One of the biggest areas of confusion for a detailer is the sheer variety of pads available. There are pads of different sizes, materials, colours, brands and purposes. If you are a new detailer or someone looking to start a new studio, choosing the right pad for the right purpose is a very difficult decision.

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This article will help you understand polishing pads better and also guide you in buying better polishing pads.

There are three main factors to understanding polishing pads, which are:

• Material of the pads
• Best suitable pad for a respective application
• Best-matched pads with machines

Material of Pads:

Pads come in three different materials: Wool, Foam and Microfiber. Each material differs in its cutting power, application and machine compatibility. Let&#;s understand this better.

1. Wool Pads

Wool Pads are one of the most popular pads. They are popular because of their cutting power and finishing. These pads are ideal for one-step or two-step processes and most ideal for cars having hard paint.

Wool pads come in a variety of blends. Some wool pads are made of pure wool, while others are blended pads. The blended pads are a mixture of wool and synthetic materials, depending on their purpose. One more category is duplicate wool pads, which look like wool but are made of cotton thread. These provide a very low cut and low finish and do more harm than good.

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2. Foam pads:&#;

As the name suggests, foam pads are made of foam. There are two different types of foam pads available, which As the name suggests, foam pads are made of foam. There are two different types of foam pads available, which are:

Reticulated foam pad: for DA machines

Non-reticulated foam pad: for Rotary machines

Foam pads are very popular pads. Depending upon their hardness, these pads are available for cutting, polishing and finishing.

3. Microfiber Pads

As the name suggests, microfiber pads are made using microfiber cloths. These pads are the most aggressive pads and are only to be used on hard paints. However, they are not very popular within the detailing community may be due to their tendency to load up with residue quickly.

Best suitable pads for the respective application

Different pads are used for different purposes and to remove different defects in cars. To get the ultimate shine on the car, you need to use the right pads for each application. In general, there are different applications:

Compounding: heavy defect removal

Polishing: light defect removal

Finishing: Shine and gloss

Wax and sealant application

Each pad has been made for a respective application.

When to use wool pads

Wool pads come in coarse and medium cutting powers. Wool pads give the top-notch cutting and finish. For aggressive compounding, when you want a better finish, or when you have not done sanding, and you want better cutting and finish, wool pads are a perfect choice.

When to use foam pads?

Foam pads are popular for their hardness. The different hardness will decide whether the pad will be used for cutting, polishing, finishing, or waxing. So, the harder the pad, the more cut it gives. Softer pads are used for polishing and finishing.

When to use microfiber pads?

Microfiber pads are only used for compounding purposes and only on hard clear coats using random orbital machines.

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Best matched pads with machines?

The size and type of pad will depend upon your polishing machine.

Type of machine

If you are looking for a wool pad, there are special pads available for rotary and dual-action respectively. In simpler terms, if you are applying wool on a rotary machine, use wool pads that are designed for rotary. Remember, both pads are not interchangeable.

Similarly, foam pads are also different for DA machines and rotary machines. For DA, one should always use reticulated foam pads, and for rotary machines- non-reticulated foam pads.

However, when it comes to microfiber pads, they are used only on DA machines. Microfiber pads should not be used on rotary machines due to their extremely high cutting power.

Size

All these pads come in different sizes like 5&#;, 6&#;, and some even in 3&#;. Depending upon your machine compatibility, you should choose the right size of the pad. Larger pads are ideal for straight areas like bonnets as they make work quicker. Smaller pads are required to compound and polish corners and such areas.

What about the different colours of pads?

The pads differ from brand to brand. Every company designs the pads in different colours. For example, white pads in the Rupes system are Ultrafine pads used for finishing, whereas white pads in Scholl Concepts are Heavy/Coarse pads used for compounding. So, do not focus on the colour of the pad. Now that you know how to differentiate between pads, read the product descriptions well and understand the pad&#;s basis

• Material
• Hardness
• Cutting power, i.e. application
• Machine Compatibility

For beginners, we recommend that you stay limited in your pad choice and stay within a company&#;s system before exploring multiple pads from different vendors.

What Is a Polishing Pad?

The term "polishing pad" typically refers to machine polishing pads, with foam pads being the most commonly used for paint correction and refinement. However, the term can also include foam and microfibre pads and applicators used for hand polishing, glazing, and spot defect removal. Some pads, such as the Auto Finesse Spot Pads, can be used for both hand and machine polishing.

Polishing pads can be divided into categories based on their size and materials used. In the detailing world, there are three types of pads available: foam, microfibre, and wool. The latter two are more aggressive and used for heavy cutting and spot defect removal, while foam pads are available in different types to handle everything from cutting to refining and finishing.

Most modern pads use a hook and loop design to stick to the backing plate on the machine. These pads typically come in 5-inch, 3-inch, and 1-inch sizes to fit the most common machine polisher sizes, although other sizes are available. Some foam pads can screw directly to a machine polisher, but these are primarily used by refinishers in body shops to make freshly sprayed panels flat and relatively free of orange peel, and are not typically used for paint refinement in the detailing world.

