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Paint Correction
The finishing stage of most overspray jobs, and the fix for what was underneath it.
Learn morePaint and Overspray Removal in Jacksonville, FL
Overspray lifted out of the clear coat, not sanded off it.
Industrial fallout, construction dust and paint overspray removed from paint, glass and trim by decontamination and correction, in a controlled indoor bay.
- Paint · Glass · Trim
- Clay and chemical decon
- Machine finished
- Quoted after inspection
What it is
It is not on the paint. It is in it.
Airborne paint lands as thousands of tiny droplets that harden where they sit and bond into the top of the clear coat. Washing goes straight over them.
What it removesAnd how you know you have it
It handles
Paint oversprayFrom nearby spraying, body shops and industrial work
Construction falloutConcrete dust, render and mortar splatter
Industrial falloutRail dust and metal particles that rust into the paint
Tree sap and tar bonded inThe same decontamination stages take these out
The tell-tale signs
Rough to the touchRun a hand over clean paint. It should feel like glass
Worse on horizontalsThe roof, hood and trunk catch the most
Visible on the glassSpeckling on the windows that will not wipe off
It came on suddenlyOverspray arrives on one day, not gradually
The test is your hand, not your eyes. Wash the car, then run a palm across the roof or hood. Clean paint feels like glass. Paint with overspray in it feels like fine sandpaper, and the speckling usually shows up on the windows too.
Removal is a decontamination job before it is a polishing job. Chemical decontamination dissolves what will dissolve, then a clay stage shears off what is standing proud of the clear coat. Most overspray comes out at that point.
What is left — anything that has bonded deeper, and the marring the decontamination itself leaves behind — is corrected by machine. That order matters. Polishing first just drags the particles across the panel and puts scratches in it.
Decontaminate first, polish second
Chemical then mechanical decontamination lifts the particles off before anything abrasive touches the paint. Reversing that order grinds them in.
Glass and trim as well
Overspray does not stop at the paint. Windows, mirrors and plastic trim are all done, because a car with clean paint and speckled glass is still a speckled car.
Indoors under inspection lighting
Fine speckling is invisible in daylight and obvious under a light bar. Doing it indoors is how you find out whether it has all come out.
Assessed before it is quoted
Light fallout on a daily driver and heavy overspray across a whole vehicle are days apart. The car gets looked at first.
Which one you need
Decontamination, or correction.
Overspray removal usually needs both, and in one particular order.
Overspray Removal
Takes the particles out
Removes bonded contamination from paint, glass and trim.
Chemical and mechanical decontamination before anything abrasive.
Documented, which matters if somebody else is paying.
Does not fix swirls or scratches that were already in the paint.
vs
Paint Correction
Takes the marks out
Removes swirls and scratches by machine polishing.
Follows decontamination as the finishing stage of an overspray job.
On its own, it drags the contamination across the paint.
Does nothing about overspray on glass or trim.
D
eThe process
Five stages, in an order that matters.
01 / Inspect
Under the light bar, and photographed
How far it has spread, how heavy it is, which surfaces are affected. Documented at this point, before anything is touched.
02 / Wash
Everything loose off first
A foam pre-soak and two-bucket hand wash. There is no sense decontaminating a panel that still has road grit on it.
03 / Chemical decontamination
Dissolve what will dissolve
Iron fallout remover breaks down embedded metal particles. Tar and solvent stages take what is soluble.
04 / Mechanical decontamination
Shear off what is left
A clay stage across paint, glass and trim removes what is standing proud of the surface. This is the stage that takes out most overspray.
05 / Correct and protect
Finish what decontamination left
Machine correction removes remaining bonding and the marring decontamination leaves, then the paint is sealed.
Questions
What people ask before they book.
How do I know it is overspray and not just dirty?
Wash it and feel it. Clean paint feels like glass. Overspray feels gritty, it is worse on horizontal panels, and it usually shows as speckling on the windows that will not wipe off. If it appeared over one day rather than gradually, that is overspray.
Will it come out completely?
Most of the time, yes. What decides it is how long it has been on and how heavy it is. Fresh overspray comes out readily. Overspray that has been baking on Florida paint for months has bonded further in and may need correction to finish, which takes clear coat with it. You get an honest answer at the inspection, not after.
Can I just polish it off myself?
Please do not start there. Polishing over bonded particles drags them across the panel and puts scratches in the clear coat, so you finish with two problems. Decontamination comes first, and it is the stage that does most of the work.
A contractor sprayed my car. Will you document it?
Yes. The inspection is photographed under controlled lighting before anything is done, and again afterwards, and you get a written description of what was found. Tell us when you book so we cover what the other party will want to see.
Does it damage the paint to remove it?
Decontamination does not remove clear coat. The correction stage does, in the same tiny amounts any machine polish does. That is why the order is decontaminate first and correct only what is left, rather than polishing the whole car.
Next
What usually goes with it.
02
Exterior Detailing
The wash and decontamination process this is built on, as a standalone service.
Learn more03
Ceramic Coatings
With the paint decontaminated and corrected, this is the right moment to seal it.
Learn moreBook
Bring it in and we will tell you what is in the paint.
The inspection is documented, which matters when somebody else is paying for the fix.