Three Steps to Bringing “Barn Find” Paint Back to Life

Who doesn’t love a good barn find? That term seems to be thrown around pretty loosely these days, but the allure of a true barn find is unearthing a rare, forgotten, totally unmodified classic that looks nearly turn-key ready under all that dust. A time capsule in waiting.

The truth is most so-called barn finds are neither rare nor even forgotten. Many were just in storage long enough to earn the title in the hopes of garnering a little extra attention. Regardless, any old car that has sat for a long time, covered or not, will likely show some paint fatigue. Luckily, original paint can often be saved, as we’ll see in the video below.

The deck lid (engine cover, technically) on this old Volkswagen Beetle probably doesn’t qualify as a true barn find. The pale yellow isn’t even the original color, as we can see by the splotch of tan showing where the license plate shroud once lived. Nevertheless, it’s obvious this respray is pretty old and looks to be a single-stage finish based on its chalky appearance.

The Eastwood Garage crew breaks out the orbital buffer and some polishes and goes to town. Watch as they show how easy it can be to bring old paint back to life in just three steps. They start by cleaning off the paint surface, as you would before you start any paint correction. However, they use Eastwood Pre Green on the paint, as it more thoroughly removes organic debris and degrease the panel.

The Process

Step 1 uses Eastwood Concours Fast Cutting Compound on an orbital buffer with a firm (blue) foam pad. This initial pass cuts through the oxidation and other contamination still on the surface, revealing the true color beneath it. The surface finish is cleaner, but still slightly dull and hazy, requiring further polishing.

Step 2 uses Eastwood Concours Fine Finishing Polish. It’s applied with same random orbital buffer but goes on a fresh yellow foam pad that’s softer than the first. This step polishes out the fine scratches and haziness from the first step, adding shine back to the paint.

Step 3 uses Eastwood Concours Super Cherry Wax to enhance the gloss and depth. This also goes on with the orbital buffer and a fresh, even softer blue foam pad. The paint finally achieves its full potential with this last pass, looking as good as when it was first painted.

Check out the video below, including the uncut time-lapse of the full process from start to finish.