29/05/2026
Paint Overspray
It happens. You’re driving down the road and there is a building being painted or someone is painting industrial equipment on site where you’re working. You may first notice the wiper blades aren’t clearing the water from the windscreen and are chatting, grabbing the screen.
What to do if this happens to your vehicle?
Firstly, give the vehicle a wash and then clay each panel.
Start off with a clay towel as the overspray may not be too thick and a towel will remove it without marring the paint. If the overspray is too thick you will need to move to a clay bar. This will mar the paint, and a paint correction (polish) will be required to remove the marring.
With a clay towel you can use a bucket of water with a lubricating wash or snow foam added to the water. There are specific products such as detail sprays available at your local SuperCheap or Autobarn store which will work in unison with a clay towel if you don’t have access to an area to be able to wet the panel down.
Wet down a panel and lightly rub the clay towel across the panel until the area is smooth to the touch and there is no harsh sound like sandpaper as you move the towel across the panel. Continue with this method until you have completed the whole vehicle. Clay can also be used on the exterior glass, headlights and taillights so don’t forget to do those also.
With regards to window rubbers, if it is a heavy industrial paint that has sat on your vehicle you will need to replace these rubbers depending on the construction of them. Some rubber compounds will not take to chemicals to remove the overspray kindly and you can cause more damage.
Any time overspray is non your vehicle it is recommended to replace your wiper blades. You can try to clean them but as with door window rubbers, the wiper blade rubbers may not take kindly to chemicals and break down which could cause them to fail completely and damage your glass.
Clay bar has been around a lot longer than the clay towel and comes in varied grades. Light, medium and hard. The harder to clay the more contamination it will remove however it will also mar the paint more.
When using a clay towel or bar, always lubricate the panel you are working on and glide the clay across the area until it becomes smooth, and the sandpaper sound is gone.
After the paint has been decontaminated, apply a wax, sealant or if it has been ceramic coated previously, contact your ceramic coating installer for recommendations on how to proceed.
If you’re not confident in doing this process yourself, contact your detailer about performing it for you.
Photos attached are of clay bar after use and after kneading to a fresh clean part.
Scruba
