Everything about 2,500 grit

Wet sanding with 2,500 grit might seem like an unnecessary step.  However, when the goal is the best paint possible, this step matters, a lot. 

2,500 grit is the step that eliminates the majority of the grainy look in the clear coat when buffing.  Here’s are the things to know for this step:

  • Use 2,500 grit with a soft wet sanding block. 
  • Thoroughly apply dry guide coat prior to 2,500 grit. 
  • Use very good lighting while you’re wet sanding to make sure you don’t miss one single scratch. 
  • Make sure guide coat and bright lighting is used leading up to this step.  2500 won’t remove much more than 2,000 grit. 
  • Use plenty of water, and use new sandpaper often. This grit is very fine, and it doesn’t take much for paint to build up in the paper, leaving small scratches behind. 
  • Follow this step with 3,000 grit foam ‘tri-zact’ pads by hand. 

It’s very important to be just as thorough with this step as any other sanding step, even though it might not seem as crucial. 

One of the keys to spectacular looking paint is not introducing a lot of heat, if any, into the panel while buffing. By using 2,500 grit well, there’s much less work to do with a wool buffing pad and compound, resulting in clearer and flatter paint.