Uploaded April 2014 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
A lot of people think that the work is done once the paint is sprayed. The truth is there's just as much work to do after the paint is on as there was to get it ready for the paint. Discriminating owners and buyers today want that glassy smooth show car finish and rarely can that be accomplished by spraying alone. Color sanding (which is what it's called) is a 6-8 step process. Some people begin by wet sanding with 800 grit paper. I use 800 grit only if I have clear runs to remove. I'll begin with 1000 grit sandpaper and with a 5" block wet sand the entire car (or parts) front to back and top to bottom entirely by hand. I sand in a small circular motion paying particular attention not to rub too hard near the edges or on body feature lines as it's very easy to sand through the clear coat and then respraying is in order. After each sanding or buffing be sure to thoroughly wash and dry the area you're working on. The 1000 grit will quickly remove all of the orange peel that may be on the panel. The next step is to again wet sand the entire area this time using 1500 grit paper. The 1500 grit paper will remove the 1000 grit sanding scratches you just put in the panel. Again wash and dry the panel; before proceeding. The #1 3M machine rubbing compound I use will remove 1500 grit scratches but I still prefer to wet sand again with 2000 grit paper to remove the 1500 grit scratches. This assures a flawless finish. After the 2000 grit sanding I'll move on to the #1 3M machine rubbing compound using a white foam pad on a Dewalt electric buffer running at 1000 RPM and buff the entire area in about 2 sqft sections at a time. Be EXTRA careful on body feature lines and along the edges of the panels as it's very easy to burn through. It's wise to use masking tape on the edges when using the #1 rubbing compound. Apply the tape so only about 1/8" of it is on top of the panel you are working on. Always run the buffer so the pad is rotating off the edge of the panel and not on to it as it's easy to "catch the edge" and burn through. Go over each section 3-4 times, remove the tape and wash and dry the panel. Then proceed with the #2 3M Swirl mark removing compound with a softer black pad on the buffer. This compound will shine the edges where the tape was but still be very careful. Again cover each section with 3-4 passes before moving on. The final buffing is done with 3M #3 polishing compound and a blue pad which is very soft. I usually do this after the car is reassembled and ready for the road.
A lot of people think that the work is done once the paint is sprayed. The truth is there's just as much work to do after the paint is on as there was to get it ready for the paint. Discriminating owners and buyers today want that glassy smooth show car finish and rarely can that be accomplished by spraying alone. Color sanding (which is what it's called) is a 6-8 step process. Some people begin by wet sanding with 800 grit paper. I use 800 grit only if I have clear runs to remove. I'll begin with 1000 grit sandpaper and with a 5" block wet sand the entire car (or parts) front to back and top to bottom entirely by hand. I sand in a small circular motion paying particular attention not to rub too hard near the edges or on body feature lines as it's very easy to sand through the clear coat and then respraying is in order. After each sanding or buffing be sure to thoroughly wash and dry the area you're working on. The 1000 grit will quickly remove all of the orange peel that may be on the panel. The next step is to again wet sand the entire area this time using 1500 grit paper. The 1500 grit paper will remove the 1000 grit sanding scratches you just put in the panel. Again wash and dry the panel; before proceeding. The #1 3M machine rubbing compound I use will remove 1500 grit scratches but I still prefer to wet sand again with 2000 grit paper to remove the 1500 grit scratches. This assures a flawless finish. After the 2000 grit sanding I'll move on to the #1 3M machine rubbing compound using a white foam pad on a Dewalt electric buffer running at 1000 RPM and buff the entire area in about 2 sqft sections at a time. Be EXTRA careful on body feature lines and along the edges of the panels as it's very easy to burn through. It's wise to use masking tape on the edges when using the #1 rubbing compound. Apply the tape so only about 1/8" of it is on top of the panel you are working on. Always run the buffer so the pad is rotating off the edge of the panel and not on to it as it's easy to "catch the edge" and burn through. Go over each section 3-4 times, remove the tape and wash and dry the panel. Then proceed with the #2 3M Swirl mark removing compound with a softer black pad on the buffer. This compound will shine the edges where the tape was but still be very careful. Again cover each section with 3-4 passes before moving on. The final buffing is done with 3M #3 polishing compound and a blue pad which is very soft. I usually do this after the car is reassembled and ready for the road.