How Do Polishing Pads Work?

Polishing pads are similar to abrasives, such as sandpaper, but much finer. When used in combination with abrasive products like polish or compound, they work to break down and fully work through surfaces, correcting or refining them in the process. However, the performance of the pads themselves is just as critical as the product used on them. This combination of product and pad determines the effect on the surface. By using a different pad with the same polishing product, one can slightly vary the results to account for different types of paint and varying levels of defect.

Types of Polishing Pads - Microfibre & Wool 

Microfibre and Wool Pads are not technically abrasive, but they can be extremely aggressive when used with the right compound or polish, providing the abrasive product with more bite. This is because the natural or synthetic fibres have a larger surface area than foam, leading to increased physical contact with the surface and more friction. In essence, this increased heat helps to cut through more of the clearcoat/paint in a shorter amount of time.

Wool pads are generally the most aggressive and are primarily designed for use with rotary polishers. They can easily cut through heavy defects but leave behind abrasions and holograms that require additional refinement.

Microfibre pads are slightly less aggressive and can cut through heavier defects, leaving behind micro-scratches and a cloudy surface that will need further refinement for a flawless finish. However, microfibre pads can be used with dual-action polishers, making them a slightly safer option.

While wool and microfibre spot pads are commonly used by detailers, they are generally only used when foam pads are not sufficient for cutting through particularly heavy defects in an extensive multi-stage correction. Foam pads are more commonly used for cutting medium to light defects, unless the paint shows significant damage or the vehicle has fresh paint that needs to be effectively flattened and polished. Softer foam pads are always used for finishing, glazing, and polishing on single-stage enhancements.

Foam Polishing Pads

Foam pads are the go-to choice for detailers due to their versatility, as they come in a wide range of cuts that cater to every essential stage of paint refinement.

A foam pad's level of abrasiveness is dependent on its design, which is specifically tailored to its intended use in the correction process. From extreme cutting and flattening in a body shop to a detailer's preferred stages of cutting, polishing, and refining paint to perfection, the foam's density and structure dictate how it contacts the surface and its ability to generate and retain heat.

Denser, harder foam is ideal for cutting because it provides more abrasion, greater surface contact, and increased heat generation. Less dense foam pads, on the other hand, are more appropriate for paint refinement and finishing. It's important to note that even these processes still involve cutting, albeit at a finer and proportionally less aggressive level as you move from stage to stage.

Think of multi-stage polishing as a method of correcting heavier defects first and then refining the slighter defects left behind by the previous stage. The more aggressive the pad, the more severe the defect it can eliminate, but the greater the defects it will leave behind for the next stage to address, until the imperfections are refined to a degree that renders them invisible to the naked eye.

Denim Pad

Aggressive denim faced pads are designed to gently eliminate heavy orange peel in the top layer of your paint without sanding. Geared towards low-quality aftermarket re-paints where orange peel is common, the bumpy texture reduces the paint&#;s ability to shine which makes the paint reflection appear dull, lifeless and blurry. Equivalent to grit sandpaper, Denim Pads remove the bumpy texture of severe orange peel, paint runs, and dust nibs quickly without leaving sanding marks. Apart from the levelling ability of sandpaper, this pad combines the polishing ability of a compound, meaning that while removing orange peel and deep defects, the pad polishes the paint at the same time.

Glass Polishing Pad 

Glass surfaces require specialized glass polishing pads that are designed to polish without scratching or damaging the surface. Unlike paint, glass is harder but more fragile, and therefore requires the right tools and techniques for correction. Glass heats up very quickly and can easily break if too much pressure is applied during polishing. Using specialized glass polish and glass polishing pads, such as the CARPRO glass rayon polishing pads, can provide excellent results with minimal heat build-up and without compromising the safety of the glass surface. To ensure optimal results, it's essential to thoroughly clean the glass surface before polishing.

Why Does Density Matter? 

Density is a critical factor in determining the foam pad's aggressiveness on painted surfaces. Stiffer foam is typically more aggressive, making denser pads ideal for cutting, while softer pads are better suited for refinement and finishing. However, what's not commonly known is that the density of foam changes during use, especially as it heats up and becomes saturated with polishing products. This leads to a reduction in cutting performance, which is why new, dry pads are typically more effective than used ones. To maintain cutting effectiveness, it's essential to clean pads between polishing sets.

When determining how many pads to use for a vehicle, it's essential to consider the density changes that occur during use. While it may not always be practical, using one pad for each area or panel results in the most efficient cut. Simply put, the more pads used during a detail, the faster the job will be completed.

Keeping Your Pads Clean 

Cleaning of foam pads is crucial to maintain their performance and prevent them from getting clogged or saturated with spent product during use. To do this, simply hold a Pad Cleaning Brush against the pad and run the machine to remove any contaminants.

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