In order to give that project the "wet look", all the bumps and nibs need to be removed so the light reflects perfectly off the surface. All vehicles, even brand new ones, have an 'orange peel' look that is caused when the clear coat is applied. The way to get rid of those bumps is to sand them away. It is best to you a very fine grit of sandpaper so deep scratches are not put in to the clear coat that have to be removed later.

Wash the surface with soap and water. This is to prevent any dirty and grime from being sanded into the clear and cause deeper scratches than necessary.

The materials required for this first step is 1500 grit dry sandpaper, 2000 grit wet sandpaper and a soft sanding block. The use of a sanding blocks keeps the sandpaper flat, which is extremely important in removing all the bumps but not sanding away all the clearcoat. The idea is just to knock down the high spots so all the clear is completely flat. By using just your hand when sanding, your fingers can actually put waves in the clear.

Start by sanding the project with 1500 grit dry sandpaper. You will start to notice that as you sand with the flat sanding block, the high spots are turning white while the low spots stay dark because they have not been sanded yet. Use these dark spots as a guide, when there are no unsanded area, then the clear coat is flat.

NOTE: You need to be very careful here not to keep sanding and break through the clear. If you have a real low spot, just leave it. All you want to do is remove the nibs (dust in the clear) and orange peel. If you do break through, then you need to reclear the project.

It is really important to keep the surface and the sandpaper clean. Sometimes the clear 'balls up' on the sandpaper and causes deep scratches. You can feel the grit when sanding, and sometimes can hear the squeek it makes.

Continually wipe off the sandpaper and the surface to prevent this. Those scratches, although look small now, are not able to be polished out and the surface will have to be sanded again to remove them. You can see how this can be frustrating when you start to polish and all you can see it scratches!

I usually sand in a cross-hatch pattern, overlaping directions in the same area to 'wear' the surface down evenly. Check the surface constantly to ensure your not sanding away too much clear.

I start with 1500 grit dry because it allows me to easily see what I am sanding and it cuts faster than going straight with 2000 grit wet. Stay away from the edges, these spots will not be noticeable when the project is complete, and will prevent you from having to polish them. The edges are a spot where it is very easy to burn through the clear.

Now use the 2000 grit wet sand paper. Wet sandpaper seems to last longer and cut better if soaked in warm water (with a drop or two of dishsoap) for a while prior to using. Wash the surface of the project again to remove sanding dust.  The surfance will still be white from the previous sanding, this is used as a guide for the next step. I do not use a sanding block anymore because this step is used to remove the sand scratches made from the previous sanding, not to remove any bumps or nibs.

Spray down the surface with water and start sanding. The white sand scratches from the previous step will start to disappear, this is what I am looking for.

Continue sanding in the cross-hatch sanding technique. Again, if you feel grit, stop sanding and clean the surface and the sandpaper. Sand the entire surface this way. Check your work often to make sure the scratches ar being removed (wipe the surface and try to look at it from an angle in bright light, you will be able to see sand scratches and flaws). 

Once the entire project is sanded, we need to bring back that shine... by sanding. I personally use the 3M Polish System consisting of 3 steps: Rubbing Compound, Finishing Compound and Final Glaze.

The Rubbing Compound has fine grit in it and by 'sanding', will bring back most of the shine. This is used with a white Polishing Pad. The next stage is Finishing Compound using the black polish pad, and the final is a hand glaze.

Start by securing the polish pad in the centre of the power buffer (typically velcro). Set the buffer on the lowest setting so it heats up the polish but doesn't burn the clear. Use the Rubbing Compound sparingly, a little goes a long way. Work only one section at a time, moving the pad around constantly and slowly. The polish will start to 'satin' up. Work the area until the polish is gone. Check the surface by looking at it on an angle in the bright light. If there are dull spots or scratches, continue doing another pass. I have gone over an area up to 5 times before I was happy with the finish. Patience is important here.

If all the scratches are gone, there will still be swirl marks at this stage. That is what the Step 2 is for. Affix the black polish pad to the power polisher and make sure the polisher is at the lowest setting.

Using the same technique as before, put some compound on the surface and start polishing. It will be difficult to see the difference, you will have to try to get the area in some light to see swirl marks or scratches.

Continue with this stage until all the swirl marks are removed.

Then hand glaze the entire surface, wiping on the glaze with one dry cloth, removing with another clean polish cloth. If a polish cloth hits the floor, DO NOT USE IT, get another clean one. The dirt from the floor will actually put scratches in the surface again...

This is the completed project... its flat, shiny and has the 'wet look'.

Hope this helps helps you with your polish job. If you have any questions or would like to book me for your next polish job, feel free to send an email.