Abstract: The invention provides a method of forming a top coat by forming in sequence a colored base coat on a substrate and a clear coat, the method being characterized in that at least one of the colored base coat and the clear coat is formed by a curable coating composition consisting essentially of:(a) (a-1) a resin having a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group and an epoxy group in the same molecule, or (a-2) a mixture of a hydroxyl- and carboxyl-containing resin with a polyepoxide;(b) a silicon compound having, per molecule, at least one silanol group and/or at least one hydrolyzable group directly bound to a silicon atom; and(c) an organic solvent.

Abstract: A top coating composition comprising(A) a polyol resin having a weight average molecular weight of 400 to 2,000 a ratio of weight average molecular weight (Mw) to number average molecular weight (Mn) of not more than 1.

Abstract: A coating method characterized in that the method comprises the steps of applying a thermosetting coating composition containing a pigment to a substrate to be coated, applying a first clear coating composition to the coat to form a first clear coat, baking the two coats at the same time for curing, applying to the cured coats a second clear coating composition capable of forming a second clear coat having, when cured, a molecular weight between crosslinks of about 200 or less as determined by a xylene-swelling method and baking the second clear coat for curing.

Abstract: Disclosed is a finish coating method for forming a finish coat, comprising the steps of applying to a substrate a base coating composition containing a pigment and applying a clear top coating composition to the coated surface, the method being characterized in that the clear top coating composition is a curable one comprising predominantly a nonaqueous dispersion of a polymer of radically polymerizable monomer, the dispersion being prepared by polymerization of the radically polymerizable monomer in an organic solvent in which the monomer is soluble and in which the polymer produced from the monomer is insoluble and in the presence of a fluoroolefin polymer as a dispersion stabilizer which is soluble in the organic solvent and which has a weight-average molecular weight of about 5,000 to about 120,000 and a fluorine content of about 1 to about 60% by weight.

Abstract: Disclosed is a coating method for forming a metallic coat, comprising the steps of applying to a substrate a base coating composition containing a metallic pigment and applying a clear top coating composition to the coated surface, the method being characterized in that the clear top coating composition is a curable one comprising as a main component a nonaqueous dispersion of a polymer of a radically polymerizable monomer, said dispersion containing as a dispersion stabilizer a fluorine-containing copolymer comprising a hydroxyl group-containing monomer and a perfluoroalkyl group-containing acrylic or methacrylic monomer represented by the following formula (1) ##STR1## wherein R is a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, n is an integer of 1 to 11 and R.sub.f is a straight chain or branched chain perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 21 carbon atoms.