Hi guys,

Always wondered this question.

I painted parts of a white car last week, and it is barely even noticable without buffing. I still want to do it anyway.

I use a medium pad with M105 cutting compound, does this have similar effects to wet sanding with let's say a 1500/2000 grit? If so, why even bother wet sanding?

Could get away with just using M105/205 combo and not wet sanding at all?

Wet sanding is for taking out the peel in the surface, removing the texture so the surface is perfectly flat. In repair work this usually isn't necessary since the painter should put back the same peel as is on the rest of the car, from the factory, and then just denib to remove any dust/dirt in the surface.

If the job doesn't call for a perfectly flat finish then wet sanding, again, isn't necessary.

In repair work there are often dry areas where the paint has been blended or the painter didn't get a full wet finish. These usually respond well to just buffing.

So, the answer to your question is "No, wetsanding is not necessary prior to buffing", only when required to achieve the necessary degree of surface flatness.

NFT5 wrote:Wet sanding is for taking out the peel in the surface, removing the texture so the surface is perfectly flat. In repair work this usually isn't necessary since the painter should put back the same peel as is on the rest of the car, from the factory, and then just denib to remove any dust/dirt in the surface.

If the job doesn't call for a perfectly flat finish then wet sanding, again, isn't necessary.

In repair work there are often dry areas where the paint has been blended or the painter didn't get a full wet finish. These usually respond well to just buffing.

So, the answer to your question is "No, wetsanding is not necessary prior to buffing", only when required to achieve the necessary degree of surface flatness.

Got it, thanks.

Depends on whether you are wanting it perfect or acceptable?

I have sprayed jobs that were acceptable straight out of the gun. No buffing needed. Others have had orange peel and needed to be sanded first.

If you are wanting a Show Car paint job, then I would highly recommend learning how to wet sand and buff. You can do a Search on here for Cut and Buff or related titles.

I dumped the Meguiar's M105 a while back and started using the M100. Much better product.