3M™ Perfect-It™ 1-Step Finishing System Standard Operating Procedure for Large Area Repair

When sanding is required to remove texture and paint defects like scratches, runs, and dents throughout an entire panel, using a 6-inch dual action sander is the most productive method.

Attach a 3M™ Purple Finishing Film, grade P1500 or P2000 disc to the sander. A soft interface pad is recommended but not required.

Sand the panel until the defects are removed and the texture is leveled to match adjacent panels.

When the desired results are achieved, clean the sanding dust off the panel before moving to the next step.

In this step you’re refining the sand scratches created by the P1500 or P2000 abrasives in the denibbing and texture matching step.

Using a 3000-grade 3M™ Trizact™ Hookit™ Foam Abrasive Disc on a dual action sander with an interface pad, spray the disc and the surface to be sanded with water using a spray bottle.

When using 3000-grade 3M™ Trizact™ Hookit™ Foam Abrasive Disc, it is recommended to be used damp not wet.

Sand with medium pressure using 5-6 overlapping passes until a light slurry covers the repair area. Cross-sanding with the dual action sander creates a uniform finish.

Clean the surface with a microfiber towel and inspect the surface to ensure the scratch refinement is complete. Once this initial scratch refinement is complete, you are now ready to move on to further refining the sand scratches in the next step.

To obtain the ultimate finish and eliminate the compounding step, use an 8000-grade 3M™ Trizact™ Hookit™ Foam Abrasive Disc.

With this step you’re refining the sand scratches to the point where you actually begin to “polish” the paint, eliminating the need for compounding, which means no more compound swirl marks.

Using a 8000-grade 3M™ Trizact™ Hookit™ Foam Abrasive Disc on a dual action sander with an interface pad, spray the disc and the surface to be sanded with water using a spray bottle. It is recommended to be used damp not wet.

Sand with medium pressure using 5-6 overlapping passes until a light slurry covers the repair area. Cross-sanding with the dual action sander creates a uniform finish.

Clean the surface with a microfiber towel and inspect the surface to ensure the scratch refinement is complete. Once this initial scratch refinement is complete, you are now ready to move on to the polishing step.

The most unique aspect of the 8000-grade 3M™ Trizact™ Hookit™ Foam Abrasive Disc is that it eliminates the need to use rubbing compound. Your only polishing step is with 3M™ Perfect-It™ 1-Step Finishing Material and the 3M™ Perfect-It™ 1-Step Foam Finishing Pad.

Attach a purple 3M™ Perfect-It™ 1-Step Foam Finishing Pad to the buffer and set the polisher between 1200 and 2000 rpm.

Apply 3M™ Perfect-It™ 1-Step Finishing Material to the repair area.

Polish with medium pressure until desired result is achieved.

Remove any residual polish off the panel using a clean microfiber cloth and inspect to ensure the finish is perfect. Reapply polish and continue buffing as needed.