In this series, I am going to take some time to highlight some of the most popular detailing questions I encounter on a daily basis as a customer service representative here at DI. These questions can range from washing, drying, polishing, to almost any other step in the detailing process. With the help of Ask-a-Pro Author James Melfi, check out our answers and some helpful detailing resources covering the topic at hand.

Question:

I need recommendations on the best towel to use when applying a coating. Can I use any towel?

Reece:

When it comes to microfiber towels I always recommend using what you like. Thin or thick, short nap or long, it really does not matter and as long as you are using what you like you should see some great results. With that said, when removing excess coating residue towels can tend to bunch up due to the residue being so tight to the surface. A GSM around 300 is great and I personally recommend something like the Rag Company Pearl Coating Towel or Rag Company Edgeless 300 Microfiber Towel.

James:

I find short nap towels to be the most effective coating removal towels. My go to is The Rag Company Edgeless 300 Towel.

For this specific question James and I both recommended shorter nap towels to combat bunching up during use. A towel with a lower GSM will help the towel glide across the surface easier, while still picking up excess coating in the process. It is imperative to always use a high quality towel as well as we do not want to risk adding any imperfections into the paint, especially after we put all that work into thoroughly cleaning and perfecting the paint beforehand. As mentioned in my answer, this is all really just a guideline and if you personally like the feel of thicker towels, there is no reason to not use what you feel comfortable with.

Proper Use:

When using microfiber to remove excess coating, you want to fold the towel in fourths, this way you can flip to a new clean side often during use. When your microfiber towel sucks up coating, it will become saturated with product. We do not want to use a towel, or side of a towel, that is saturated as this will reintroduce excess coating to the panel. We want to remove all the excess, not reintroduce it and if we are using a saturated towel this can cause ugly streaking. On top of that, if you let this excess sit on the surface and cure, the streaks will be hard to remove and possibly require polishing to fix. Check out this article by Ivan Rajic, which shows how you should fold and use your towel to remove excess protection. Simply put, fold your towels and swap them out often to avoid any issues!

Suggested Microfiber Towels:

• Rag Company Pearl Coating Towel
• Rag Company Edgeless 300 Microfiber Towel
• The Rag Company Eagle Edgeless 350 Towel
• The Rag Company Buttersoft Suede Applicator Cloth Gold
• Gtechniq MF1 ZeroR Microfibre Buff Cloth
• Autofiber Quadrant Wipe
• CarPro Suede Microfiber Cloths
• DI Microfiber Polish Removal Edgeless Towel
• Gyeon PolishWipe Microfiber

Bonus Microfiber & Coating Articles:

• The Benefits of a Paint Coating
• What Coating Should I Buy?
• Maintaining Your Paint Coating
• Nano Coatings: When to Replace & How to Recoat
• Premium Microfiber: One of the Most Overlooked Detailing Tools
• Detailing Essentials #5 | Quality Microfiber
• How To Determine YOUR Microfiber Needs
• Product Review: P&S Rags to Riches Premium Microfiber Detergent

Related Detailing Guide Section(s)

• Microfiber Towels
• Coatings

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