How to Wet Sand Auto Paint to Remove Scratches

Sanding the paint on your car's surface to remove scratches can be easily done, as long as the scratches aren't any deeper than the clear coat. Once a scratch has cut through the color coat, touch-up paint or professional paint is needed. For scratches in the clear coat, you can wet-sand them away and get your car looking like new in under an hour. Wet sanding can harm your paint if you aren't careful.

Instructions

1

Sand the scratch with 400-grit sandpaper, using your hand. Fold the sandpaper in half and keep it flat between your hand and the car's surface. Hold a running water hose over the sandpaper with the other hand. Sand the scratch until it is invisible, or much less noticeable than before.

2

Go over the scratch with 600-grit sandpaper and water. Use the same techniques as with the previous sandpaper. The scratch should be almost gone by now.

3

Smooth the sanded area with 800-grit sandpaper, keeping it wet while against the surface. This higher grade of sandpaper smooths the light scratches made by the previous sandpaper.

4

Sand the entire area, using 1200-grit sandpaper and water. The 1200-grit sandpaper smooths all previous scratches and finishes the surface. Rinse the area and let it dry completely.

5

Apply a quarter-sized amount of liquid rubbing compound to the buffing pad. Buff the sanded area until it shines, since the sanding made the area dull. Move the buffer in small, circular motions, and don't let it sit in one place longer than a few seconds.