Thread: what is paint correction

Best to get a job with the best detailed in your area for awhile. Work with them for at least half a year and learn everything you can...

I'll leave it to others to point out the many pitfalls of 'walking before you run' and just answer the OP quesion...

Paint Correction Process

Instead of getting your car expensively re-painted, which may affect its originality and resale value, when all it needs is proper paintwork correction. Firstly, the paintwork is measured for thickness using a digital paint thickness gauges (PTG). Detailers use an electronic PTG to determine the depth of paint to avoid over-polishing

Decontaminate the paintwork and then use a polish to remove scratches, bird stains, water marks, swirl marks, machine buffer marks, and holograms, cob- webbing and micro-marring and restore the paintwork to its original colour if it has faded. Once the paint surface is smooth and level it will enable proper light reflection.

Paint renovation detailers need to control the amount of paint being removed from a vehicle. An electronic paint thickness gauge (PTG) can be used to identify areas of thin paint or determine the depth of paint damage. With this knowledge, you'll know what areas of the vehicle to avoid or where to tread gently when removing imperfections

1. Wash
2. Detailer’s clay (surface contaminants) and then light wash / rinse or
a) Chemical Paint Cleaner
3. Paint Decontamination (below surface contaminants) and then light wash with an alkaline (pH 9) wash concentrate
4. Dry paint surfaces
5. Tape protection (edges, emblems, panel edges, etc)
6. Check paint thickness (PTG) if not within ‘safe’ parameters use a Glaze and then proceed to 10
7. Test Panel Process, dependent upon results proceed to (a) ( b) or (c)

a) Compound
b) Polish
c) Wet-sand

8. Paint inspection wipe down
9. Final polish
10. Apply paint protection

Paint correction involves wetsanding, compounding, polishing and many other steps to achieve a flawless finish or a close as you can get to flawless. It takes years to master as every vehicle you work on is different and requires different products and techniques.

Paint correction is a systematic means of removing microns of paint down to the lowest point of the marring, and knowing and quantifing, when to stop EVEN IF you have to leave some marring for the sake of the intregrity of the paint. This is NOT somthing you just pick up in a class on the weekend or read about on the internet. The process will take HOURS to do properly and can't be done for $99.99 by anyone that know what the hell they are doing. The process is truly an art form married with the skill and technology of the paint correction specialists.

If you really want to make the $$ in detailing......don't be a paint correction specialist. Slam out the quick wash and waxes and you won't have the risk, make more money per hour. Paint Correction Specialists are artists, its a labor of love that pays $ but its more of a love affair....

Cheers,
Greg Nichols

Its easy, but very hard to master. the process itsself is pretty simple, but you can really fvck up royally if you dont know what you're doing. I would'nt suggest trying it if you dont know what you are doing.

Originally Posted by Reflections

Paint correction is a systematic means of removing microns of paint down to the lowest point of the marring, and knowing and quantifing, when to stop EVEN IF you have to leave some marring for the sake of the intregrity of the paint. This is NOT somthing you just pick up in a class on the weekend or read about on the internet. The process will take HOURS to do properly and can't be done for $99.99 by anyone that know what the hell they are doing. The process is truly an art form married with the skill and technology of the paint correction specialists.

If you really want to make the $$ in detailing......don't be a paint correction specialist. Slam out the quick wash and waxes and you won't have the risk, make more money per hour. Paint Correction Specialists are artists, its a labor of love that pays $ but its more of a love affair....

Cheers,
Greg Nichols

so true!!!! I make more per hour on the wash/wax/interior jobs than I do on paint correction jobs (80-100/hr, sometimes with help+++), but I find more paint correction more gratifying in the end (50-60/hr)!

I think this guy gives lessons

Originally Posted by autoluxe

I think this guy gives lessons

lessons to put holograms , the pad is in angle... )

Definetely take a class on it especially if you dont even know what it is. DIY is not the approach for paint correcting.

thanks guys. I am taking a class on it and so far it is going really well. Love working with cars