How to Smooth Out New Paint?

Smoothing out new paint often involves techniques like wet sanding, compounding, and polishing to remove imperfections and achieve a smooth finish.

Achieving a perfectly smooth finish on new paint can be essential, especially for surfaces like automotive finishes or furniture where a high-gloss, flawless look is desired. While a professional paint job aims for smoothness initially, minor imperfections like dust nibs or "orange peel" texture can occur. Addressing these requires careful post-painting work.

One effective method for smoothing out certain textures like orange peel is wet sanding, followed by compounding and polishing.

Wet Sanding New Paint

Wet sanding involves using fine-grit sandpaper soaked in water (often with a lubricant like soap) to gently abrade the surface of the paint. The water helps to lubricate the process, carry away sanding debris, and reduce heat buildup, resulting in a smoother, less aggressive cut compared to dry sanding.

The primary goal of wet sanding in this context is to level the surface imperfections, such as the raised texture known as "orange peel," which makes the paint look bumpy rather than flat and smooth.

Steps for Wet Sanding New Paint

Based on best practices, including the reference provided, here are the steps for using wet sanding to smooth out new paint and eliminate orange peel:

1. Allow the Paint to Fully Cure: Before attempting any sanding, it is crucial to allow for the paint to cure for a few days. This curing time lets the paint harden properly, preventing the sandpaper from merely gumming up the surface or damaging the finish irreparably. The exact curing time varies depending on the type of paint, temperature, and humidity, so always follow the paint manufacturer's recommendations.
2. Prepare for Wet Sanding: Gather your supplies: a spray bottle with water (and perhaps a drop of mild soap), a sanding block (optional but recommended for even pressure), and the specified grit sandpaper.
3. Start with a Moderate Grit: After the paint has cured, begin the wet sanding process. As the reference states, take 1500 grit sand paper and start wet sanding. Use light, even pressure and keep the surface and sandpaper wet. Work in small sections. The 1500 grit is fine enough to level imperfections without creating deep scratches that are difficult to remove later.
4. Progress to Finer Grits: Once you have worked over the area with 1500 grit, clean the surface and inspect it. Then, gradually work up to 2500 or 3000 grit. Using progressively finer grits refines the sanding scratches left by the previous grit, making the surface increasingly smooth and ready for polishing. You might use 2000 grit between 1500 and 2500/3000 depending on the desired level of smoothness and the paint type.
5. Assess the Result: The purpose of this sanding is to get rid of your orange peal look. The surface will appear dull after sanding, but the texture should be gone. Run your hand over the surface; it should feel smooth.
6. Follow with Compounding and Polishing: Wet sanding leaves microscopic scratches in the paint. To restore gloss and achieve a perfectly smooth finish, you must follow the sanding with compounding (using a compound to remove sanding scratches) and then polishing (using a finer polish to enhance gloss and clarity).

Here is a summary of the wet sanding grit progression:

Remember that wet sanding removes a layer of clear coat or paint, so it should be done carefully, especially on thin paint layers.