Can a scratch be repaired?


ALWAYS FOLLOW MANUFACTURER INSTRUCTIONS FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY WHEN USING A PRODUCT SUCH AS AEROSOL SPRAY PAINT FOR A REPAIR. ALWAYS WEAR APPROPRIATE SAFETY GEAR WHEN WORKING WITH PAINT OR FINISHING PRODUCTS.


Most light paint scratches can easily be hidden. The below repair process will help you to hide any accidental damage to painted surfaces. Just follow these quick and easy steps to repair the scratch and get your artwork looking just like new again:

  1. Determine if the scratch is just superficial or if it has gone all the way through the color and has exposed the raw steel. The quick and easy method for testing this is to apply a small amount of moisture to the scratch. If it seems to disappear or nearly disappear, that’s great and means your scratch is just in the topcoat and you can SKIP TO STEP 4. If you see shiny steel when you’ve added moisture, you’ll need to do a few more steps to make this repair.
  2. If you see shiny steel, the next step is to add the appropriate color. If you’re repairing black or other opaque colors, simply grab a small jar of hobby paint, a paint marker or other oil-based paint. Using a very small brush or q-tip, fill in the scratch with the appropriate color. Be extremely careful to minimize how much paint goes beyond the edges of the scratch, as you’ll be sanding this extra off in the next step.
  3. If you’re repairing a candy (semi transparent) color, grab a permanent marker in a color as close as possible to the original color. Draw a line along the surface of the scratch. You’re adding just enough color to disguise the scratch in the next steps. Be very careful not to draw beyond the bounds of the scratch any more than is absolutely necessary. You don’t want to expand the damage by going far beyond the bounds of the scratch.
  4. Once we have repaired the color (or if you were able to skip the color repair step), it’s time to repair the clear-coat finish. Most hardware or home improvement stores sell sanding paper that is made to be used wet. You’ll want to find something in a 350 grit or finer – the friendly helpers at your local store should be able to help you choose appropriate paper with this information. Soak your wet-sanding paper for 30 minutes or more before starting, then begin to slowly sand the scratched area. Use plenty of water to get a smoother repair – dry sanding at this stage can cause more damage rather than helping with the repair. The goal here is to smooth any ridge caused from the scratch or from adding color in a previous step. Sand lightly and take your time. You don’t want to expand your work area very far beyond the scratch, and you don’t want to sand so deep you go through the undamaged area. When sanded correctly, you should have a small smooth groove at the scratch (or no groove if you filled it using a technique above) and a smooth area around the scratch. The sanding should leave a cloudy or matte finish where you are working. We’ll bring the gloss back in the next step.
  5. If you’re working on a flat piece or small area, the quick and easy fix to repair the gloss where you’ve sanded is to coat the entire piece in a thin layer of Rustoleum 2X Crystal Clear paint. Be very careful not to get dust or debris in the wet paint, as that could leave unwanted bumps in your clear-coat. If you’re working on a larger area or multi-layer piece, we recommend using Scotch Blue Painters Tape to tape off an area to spray the clear.
  6. In some cases, it may be necessary to repeat the above process several times to get a smooth and clean finish.

ALWAYS FOLLOW MANUFACTURER INSTRUCTIONS FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY WHEN USING A PRODUCT SUCH AS AEROSOL SPRAY PAINT FOR A REPAIR. ALWAYS WEAR APPROPRIATE SAFETY GEAR WHEN WORKING WITH PAINT OR FINISHING PRODUCTS.