I know it is advisable to sand between coats with solid colours and the clear laquer but does this apply for pearlesant paints as well.

I have heard and read that some people do not sand metallic paints but only sand the clear lacquer.

I have just resprayed my car with a Green Mica but am not sure when to sand. Do I sand the paint back now before I apply the final coat of green?

I hear sanding metallics will disturb the flakes and cause no end of headache. Color sanding those is actually sanding the clear coat.

Thanks Bob

That was my understanding. However, I have never worked with pearlescent paint and not sure if the same rule applied.

Well, to be honest I picked up a white fender a while back with some very thick, hard paint on it. It was very rough, super bad orange peel. On a whim, I wet sanded with a scrap of 1500, 2000 then used a bit of rubbing compound. To my amazement the little patch I worked turned out to be a very nice white pearl. I wouldn't try this on a part I'd painted myself (not knowing how any other pearl/metallic would react) unless it was so bad as to require a respray anyway. The only way to be sure is to try it on a small patch that isn't normally visible.

I color sanded my metallic paint job and then when I did the respray it was fine.