Does the reflection of your car body appear to be wavy after a repaint? If so, then don’t blame the paint job for it. Instead, the problem’s source is probably due to the method you used to sand the car. This is undoubtedly one of the most crucial steps while repainting your vehicle and seeing a satisfactory result. Let’s find out how to sand a car, and you might also be interested what is the best sheet-sander.
If you plan on doing it yourself and do not know how to carry it out, you have just arrived into your info haven. We will walk you through all the necessary steps required to sand your car perfectly.
So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Step 1: Make Your Car Squeaky Clean
Clean up your car to wipe out dirt and form of obstacles that might cause problems while sanding. For example, wobbly features and details such as wing mirrors, headlight surround, and badges should be removed as they could cause obstruction.
Use a mask or scratch-resistant film to cover the rest of the car body.
Step 2: Pick the Correct Gear
You would need sanding paper with high grit for greater smoothness of your car’s surface. The deal with sanding paper is that it can most definitely eliminate scratches but can also cause them.
So, a grit paper ranging from 150-300 should be put to use. If there are nasty scratches, then 800 to 1000 will get your job done.
Many people tend to use their hands to carry out the errand, so their results turn out to be extremely wavy. This is because the hands are irregular, and because of the gap between the fingers, pressure is not uniform, and the force of sanding differs. Hence, the wavy outcome.
The answer to this problem is using long sand block specially manufactured to provide a smooth car surface body.
Your safety should also be a concern, so do not forget to put on a mask and protect your lung from being attacked by the dust that will be flying around during the job.
Step 3: The Process
Tear up your paper into two separate halves. Now, place your block over the sheet and fold it up. Next, you would need to pleat the ends of the sheet so that block is positioned securely in place.
The unattached corner of the wedge should be held while sanding and after the coat becomes smooth and rubbed, unwrap it to bear the fresh portion. Then, refold it and carry on with the task.
It would be best if you always moved around the block in every direction while sanding to ensure that the entire car body is even. Rotate the board constantly to your comfort when sanding in one direction. Keep rubbing till you get a fine finish.
Use a primer all over the body of your car and repeat the entire process for the best outcome.
Step 4: The Wet Paper Trick
This might come as a surprise for many people, but this step should be used when you are done repainting your car to ensure to smoothen out any remaining creases.
As the title suggests, you have to wet your sandpaper, and it should be observed that it stays moist throughout the task. If it becomes dry, then further layers other than the surface paint coat will be removed.
You also have to use a high grit paper ranging between 1000 to 2000 to remove unevenness efficiently. Wetting the sheet will allow the removal of dirt, and the film of your car will become sleeker.
There is a chance of your car looking muted after the wet sanding is done. However, you do not have to worry, as a high-speed buffer will make the vehicle regain its new paint with a little buffering.
Final Words
To sum up, you have to make sure that the method you are using, the sanding block’s dimension, and the sanding paper’s grit are used properly. However, if you manage to follow all the instructions discussed above, you for sure will have a decent-looking car, and you can take all the credit for it.
If you have any further questions about how to sand a car, do not hesitate to let us know in the comment section below.
