What is a typical sanding progression for metal prep from rough to paint-ready?

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Multiple Choice

What is a typical sanding progression for metal prep from rough to paint-ready?

The main idea is to move from a rough, material-removing step to a very smooth finish in a controlled progression. For metal prep, you want to start with a grit that can flatten high spots and feather edges around any repair, which is 320–400. This creates a uniform, keyed surface and blends the repaired area with the surrounding metal. Next, switch to 600–1000 to remove the scratches left by the 320–400 pass and to further smooth the surface without losing the established shape. Finally, finish with 1200–2000 to produce a silky, paint-ready surface with fine scratches that promote excellent paint adhesion and a clean final appearance. Starting with a much coarser grit (like 40) would leave deep scratches hard to remove; starting with a very fine grit would not address unevenness effectively; and reversing or mixing the sequence would create inconsistent scratch patterns and more work. This plain, stepwise approach—320–400, then 600–1000, then 1200–2000—best prepares metal for painting.

The main idea is to move from a rough, material-removing step to a very smooth finish in a controlled progression. For metal prep, you want to start with a grit that can flatten high spots and feather edges around any repair, which is 320–400. This creates a uniform, keyed surface and blends the repaired area with the surrounding metal. Next, switch to 600–1000 to remove the scratches left by the 320–400 pass and to further smooth the surface without losing the established shape. Finally, finish with 1200–2000 to produce a silky, paint-ready surface with fine scratches that promote excellent paint adhesion and a clean final appearance. Starting with a much coarser grit (like 40) would leave deep scratches hard to remove; starting with a very fine grit would not address unevenness effectively; and reversing or mixing the sequence would create inconsistent scratch patterns and more work. This plain, stepwise approach—320–400, then 600–1000, then 1200–2000—best prepares metal for painting.

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