Panel Refinishing – Preparation to Finished Gloss

PANEL REFINISHING PROJECT · GEELONG

CLEAN • CORRECT • PROTECT

A proper panel refinish is mostly decided before the colour goes on. These removed white vehicle panels gave us access to the edges, recesses and reverse areas that are difficult to prepare once everything is back on the vehicle.

The process: clean and inspect · sand and prepare · prime where required · refine · colour · clear · inspect and finish.

Preparation first.

Why remove panels?

Removing a part can make it easier to sand, mask, prime and coat the areas that are otherwise hard to reach. It can also reduce awkward masking lines and give better access to edges and recesses. Whether a panel should come off depends on the vehicle, repair and finish required.

Colour and clear are only the visible half.

The finished gloss is the part everyone sees, but it relies on the work underneath. The exact coating system varies with the substrate and condition, but a sound refinishing sequence follows the same logic: prepare the surface properly, use primer where required, refine the surface, then build the colour and clear over that foundation.

Finished gloss.

When is a respray the right answer?

Not every mark needs paint. If the existing finish is sound and the issue is haze, swirls or shallow defects, paint correction may be enough. Deeper damage, failed clear, missing paint or a panel needing a uniform new finish may be better suited to panel refinishing.