My Favorite One Stage Polishing Routines
by Ivan RajicThis question gets asked a lot by both enthusiasts and up and coming detailers. Knowing what combination to use when doing only one stage of machine polishing is essential in pleasing clients or simply reaching a better result on your personal vehicle. There is always the compromise of correction and finish, which needs to be balanced perfectly for different kinds of paints and vehicles for optimal results. The short answer is that there is really no “right” combination for all paint jobs, simply because there are way too many variables between paint, vehicle manufacturers, etc. That said, here are a few of my favorite combinations and the reasoning behind them.
Meguiar’s Ultra Finishing Polish M205 & Lake Country Orange Light Cutting Pad
This is a combination I use for harder paints that aren’t too sensitive and can benefit from a bit extra cut. The M205 paired with the orange pad can do some fairly serious swirl correction on many paint finishes, which is why I almost always reach for it when my goal is to get as much cut as possible out of only one polishing stage and when the paint will allow it. The orange pad I find is one of those that can be both aggressive and not so aggressive depending on how it’s used, so it’s a very versatile pad. M205 as we all know is also versatile in that it can be used as a finishing polish on most finishes, however with some pressure and specific technique, it can surely remove some deeper defects on certain paints. Thus, I like to combine the two mainly when working on somewhat hard clear coats in order to get that correction but leave a marr and hologram free finish.
Meguiar’s Ultra Finishing Polish M205 & Lake Country Hydro Tech Crimson Ultra Fine Finishing Pad
For paints that aren’t as hard and forgiving, I step down the pad in aggressiveness and use the crimson finishing pad with M205. The crimson pad is a very fine pad so it’s sure to never leave any marring in the paint, which makes it a great pad to use with a variety of polishes. When it comes to such a pad, the polish is mainly what is used to determine how much of the defects you can actually remove. That’s why I like to use M205 with it because I know that I can get pretty good correction with proper speed and pressure, all while making sure I don’t scour up the paint with an overly aggressive pad. The M205 and crimson pad combo is great for softer paint jobs where the finish can be a bit finicky to work with and requires a gentle touch to finish down correctly.
Sonax Profiline Perfect Finish & Lake Country Hydro Tech Crimson Ultra Fine Finishing Pad
Last, but certainly not least, is my go-to combination for paints that are a pain to work with and require a very fine finishing process in order to leave the paint free of any user induced defects. This combo works well to remove a lot of light swirl marks from such paints as softer jet black, but it also leaves a nice finish that is ready for waxing. Sonax Perfect Finish is a great polish here because while it can be used to slightly remove some light and moderate defects, it finishes down very well to leave a nice and glossy finish. It’s my main choice of finishing polish due to its ease of use compared to other fine polishes out there, so I like to pair it with the finer crimson pad when performing only one stage of polishing on sensitive paints requiring a very gentle combination.
Well, while those are surely not all the combinations I use for one stage polishing, they are few of my favorites and some I use most of the time. As I mentioned already, with all the variables involved in paint polishing, it’s just about impossible to find a single pad and a single polish to use on every paint and get maximum results from just one polishing stage. However, having 2-3 different combinations (2-3 pads and 2-3 polishes) will pretty much take care of any paint one can encounter.
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I have a Speed Yellow 997 Turbo. Is this considered hard or soft paint? I have never been able to get more than 80% correction regardless of pad/polish combinations (the most aggressive I’ve used is a Surbuf pad and Megs 105 and the only polisher I have is a PC). This leads me to believe I need the car wet sanded. Any suggestions on your approach to this paint with pad/polish combinations?
Hi Shawn,
First off, I really couldn’t tell you whether it’s hard or soft paint without doing a little polishing on it myself. However, based on what you described it might be on the hard side. Another thing to consider is what exactly you’re trying to remove? If you’ve tried going over the paint a few times with surbuf pads and M105, I’d be careful in removing too much paint in the future. That combo should remove most/all swirling and moderate defects after a few stages, but if you’re chasing a very deep scratch or want to improve the orange peel on the car, then you’ll need to consult with a professional to measure the paint and see what can be done.
I have a 2010 Cadillac DTS and have polished on it and can not seem to all the flaws out of it. Do you know if that is one of the hard paints? It is “crystal red tintcoat” color.
Hi Mike,
I honestly can’t say I’m familiar with exactly that paint so I can’t say whether it’s one or the other. If possible, I would consult with a local quality professional to see if they can help.
I have used the M205 and LC orange pad with great success.
I just received the DetailedImage.com Porter Cable starter kit and am a bit confused–no, a lot confused–by the pads. I read on the website that certain colors are for various purposes, I see quite a bit of differences in the pads sent to me in the kit. Perhaps you can explain.
Two Orange pads: H20-2155, and 76-2455. They are the same color but do not appear identical.
Two blue pads (perhaps one is cyan?):H20-9155, and 76-9455. the color and appearances is different between the two.
I received a white pad 76-6455.
I received a white pad with a backing plate attached (no number). What’s it for? Is it supposed to be out-of-round?
I received a black pad 76-7455
I received a yellow pad 76-5455.
I sure need some clarification on these pads before I start using them on my cars. I see NO INSTRUCTIONS anywhere to help me. I expected a DVD with this kit but did not receive one.
Thanks, Barry
Hi Barry,
I’ll try to my best to clarify this for you…
The orange pads are in fact different and should have different backings (H20-2155 should be white and the other black). The H20-2155 is the Hydro Tech tangerine polishing pad whereas the 76-2455 is the regular orange light cutting pad. The orange is more aggressive than the tangerine, at least from my experience.
Same goes for the blue pads. The cyan is the hydro tech light cutting pad, similar to the orange pad but probably a bit more aggressive, whereas the blue pad is much different and a fine finishing pad.
The white pad 76-6455 is a regular polishing pad, a bit less aggressive than the orange light cutting pad.
The white pad with a backing plate attached is something you just put away forever :). It’s what comes with the Porter Cable as a kit and joking aside, it’s a decent pad but I never really tested it thoroughly. You can probably use it and see how it works, but it should be similar to the white polishing pad mentioned above.
Black pad is a finishing pad, similar to the blue finishing pad but the blue pad is a bit more fine in terms of aggressiveness.
The yellow pad is a cutting pad that’s more aggressive than the orange pad.
Hope that clears it up a bit. In summary, I’ll list the pads from least to most aggressive… blue, black, white, tangerine, orange, cyan, yellow. Cyan and yellow, as well as white and tangerine may be very similar or act differently than I listed here with different paints, techniques, pressure, etc., but that’s fairly accurate.
Hope that helps!