Color plus clear coating system utilizing inorganic microparticles

A method of coating a substrate comprising the steps of:

• (A) coating a substrate with one or more applications of a basecoating composition comprising:
• (1) an organic film forming resin, and where the film-forming resin can be crosslinked, optionally a crosslinking agent for the film-forming resin,
• (2) a solvent system for the film-forming resin of the basecoating composition,
• (3) organic polymeric microparticles which are insoluble in the solvent system of the basecoating composition and which have a diameter in the range of from about 0.01 to about 40 microns, and
• (4) pigment particles
• to form a basecoat;
• and
• (B) coating the basecoat with one or more applications of a topcoating composition comprising:
• (1) an organic film-forming resin which may be the same or different from the film-forming resin of the basecoating composition, and where the film-forming resin of the topcoating composition can be crosslinked, optionally a crosslinking agent for the film-forming resin of the topcoating composition,
• (2) substantially colorless, substantially inorganic microparticles of silica stably dispersed in the topcoating composition ranging in size from about 1 to about 150 nanometers wherein the silica is in the form of a stable colloidal dispersion of the silica in water, and wherein the inorganic microparticles are present in the topcoating composition in an amount ranging from about 1 to about 20 percent by weight based on the weight of organic film-forming resin, optional crosslinking agent, and inorganic microparticles, and
• (3) an aqueous solvent system for the organic film-forming resin of the topcoating composition
• to form a transparent topcoat.