Written by: Vinnie van Rooij
When you polish a surface, the level of imperfection defines how much work it will be to achieve a perfect finish. This can either be a 1 stage polish, a 2 stage polish or even a 3 stage polish. Different types of stages needed define slightly what pads and/or polish you are going to need, and might give an indication of the time-frame needed.
Contents
What makes it a 3-stage polish
a 3 stage polish is a 3 step process in which you use 3 different polishes to end up with a finishing polish. It doesn’t have to mean that you begin with a rough polish, then a medium polish to end with a finishing polish. It also applies when you use a medium polish, light polish and then a finishing polish. As long as the process involves 3 different steps, it is considered a 3 stage polish.
However, the most commonly used situation is when a detailer uses a heavy polish, then a medium polish and ends with a finishing polish.
Reasons to choose a 3 stage polish
There can be several reason why you would choose a 3 stage polish:
- You need to do quite some corrections
- You have the time do as much as you can
- You feel/think/know that a 1 or 2 stage polish would be to little
Whatever the reason might be for you, a 3 stage polish has its benefits and its downsides. The main benefit is that you can achieve a lot of correction. The downside is that it takes a lot of time. Especially professional detailers that have to work with fixed time-frames sometimes need to make a general decision based upon: what approach will remove the most imperfections in the least time. A 3 stage polish might not often be the most efficient choice.
How to save yourself time
Make the decision to work with either SMAT or DAT.
When you are working with a medium polish, and you want to skip the need for a fine polish, because you want to jump to the finishing polish, you probably want to use a DAT polish. This will start out with the cutting power of a medium polish, but after working it in, you will finish with a very fine polish. Which will minimize the jump from a medium polish to a finishing polish.
However, keep in mind that a medium DAT polish will remove less microns of paint then a medium SMAT polish, simply because the SMAT polish will retain its cutting power whereas a DAT polish will become more and more fine, cutting less and less as you work it in.
Make the right decision for you situation and you might save yourself a lot of time.
Different related articles
See AlsoGuide to Heating & Pouring WaxesBest Car Polish for 2022Hard Wax Temperature and ConsistencyHow Often Should You Wax And Polish Your Car? | Lease FetcherCorrection
A primed pad will outperform a non-primed pad in cutting. So a primed pad should give a great polishing result on your car, but prime your pad for the goal you’re looking for....
Correction
Polishing the rear softtop window of a convertible is not overly difficult, but might require a bit of trial to get the technique right. There are a few ways to handle this....
Guides
Bird poo can be a big problem with paintwork and needs to be removed as soon as possible. Bird droppings have several aggressive chemicals in them that can severely damage paintwork. Not removing these can cause paint defects that might not be removable. In some cases a respray is needed to repair the surface....
Correction
Detailing a motorbike isn't all that different to any other surface. The main different will be the technique and the tools used because of working in small spaces. Motorbike cleaning requires more effort then most other vehicles, due to small crevices and tight corners....
Detailing Miscellaneous
It is often asked on detailing fora and social media: "what is the best claybar or claymitt". Off course there is a difference between certain products and brands, but it is important to know what you are asking. In this guide I will try to explain what the problem is with this question unless it is asked more in-depth....
Manufacturers
Sonax is a manufacturer of detailing products and is owned by Hoffman Group. Sonax is probably most known for their polish and/or wax products....
