Overheard a painter say he never sands between sealer and base

I was grabbing coffee at the shop next door and two guys from a custom paint place were talking. One said, 'I haven't sanded a sealer coat in 10 years, just scuff it with a gray pad and shoot.' That really made me stop and think. I've always been taught to sand sealer with 600 grit for a perfect tooth. I tried his method on a test panel for a Honda Civic bumper repair last week. I used a 3M gray scuff pad dry, blew it off, and went straight to base. The color match and finish came out just as smooth as my old way, and I saved maybe 15 minutes on the job. It makes me wonder what other 'rules' we follow just because that's how we learned. Has anyone else switched up a standard prep step and been surprised it worked just as well or better?

2 comments

2 Comments

barbara_kim5d ago

Ever wonder how many other steps are just busy work?

charlie2695d ago

Whoa, hold on a second. That's a scary shortcut to me. A gray pad on sealer might work until it doesn't, and then you get a peel job on your hands. That 600 grit sanding step is there for a reason, it gives a way more even and reliable surface for the base to stick to. Maybe you got lucky on a bumper, but I wouldn't risk it on a full panel or a customer's car. Some rules are just best practice, not busy work.