How long to wait to buff new paint?

[Moparal]

My car will have to be color sanded and buffed. I guess I need to wait to let the paint harden. But not sure how long to wait. Any body know?  I'm going to hold off putting the chrome around the windows, the pin stripes and emblems on untill I have it buffed.
1 weeks? 2 weeks?   How long should I wait?   Base coat clear coat. 3 layers of paint and 3 layers of clear is what I have.

[426HEMI]

Hi Alan,

was there a hardener put in the paint?  That would make a difference in how quick you could do your work also putting on the trim.  I would wait a week or longer if you can.

Gordon

[Chryco Psycho]

I think I wouild wait a month, what is the hurry ??

[hemiken]

It will depend on brand of paint.  You can color sand it the next day and buff it if you so desire.  Check with your paint guy first Al.

 

[FY1Cuda]

Paint shops usually like to sand and buff within a day or two of shooting the car, otherwise the paint is so hard that it makes more work for them.  I would definitely wait a week to put the window trim on because if you catch an edge, the strips will gouge the paint (this I know from personal experience).

[Moparal]

I called the guy a bit ago. The body man had said around 2 weeks, and the guy that buffs said around 2 weeks. I will be in Ca till feb 8th so I set up an appointment for that week. I am not in any hurry cept to put the splash pans back on and maybe the bumpers, grill and road lamps. The rest can wait as all suggested. Thanks for the tips

[70challengerrt]

23 hour window is the best to work it with PPG. After 23 hours we will light sand and buff. The clear is SOFT so be carefull but it will buff out like butter. Other clears I am not sure it is best to ask where you got the paint. By the way on cars that had to sit, after 2 weeks it was so hard to work with. It basicaly took twice as long to buff. IF you wait it is harder to work with but you have less chance of burning though (which you are screwed) but still becareful on corners and body lines.

[hemiken]

  I would definitely wait a week to put the window trim on because if you catch an edge, the strips will gouge the paint (this I know from personal experience).

Hi AL, watch the trims, leave them off aswell.
If you are going to wait i would leave the bumpers and bumper brackets off and anything that wil extrude from the body as you do not want the buff to catch on anything.  Less risk of damage to the paint.

[71340RT]

Hi Alan,
    I would do what the body shop wants with the sanding and buffing as they will know there product best. On the PPG I use I let it set at least a week before I sand and buff. I try not to wait to long as the buffing out of the fine scratches gets harder the longer the paint has to cure. The PPG 2021 Concept clear has a window of about 30 days and after that is at least twice as long to buff. I would leave everything off so they can get everything buffed without working around trim and bumpers.
Jeff