Paint Sealants

[toddolie]

I see a lot of people talking about sealants. I was of the school (old) that said that sealants don't allow the car to breather and the finish to weather etc and that you needed to repeatedly wax and polish a car's finish rather than coat it with sealant and forget about it other than regular washing.

Was this the way it used to be and now the term sealant is meant to describe a shorter term protectant that will wear off in time as well?

I welcome your comments and education about sealents in general.

Thanks,

Todd

 

[Deanski]

Todays paint does not need to "breath" as they are waterborne now and fully cured at the factories. It's only when you have a panel repainted you have to worry, but even now, most shops have down-draft booths with ovens to cure the paint.

As for sealants, the newer types are quite good at not only providing a great shine and gloss, but last a long time. For more depth, after say several coats of a sealant, some top the sealant with a high-grade paste carnuba for that really deep wet look.

There are so many sealants and some are easy to apply (Poorboy's World) and some can be more involving and require more steps and accelerants (Zaino) and some give off the glow of a sealant/carnuba mix (Wolfgang) sone are pure synthetic (Klasse) etc.

It's your eye that has to judge which one will do what you want it to do. Go through some of the threads and picures to se if anything matches what you're looking for.

If you happen to be on the East Coast, Poorboy's World is having a detailing day this comming Saturday, July 17th in West Haverstraw, NY. See the post "Poorboy's World Detailing Day Is On" if you plan to attend.

Regards,
Deanski

 

[rabbi]

The sealants mentioned on here do indeed wear off in time. It's another layer of protection for your paint. Rick

 

[mirrorfinishman]

As for sealants, the newer types are quite good at not only providing a great shine and gloss, but last a long time. For more depth, after say several coats of a sealant, some top the sealant with a high-grade paste carnuba for that really deep wet look.

Some good information already posted here about sealants. I am one of those who also likes to top off a sealant with a coat of Carnauba Wax. I especially like this combo on black and other dark colored cars. Even that combo probably needs to be re-applied at least twice a year.

 

[Scott P]

There are several great sealants to choose from. They all vary in cost and even in "look". Like Frank said, topping with a carnauba givesa great look on many colors.