When vehicles were first invented, modern auto paints were simply not available. Instead, people handpainted their cars using brushes and paint that they could purchase at their local stores. Because the paint faded and flaked away very quickly, many people would repaint their cars every year. Around 1900, automakers used the same varnishes that were used for carriages. Applying paint could take as long as 40 days for each vehicle, and after it dried, it had to be sanded and polished.

During the early 1900s, a man by the name of Dr. George Sargent conducted a study, discovering that electroplating chrome would require a ratio of one part of sulfuric acid to 100 parts of chromium. He presented his research in a paper in 1920.