Orange peel is the uneven, textured surface that shows up when paint doesn't fully level out before it starts to flash off. It's rarely a defect in the coating itself — it's almost always application technique or environmental conditions.
Gun distance and speed are the first things to check: holding the gun too far from the panel, or moving too fast, deposits less material per pass and gives it less time to flow out before drying. Reducer choice matters too — a reducer that's too fast for the booth temperature will flash before the paint has a chance to level.
Booth temperature and airflow play a bigger role than most people account for. A booth running hot and dry will accelerate flash time no matter how well-tuned the gun settings are, pushing toward orange peel even with correct technique.
If a job keeps coming out textured despite adjusting technique, it's worth checking gun air pressure against the manufacturer's spec sheet for that specific product — every basecoat and clear has a recommended pressure range, and running outside it changes atomization in ways that show up exactly as orange peel.
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