Finishing Compounds

It refines. A finishing compound uses a very fine abrasive that takes out the haze, holograms and micro-marring left behind by a cutting compound or intermediate compound, and brings the paint up to a deep, clear gloss. Under a torch or the afternoon sun, that last step is the difference between a car that looks corrected and one that looks new.

It also works on its own. On a car that's been looked after, a finishing compound on a soft finishing pad is often the whole job, especially on darker colours where gloss shows. Follow it with a panel wipe to check your work, then a wax, sealant or ceramic coating to lock it in.

On softer paint, more than you'd think. Japanese and some Korean cars, and a lot of resprays, have paint soft enough that a finishing compound stepped up onto an intermediate pad or a foam cutting pad will remove swirls and light scratches while still finishing clean. That combination is often better than a heavier compound on soft paint, because you get the correction without the haze you'd then have to chase.

On hard paint, most German cars and commercial vehicles, a finishing compound won't do much beyond gloss, and you'll want to step up to an intermediate compound for the swirls. Either way the pad is the first thing to change, not the compound.

Yes, it's where we'd start almost everyone. A finishing compound on a soft pad is the least aggressive combination on the shelf, so it's very hard to do damage with, and it teaches you the machine, the pad and how a compound breaks down before you move to anything that cuts. Do a test section on a low panel, check it under a torch, and if the defects are gone you're done. If they're not, step the pad up first, then the compound.

If you want every rung of that ladder on hand, a compound kit gives you the finishing, intermediate and cutting steps in one box. And if you don't own a machine yet, our car polishers and polisher kits are the place to look.

There isn't one right answer, it depends on your paint, your pad and whether you're finishing after a heavier step or polishing a well kept car from scratch. The picks at the top of the page show what's popular and what we reach for, so start there.

A couple worth reading up on. Nv Finesse is one of our most popular finishing compounds, easy to work and forgiving on both hard and soft paint. Koch Chemie Micro Cut M3.02 gets used a lot in the workshop and leaves a deep gloss, particularly on dark cars. If you'd rather have the full set of cuts, the Koch Chemie Compounds Kit includes it alongside the fine and heavy cut.