Paint Correction and Ceramic Coating In Rhode Island

It’s important to hire a professional detailer to handle your paint correction so you only get results and not problems. 

We’ve seen it dozens of times where we need to fix another detailers problem due to the tools or techniques they used. 

One of the most common things we see is buffer-trails on the paint due to a detailer using a high-speed rotary buffer with a big wool pad and going to town on the paint. This leave what looks like smears all over the vehicle.

Or worse, if the detailer is not careful, they can burn through your clear coat or chip off paint and the only solution to those is getting touch up paint or a respray on the specific panel. 

We use a variety of dual action and rotary polishers and a wide range of pads like wool, microfiber, or foam to deliver the best results we can. 

Polishing your vehicle’s paint to a like-new condition requires more than just a single tool or product. That’s why we use a range of professional-grade polishers, pads, and compounds to get the job done right. Here’s a breakdown of the key tools we rely on to remove swirls and bring back the gloss and clarity:

Polishers: The Foundation of the Process
Polishers are the backbone of any paint correction job. They come in different sizes like 1”, 3”, and 5” and in different types like a rotary, dual action, and forced rotation.

Each polisher serves a purpose depending on the vehicle, panel size or complexity, and clear coat type. For larger surfaces like the hood, we use a larger-throw machine to remove swirls efficiently. For tighter areas like bumpers, a smaller 3” polisher allows for more precision.

Pads: The Key to Cutting and Polishing
The pad is what makes direct contact with your paint and plays a crucial role in the correction process. Different brands offer their own pad styles, each designed for specific levels of cutting and polishing.

For heavy swirl removal, we typically use a wool pad paired with a rotary polisher—an aggressive but effective combo. Other options include microfiber and foam pads, which provide varying levels of cutting and polishing power. Before starting, we test different pad and compound combinations to determine the best approach for your vehicle’s paint.

Compounds & Polishes: The Final “Ingredient”
Just like polishers and pads, compounds and polishes come in a range of strengths. Some compounds are designed for heavy cutting, ideal for removing deep swirls and scratches. In those cases, we might use a rotary polisher with a wool pad and an aggressive compound to get the best results.

On the other end of the spectrum, fine polishes are used for the final refinement stage, helping to enhance clarity and bring out maximum gloss. Each step is carefully chosen based on your vehicle’s needs and what we’re trying to accomlish.

When polishing your car’s paint, you might hear the terms “hard” and “soft” clear coats mentioned. Understanding the difference is key to achieving the best results.

The clear coat is the protective layer over your car’s paint, but not all clear coats are the same. They generally fall into two categories: hard and soft clear coats.

Hard clear coats are more resistant to scratches and swirls, meaning your paint stays glossier for longer. However, when imperfections do appear, they require more effort to remove. Correcting a hard clear coat typically involves stronger compounds, pads, and polishers to restore its flawless finish. The benefit? Once polished, the shine lasts longer.

Soft clear coats, on the other hand, are more delicate, making them easier to scratch and swirl. The upside is that these imperfections are also easier to correct with less aggressive polishing and minimal effort. However, because soft clear coats are more susceptible to damage, proper washing and drying techniques are essential to maintaining their shine.

No matter which type of clear coat your vehicle has, we use the best tools, products, and techniques to bring out its ultimate shine and keep it looking its best.

WWhat tools and products do you use?
We have a variety of polishers, pads, compounds, polishes, towels, and lights that we use to get the job done. We have 1″, 3″, and 5″ polishers to help us get into any small or tight area we need to polish. If there’s heavy swirls, we can use our more aggressive tools and pads to safely achieve the desired results.

Before we start the polishing process, we use our paint thickness gauge to read how much paint we have to work with. This is important to know so we don’t go overly aggressive on panels that don’t have the clear coat for us to do it. We don’t want to end up causing damage because we were chasing the swirls.  

What’s the difference between a wax and paint correction?
A wax does not remove any swirls or scratches from your paint. It only hides the very light swirls and can be completed in a few hours. Paint correction actually removes the swirls in your paint. This is what makes the paint shine like crazy. It also takes a substantial amount of time and energy to complete. Usually one or two full days (depending on size, condition, and desired results).. 

My paint is chipping. Can you still polish it?
If there’s panels on your paint that are chipping, cracking, or heavily oxidized, then there’s a chance it’s too far gone for us to work on. That being said, on the other panels, if they’re still in good condition, we can still polish them normally. But if the paint is at the point where can’t do anything, your next solution would be to get that panel repainted.

Does the color of the car matter when it comes to polishing paint?
The process will be the same but if you have a darker colored vehicle like black, you can see far more swirls and imperfections than you can with a lighter colored vehicle like white. Black is a great color but it’s often the most difficult to upkeep because you can see every little imperfection in the sun. With the color white, a lot of it is hidden because it blends in with the paint color. 

How often do I need to polish my car?
It’s one of those services where you shouldn’t have to do it every year. You have a limited amount of clear coat on your paint and the more you polish it, the more you take off and thin it out. That’s why it’s important to maintain your vehicle with proper washing so you can prolong the results and not require your paint to be polished every year.