Hi everyone, I'm new to the sight but have been browsing for a while. Sounds like everyone has great input on this sight. I've been detailing for a few years, side job, and have seen alot of people using synthetic sealants. Sounds like you can get really superior results. My question is would you, clay, polish, use a synthetic sealant, then wax? What possition does the sealant fall into and would it take the place of wax all together?
Have a question...synthetic sealants?
- Thread starter ksrep28
- Start date
imported_Picus
New member
There's a loaded question. 
Lots of different opinions on this. In the guide to detailing on this site there is an interesting writeup about how traditional carnuba's have been replaced by synthetic sealants/waxes. You can find the guide here http://www.autopia-carcare.com/freeguide.html
You've got the order down. I personally think sealants can take the place of a wax, however, I (and some others you'll meet here) like to follow them with a "real" wax. Some sealants don't like bonding to some polishes or glazes either, so you have to be careful which combo's you go with. For example, one of the more popular sealants recently is Zaino, which does a good job and is easy to use, but doesn't like to bond to anything eith oils (like some glazes). Some people leave it as the LSP, some people follow it with a wax. I used to use Zaino but have since moved to a cleaner polish/glaze/sealant/wax combo that I am really liking.
One thing I learned quickly is that if you use a carnuba over a sealant the carnuba will almost always break down faster than the sealant, meaning you need to apply it more often, or strip it away if you want to apply more sealant.
Lots of different opinions on this. In the guide to detailing on this site there is an interesting writeup about how traditional carnuba's have been replaced by synthetic sealants/waxes. You can find the guide here http://www.autopia-carcare.com/freeguide.htmlYou've got the order down. I personally think sealants can take the place of a wax, however, I (and some others you'll meet here) like to follow them with a "real" wax. Some sealants don't like bonding to some polishes or glazes either, so you have to be careful which combo's you go with. For example, one of the more popular sealants recently is Zaino, which does a good job and is easy to use, but doesn't like to bond to anything eith oils (like some glazes). Some people leave it as the LSP, some people follow it with a wax. I used to use Zaino but have since moved to a cleaner polish/glaze/sealant/wax combo that I am really liking.
One thing I learned quickly is that if you use a carnuba over a sealant the carnuba will almost always break down faster than the sealant, meaning you need to apply it more often, or strip it away if you want to apply more sealant.
:welcome to Autopia krep28
Whether you are using a traditional carnauba wax or a sealant, either can be applied to protect a paint's finish after polishing. As a general rule of thumb, sealants like Klasse SG or Zaino's Z2 will outlast traditional "waxes" by a large margin.
Sealants, in some people's eyes, appear sterile although they generally have very shap reflections and are sometimes described as looking like the car is wrapped in plastic. You can apply a pure carnauba over a polymer sealant to achieve a wetter or warmer look.
Whether you are using a traditional carnauba wax or a sealant, either can be applied to protect a paint's finish after polishing. As a general rule of thumb, sealants like Klasse SG or Zaino's Z2 will outlast traditional "waxes" by a large margin.
Sealants, in some people's eyes, appear sterile although they generally have very shap reflections and are sometimes described as looking like the car is wrapped in plastic. You can apply a pure carnauba over a polymer sealant to achieve a wetter or warmer look.
rollman
Professional Detailer
krep28 said:
Yes you could go with just the Sealant , some guys like the look only a wax can give you so they us it over the sealant. Some sealants give a different look than other's , some are easier to work with than other's but one thing is you can't overlook the benifits of using sealants as far as protection goes. :buffing:
atticdog
New member
Ive heard people say that a wax wont bond to a sealant. How can you actually tel it bonded and that you didnt just wipe the wax off?
Wasatch
New member
atticdog said:
I have never heard that. I've heard that a sealant might have problems bonding to a wax, but then again I've heard people say that they have had no problems with bonding as well.
imported_Picus
New member
I've never had a wax not bond to a sealant (I've tried PB's EX, Zaino, Klasse) and Natty's bonded to all of them.
Pure waxes don't actually bond (in the chemical sense) to sealants. Essentially, the wax layer will lay on top of the sealant. There is no chemical cross-linking or bonding in this case because the sealant's polymer layer won't really have any affinity for the carnauba wax layer.