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How to Buff Like a Pro: A Step-by-Step Guide to Perfect Paint

The Basics Behind a Great Buff!

Whether it’s sitting at a show or in a parking lot, a truck with nice paint will grab people’s attention, and they will take a closer look. They will either see all the little imperfections as they get closer or be taken aback at how nice the overall truck looks. Spending some time cutting and buffing fresh paint or an original paintjob can make that big of a difference.

I got together with Preston Hawkins with Pristine Detailing in Rigby, Idaho, to help take Project Green Giant to the next level. Preston has spent years mastering the art of polishing, and I was super excited to soak up the knowledge he was willing to share. In total, we spent 20 hours sanding and polishing the paint to give it the shine we were looking for. Now it’s time to share the process so you can tackle this on your project.

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01. Gather all the tools you will need to complete the job and organize them in an easy-to-reach place. A tool cart makes the job even easier.
02. Rinse and dry the whole truck before you start sanding. A clean surface to start will save you from dealing with deep scratches that may be caused by dust sitting on the clear.
03.  Spray water on the panel before you begin wet sanding the clear.
04. If you are sanding the panel by hand, keep the panel wet and use a crosshatch motion: Work down the panel one way at an angle and then back the opposite direction.
04(a)
05. Once you have sanded the panel, use the squeegee to expose whether you have sanded enough to cut the orange-peel texture or any imperfections out of the clearcoat. In the photo is an example of what you will see if the panel needs to be sanded more before moving on.
06. If you are going to use a dual-action (DA) sander on the panels, lay down a piece of tape along the body line to prevent you from burning through the clear during the sanding process.
07. This is an example of what it looks like to work a panel with wet 1500-grit sandpaper on a DA.
08. Once you have wet-sanded the whole truck with 1500-, 2000-, and 3000-grit sandpaper, your panels will be flat and have a uniform sheen. It was time to get ready to polish.
8(a)
09. Start the polishing process with a wool cutting pad and a rotary. First, load the Meguiar’s 100 cutting compound directly onto the pad to prime it.
10. As you start polishing and priming your pad, put the compound directly on the panel. Don’t be shy with the amount of cutting compound you use; it will just make the process go faster than if you use too little.
11. With the wool pad and the rotary buffer, work each of the panels thoroughly to sand out scratches or any haze as you go. (TIP: If you do this step well, the rest will be easier.)
12. A smaller rotary polisher with a wool pad allows you to get into those tighter spaces that the larger pad won’t.
13. Use the smaller rotary polisher along the edges of the panel during the cutting process to help not burn through the clear as easily. Take your time, and it will pay off in the end.
14. Using the rotary buffer and a foam pad with the same Meguiar’s 100 cutting compound, go back over everything you just polished with the wool pad. This will help clean up any of the small scratches you missed the first time and really make the panel shine. Pay special attention to the area you are working and make sure you get it all shiny. (TIP: Once the foam pad is primed, you will use way less compound while polishing. As long as you can see compound being laid onto the panel you still have enough.)
15. Now that you have gone over the truck with the foam pad and rotary, finish polishing the truck with an orbital polisher to take that shine to the next level. You don’t have to do this step if you are happy with what the paint looks like after the foam pad finish. Once the pad is primed, you may not need to add any more of the finishing compound. Here, we used Meguiar’s 205 to finish the clear.
16. With a good microfiber cloth, wipe the extra compound off all the panels.
17. I want to emphasize the importance of using a clean high-end cloth when wiping panels. It will save you a lot of stress from small scratches forming in the work you just put in.

They will either see all the little imperfections as they get closer or be taken aback at how nice the overall truck looks.    

18. Stand back and inspect the work you have done. If you see anything that needs some extra attention, grab the polisher and go back to work.
19. Now that you are finished with the polishing process you can wash the truck and wax or ceramic coat it to protect the finish long term.

TOOLS

  • Dewalt rotary buffer with both a wool and foam buffing pad
  • Milwaukee orbital buffer with foam finishing pad
  • Meguiar’s 100 cutting compound
  • Meguiar’s 205 finishing compound
  • Sanding blocks
  • A6-inch dual action sander
  • Sandpaper (1500, 2000, 3000 grits)
  • Spray bottle with water
  • Squeegee

 

Photo Credit: Devan Ence

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