surface needs to be prepared with corrosion-resistant primer.
- Electrocoat. During auto manufacturing, your truck may very well have been painted with a PPG e-coat.
- Basecoats. We feel like basecoats are where PPG really shines, at least visually. Their finishes produce some of the deepest, most vibrant colors imaginable. If you want a color that turns heads, PPG is a great choice. Plus, their color selection is top notch.
- Clearcoats. A sleek, shiny finish and extra durability come from PPG’s range of clearcoats. Their Diamond Finish line, in particular, is ridiculously scratch resistant.
That’s just a tiny sample of PPG’s full product line. They’re also a great vendor for everything we need for refinishing. Finding the perfect color match is harder than you might think, especially for more unusual hues. But PPG’s selection of color tools has helped us restore many Portland vehicles to their former glory.
There’s no doubt about it: PPG is one of our favorites. When we need vibrant, durable paints that make a serious statement, we often find ourselves turning to their awesome product lines.
At Pacific Truck Colors, we never settle for less. It’s in our name: we’re crazy for bold, vibrant color, and PPG always delivers. If your car could use a new coat of paint, reach out to us any time via our handy contact form.
