So, you’ve managed to get some overspray onto your car, and you now want to know how to remove it without harming your clear coat. Fortunately, there are ways to address this problem and make your car look presentable again. So without further ado, let’s dive in and kick that overspray to the curb!
The Problem
Before jumping in, we must understand the problem we face thoroughly. Let’s first look closely at clear coat. Clear coat is a transparent layer of paint used on cars to help protect them and improve their look. This outmost layer of paint isn’t very thick, but it’s thick enough to do its job well.
So, when trying to remove overspray, we want to avoid damaging it as much as possible so it can continue protecting and beautifying your car. But both overspray and clear coat are paints, so the trick is figuring out how to remove one paint without affecting the other.
What Is Overspray?
What exactly is overspray? Overspray is a term used to refer to sprayed paint that has gone in unintended places. Think of someone spray painting something in their garage and having some paint drift to a nearby car. This is a popular way of incurring overspray and can happen due to people not realizing how far spray paint can travel.
Overspray can also occur in other ways. Imagine commercial painters painting a building on a windy day (it’s easy to see the risks involved). You may even find overspray on your vehicle and not know where it originated. When dealing with overspray, it’s also important to remember that some paints are more challenging to get off than others.
Detailing Clay
The most trusted way to remove overspray is by using detailing clay. Detailing clay is a compound you rub on your car to remove various contaminants on the paint. It works so well for removing overspray because it is specially designed to be used on flat surfaces to remove things raised on it. It’s made to be gentle on your clear coat yet abrasive on contaminants like overspray.
Clay Bar Kits
Detailing clay can come in various forms. Clay bar kits are sold specifically for working on your car. They come with a particular solution to spray on the vehicle while using the clay. It’s essential to use plenty of this lubrication so that the clay can do its job best. An important tip is never to let your clay bar fall on the floor. Doing so can contaminate it with dirt (which you would not want to have rubbed into your vehicle).
There are different strengths of clay bars available. Any standard bar or kit should work fine. If you have options available, you’ll want to start with the weakest version and turn to something stronger if you need more help.
How to Check for Overspray
When you have overspray, you should have three senses to detect it: sight, touch, and hearing. You can see it, feel it when you run your hand over it, and hear it. After claying the overspray, you should no longer be able to feel roughness or hear any abrasion while doing the feel test again.
Wash Beforehand
Washing your car before using a clay bar is essential. Not doing so can leave loose pieces of dirt that can be rubbed into your paint while clay barring, causing even more damage to the clear coat than you already had.
Do It Yourself or Pay?
Removing overspray with detailing clay is something you can do yourself. It will take some time and elbow grease, but you should be able to get the job done. The amount of overspray you’re facing will determine the length of the job.
If your whole car is covered in it, you may consider paying a professional detailer to take care of it for you. They should use the same claying technique outlined in this article. A detailer may have a team to help them finish the job in no time. Especially for stubborn overspray, having help can be a significant benefit due to the amount of scrubbing that may be needed.
What Are Some Other Methods of Removing Overspray?
While detailing clay is the most trusted method, others have turned to different approaches. Let’s take a look.
Chemically
Overspray can be removed chemically, and there’s no shortage of chemicals that people have tried to use to remove it. Everything from rubbing alcohol to acetol to WD-40 may be effective. The use of chemicals is less appealing because they can be more aggressive and risky for a car’s paint. It’s hard to know precisely what kind of effect certain chemicals will have. If going this route, be sure to do so with caution.
Scraping
Another option is using something to scrape the overspray off. A plastic scraper or razer blade can be used to scrape the paint off. This can be risky, as they could scrape and mar your car’s paint.
Pressure Washing
Sometimes, just using a pressure washer can be effective. However, you’ll want to be careful, as too much power can cut away too much of your car’s paint. If you already own a pressure washer that you use for washing your car, it may be worth trying.
Sanding/Buffing
Another way is by wet sanding the area. This is a powerful method, but it can be more aggressive than a clay bar. 5,000 or 10,000 grit sandpaper works well for this. Remember, we want to keep the clear coat as intact as possible. Similarly, you can use a powered buffer and some type of compound. This works like polishing your car.
After Removal
After successfully getting all the overspray off (yay!), best practices say you should finish the job with a polish. While detailing clay is designed to be gentle on your car’s clear coat, it will inevitably cause some marring to the areas you rub it on. The way to fix these little scratches and roughness is by polishing your car. A polish will effectively remove those scratches and give your paint its best appearance. However, polishing isn’t always necessary, depending on your pickiness. For extra care, you can wax your car afterward. Waxing your car creates an additional layer of protection on top of the clear coat you already have!
Conclusion
So, there you have it. These should be some dependable ways to get that pesky overspray off your ride. At the end of the day, the best way to defeat overspray is by avoiding it in the first place. When doing painting jobs, take full precautions to protect your vehicle. The distance at which spray paint can travel can be shocking.
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