5. With the "sanding pencil" we prepared in the previous step, we found a position to rest our hand while being able to reach the paint chip. We twisted and lightly moved the pencil to thoroughly scuff the bottom of the paint chip and the immediate edges. It is important to note that the new paint must be able to adhere to edges of the existing paint to create a smooth finish.

We repeated this step on all of the paint chips we were repairing at this time.

7. Optionally, at this stage of the process, one could rub carnauba wax over the paint chip, insuring to cover the surrounding paint with wax. This is done to prevent paint from adhering to undesired areas. Subsequently, the chip must thoroughly cleaned by using a fine point applicator with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) on the tip. It is absolutely critical to remove ALL of the wax in the chip, or the new paint will not adhere to the substrate.

In our experience, this step is helpful for the first few times that you are learning how to repair paint chips. Once we became comfortable with the process, we did not find a need to do this step.

8. Before applying any paint, we prepared our fine line painting pen. First, we insured that the fine line painting pen is completely clean, specifically checking that the nozzle was completely clear. Next, we filled the fine line painting pen with only a drop or two of paint. Dab the fine line painting pen on a residue free shop towel until paint starts to come out.

As you can see by the photos below, the fine line painting pen is an order of magnitude more precise than the brush that comes in touch-up paint bottles. This tool enables precise placement of paint and also speeds up the process of applying paint.

9. With the fine line painting pen ready, we rested our hand near the paint chip such that we could easily move our hand/fingers up and down over the paint chip. We then slowly "dabbed" the fine line painting pen on the paint chip to start dispensing paint. Be sure to cover the entire chip (all the way to the edges), but not too thick. This will be just the first layer of paint.

We repeated this step until all of the paint chips had one layer of paint.

11. We repeated Steps 9. and 10. to build up the layers of paint. Be sure to adequately allow the paint to dry. You should be able to see the paint layers slowly rise to a similar level as the surrounding paint.

After a 3 - 4 layers had been added, we waited 1 - 3 days for the paint to fully dry. We found that if adding more than 3 - 4 layers in a single day (even when using the heat gun), tiny bubbles would form between the layers of the paint. These bubbles would become visible when sanding and leveling, resulting in an imperfect finish.

12. At a certain point in Step 11., the center of the filled paint chip will rise to be higher than the surrounding paint. Many times, the edges of the of filled paint chip are still lower than the surrounding paint - forming kind of a "mountain". To fix this, we lightly wet sanded the top of the "mountain" with a pencil with 2500 grit wet sanding paper attached to the end (just as done in Step 4.).

We then went back to repeating Step 11. until all of the paint in the filled chip was higher than the surrounding paint.

13. Next, we used a sanding pad with 2000 grit wet sanding paper to wet sand the paint chip and surrounding area. We wet sanded multiple times until we reached 3000 grit wet sanding paper. Remember when wet sanding to sand in straight lines and to alternate the lines when changing to a higher grit - for example, at 2500 grit wet sanding paper sand vertically and when stepping down to 3000 grit wet sanding paper sand horizontally. This allows you to visually see that you have taken down all of the ridges from the previous 2500 grit wet sanding paper.

To learn more about the process of wet sanding, check out our Wet Sanding Methods & Guide.