Categories

Payment Logos

How to Use Dry Guide Coat

The Application and Uses of Dry Guide Coat

Difficulty: Easy

What Does Dry Guide Coat Do?

Dry guide coats are fine coloured powders that are used to detect imperfections, such as deep scratches or pinholes, on the surface of primers or body fillers. The guide coat fills any grooves on the surface and reveals low areas, acting as a guide for sanding the surface and helping to create a perfectly smooth area ready for painting. 

 

As guide coats help you to see and remove defects in body fillers and styling lines they are often considered essential for achieving a true show-room finish.

 

Use a bright guide coat for dark paint and a dark guide coat for bright paint.

 

How to Apply the Dry Guide Coat

Before using, shake and twist the applicator into the tub in order to coat the pad in the guide coat.

 

With light pressure, rub the compound into the surface in circular motions. This is to make sure the compound gets into every possible crevice, no matter the direction.

 

You will probably start to notice the guide coat settling in the low spots and other imperfections. These are the areas you need to flatten by sanding down with fine sandpaper so that the entire panel is one uniform level. It may be a good idea to use a sanding block, as you typically use guide coat on a large area, however, we suggest using a flexible block to make sure all the contours of the panel are sanded equally. The powder shouldn't clog or interfere with the sandpaper.

 

You may want to prime, use guide coat and sand multiple times for an extra perfect look.

 

When you're satisfied with the texture of your area, you're ready to put a topcoat over your new flat surface.

 

Products Used In This Tutorial

 

Guide Coat

3M Orange Dry Guide Coat, 50g

 or

3M Black Dry Guide Coat, 50g

 

Guide Coat Applicator

3M Dry Guide Coat Applicator

 

Wet-Or-Dry Paper

3M P2000, 138mm x 230mm, Wetordry Sheet 401Q, Qty of 50

 

Sanding Block

Fast Mover Flexible Sanding Block 70mm x 400mm Hook & Loop