DetailingWiki Newsletter
    Get free and automatic updates on new articles
    We respect your privacy. No data is used for anything other than sending the newsletter!

    Advertisement

What is paint repair

Written by:

Paint can be repaired in several different ways. Polishing is very popular one amongst detailers, but not the only one. Some forms of paint repair are: respray, spot-repair and filling in chips. The need for what form of repair often depends on the size of the damage and/or the location.

Contents

Why the need for paint repair

Paint can get damaged, either by being of a bad quality or via outside sources. The severety of this defect can differ greatly, but if polishing won’t solve the defect, paint repair often can. A scratch can be to deep to be polished out, a stone chips might have chipped away the clear coat, or the clear coat is flaking. In these cases a form of paint repair can help to fix the paint defect.

Forms of paint repair

Some forms of paint repair can be:

  • Spot repair
    This is a technique where the painter tries to respray an area in such a way that you can’t see where the repair starts and the original paint ends. This can often only be done if the paint defect isn’t very deep and the area allows for fading the new paint.
  • Filling in chips
    Stone chips can be filled in by touching it up with touch-up-pens. With a very small brush or soft tip, a drop of paint can be laid in the chip and left to harden. After wards the area can be polished to make it invisible.
  • Respray
    This form of repair means that the entire panel gets a complete respray. The old layer needs to be sanded down and the painter sprays a complete new layer of paint or clear coat over the panel.
  • Polishing
    In some cases the scratch can be removed or made less visible by polishing the area.
  • Wetsanding
    If polishing isn’t enough, wetsanding the area can be enough. In this technique, you use wet pieces of special sanding paper to remove a layer of paint in a very controlled way. This step needs to be followed up by polishing.
  • Wrap
    Not really a form of repair, but a form of covering the imperfection. A wrap is a big sheet of thin, flexible plastic foil. It is applied on top of the old surface and can be made in various colors or patterns.

Trying the least agressive option first

It pays to start out with the least agressive option. Polishing isn’t very expensive, and could be the option. Many people who think there car needs a new paint job, can be helped by getting a proper polishing service. Even oxidised paint can be fixed by only polishing. Respraying or spot repair is more expensive and is not always needed. Therefore it might help if you start out with the least agressive method first. It will often also be the cheapest way to fix the problem. Consulting a professional might be needed to get the most out of it.

Different related articles

  • RestorFX
    Manufacturers
    RestorFX originates from 2006 and was founded by Alexander and Nadia Kay and Tony Dowsett. The company is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of only a few Canadian manufacturers of automotive detailing products....
  • How to remove overspray
    Correction
    When a part is spraypainted, a mist of paint can float down onto other surfaces. This can happen when a part of a car is being painted. This mist falls down onto other parts and dries up. This is called overspray and shows up as very small specks on top of the paintwork....
  • Calculate RPM when changing pads
    Guides
    In some cases, you feel comfortable with a certain speed (rpm), and feel that this works best with a certain product. However, not all your pads are the same size and you want to know what speed setting you need to maintain the same speed....
  • Troubleshooting – Dual Action polishing
    Correction
    Listed here are some typical problems associated with dual action polishing, with causes and possible solutions to try. If you are having problems achieving the correction you expect, or getting a polish to finish down, here's where to look. This is a very generic troubleshooting guide to help you solve some problems you may encounter and will be updated regularly....
  • Detailing in detail – a detailed description
    Correction
    How do you achieve the results from the videos about detailing? What is being shown in the video, and why? How can you learn from a video showing a detailer in action?...
  • How to remove a ceramic coating
    Correction
    Ceramic coatings are very strong forms of protection, but they are not eternal. Eventually they need to be removed in order to prepare the surface for a brand new application of protection. This means the entire layer of ceramic coatings need to be removed....

Links to this article

There are no external links to this article. Yet.
Sidebar



Stay up to date with our free newsletter
Always be the first to know about new updates, articles and other informative content.
Don't miss out, opt in!
We respect your privacy. No data is used for anything other than sending the newsletter!