Hard cutting foam sponge with
backing pad fitted

The yellow cutting sponge has a hard density and is ideal when aggressive compounding/cutting is required.

The yellow sponge is used when severe paint correction is required. The cutting process is aggressive an may leave micro-marring on the surface that needs to be removed with a medium/firm density sponge

What is polishing?

A polishing compound rubbed against a painted surface acts like an abrasive and removes microscopic layers of paint to even out the surface. It is this process that removes the appearance of dullness and scratches.

Automotive paints generally have 3 layers:

Primer layer – Bonding agent and prevents rust
Base coat – Colour layer
Clearcoat – Top protective layer

The clear coat is the layer on the car that will be polished and is extremely
thin – about half the thickness of a piece of paper. It is possible to remove
scratch marks if you can’t feel them with your fingernail. Scratches deeper than
the clearcoat won’t be corrected by polishing.

It is highly recommended to invest in a paint thickness gauge to measure the
thickness of the clearcoat. The polishing process should never remove the
clearcoat.

Processes in polishing:

Cutting – Aggressive compounding for severe paint correction.
Hard foam sponge with Liquid Shine High-Cut.
Compounding – Clean up micro-marring from cutting process. Firm
foam sponge with Liquid Shine Fine-Cut
Polish – Removes dullness, holograms and swirl marks.
Medium/Soft foam sponge with Liquid Shine Zero Swirl
Glazing – A protective wax or sealant. Ultra soft foam sponge.

Foam sponge colour application chart: