Debate: Do you sand filler dry or wet first? I got opposite results on a fender job last week

I was working on a 2010 Civic rear quarter panel last week, trying to smooth out some bondo work I did. I always sand filler dry with 80 grit first, then move to wet with 400. But this time I tried it the other way around, starting wet with 150 grit then going dry with 220. The finish came out way smoother with less pinholes. But I also spent way longer because the wet paper clogged up fast. My coworker says I'm crazy and starting dry is the only way to get good adhesion for primer. Has anyone else tried flipping the order and gotten better results, or was this just a fluke with that specific panel?

2 comments

2 Comments

park.robin27d ago

Nothing beats the feeling of realizing you've been doing filler work wrong for 15 years and some wet sanding hobo method actually works better lol. Maybe our dry-first habits are just from dads yelling at us with spray cans in the 90s. Either way, if it laid down smooth and didn't peel off, I'd just keep that trick in your back pocket for tricky panels.

benc5327d ago

@park.robin you just described half my garage therapy sessions right there. Spent a whole weekend wet sanding filler on a fender and felt like a genius until my neighbor asked if I was just making a mess. Worked perfect though, smooth as glass and no ghost lines.