{"id":8368,"date":"2023-01-18T07:05:37","date_gmt":"2023-01-18T07:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/axatool.com\/?p=8368"},"modified":"2023-01-31T02:22:50","modified_gmt":"2023-01-31T02:22:50","slug":"wet-sanding-a-car-scratch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/axatool.com\/kr\/wet-sanding-a-car-scratch\/","title":{"rendered":"Wet Sanding a Car Scratch"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wet sanding<\/a> is exactly what it sounds like: sanding with water. It may sound risky to use sandpaper on your car, and that\u2019s because it is. However, there are times when it\u2019s very useful for getting rid of pesky paint scratches at a very low cost. You just need to know when wet sanding is helpful, when it\u2019s not, and how to do it correctly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is Wet Sanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The most important thing to know about wet sanding is that it\u2019s a subtractive process. It may sound obvious, but this means that it\u2019s taking away paint. Despite how obvious that may seem, I\u2019ve still seen a lot of people try to wet sand scratches that are deeper than the paint level (to the metal). Wet sanding is NOT helpful if there is no paint left under the scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal of wet sanding is to smooth out the roughness of a shallow scratch (a scratch that is only as deep as the clear coat or paint layer). When your vehicle\u2019s paint is scratched, it leaves tiny, rough divots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the light hits the uneven surface, it stands out because the light is bouncing back in all different directions compared to the unscratched surface around it. Ideally, you can wet sand the scratch to make it smooth again and then buff it out so that it shines and blends back in to the surrounding paint!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The danger with wet sanding is that you can go too far and burn the paint. This happens when the scratch was so deep that there was no paint left under it to smooth out, you sand too much and remove what was left of the paint layer, or you start to remove too much of the clear coat around the scratch, making the scratch wider. Burning the paint will require a more pricey repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When To Wet Sand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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To sum up the previous section, you should only wet sand a scratch when there is still paint under the scratch. There are 3 layers on top of the metal: primer, paint, and then clear coat on the top. You can tell if the scratch is just in the clear coat by wetting the scratch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it disappears for a few seconds when it\u2019s wet, that usually means it\u2019s just in the very top layer. This type of scratch will be easily removed with a little bit of wet sanding and buffing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the scratch doesn\u2019t disappear when wet, but looks white, it is most likely down to the paint layer. If you can\u2019t see metal, wet sanding should still be an option. Be careful though, it may be hard to tell exactly how deep into the paint layer the scratch is. If you can\u2019t tell, ask a professional for help or send us a message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never wet sand if you can see metal!<\/strong> The scratch is too deep to be helped with sanding, and now requires a paint job \u2013 either touch-up or respray<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Wet Sand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll need the following materials:<\/p>\n\n\n\n