Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings of Andover, Kan., has expanded its SKYscape basecoat/clearcoat polyurethane aerospace paint to include special mica effects with 30 new “pearl” color options. The new SKYscape mica colors feature translucent pearl and mica pigments rather than traditional metallic flaks, resulting in vivid special effects.

SKYscapes is applied using a unique process designed to save on materials and labor. According to Sherwin–Williams, it can reduce the paint process time as much 30 percent and eliminate most bake cycles.

The metallic paints are well know for being difficult to apply, and even more difficult to repair. But according to production manager Julie Voisin, the orientation of the flakes in the mica paint is not so critical, and “we’ve worked hard to develop a repair process that is easy to apply and matches the surrounding surface."