Realized I was using too much filler on door dings after a painter called me out

Been doing body work for about 8 years now, mostly on collision repairs for a small shop outside Portland. I always figured more filler meant easier sanding and less chance of a low spot. Last month a painter I subcontract to straight up told me my panels looked like a marshmallow under the primer. He showed me a repair he did with just skim coats and I couldnt believe how much prep work I was making for myself. Switched to thinner applications and metal finishing where I can, saves me about 20 minutes per panel now. Anyone else get called out by a painter for sloppy habits you didnt even notice?

2 comments

2 Comments

margaret_singh11mo ago

Guess we were both making painter's putty sandwiches?

gibson.oliver1mo ago

Questioning the whole painter's putty sandwich thing feels like overthinking a bad meal choice. Eating that stuff isn't some deep moral dilemma, it's just a dumb mistake that happens when you're tired and paint's everywhere. Nobody sits down to craft a gourmet putty sandwich, you take a bite of something that looks like cheese and realize too late it's caulk. Comparing two people making the same slip up doesn't need a full analysis, it's just a shared laugh over being careless. Maybe focus on the actual mess cleaning up paint specks instead of treating putty like a life philosophy.