How to make white really pop?

04 RED LARIAT

04 RED LARIAT

Obsessive Detailer
I hope I got this in the right forum.

Hey guys, I am looking for some products/tips/suggestions as to how to make white paint really pop and stand out.

It was pretty easy to get my old red 04 f150 to show up, but I just bought a new white F250 king ranch and was wondering what you fellas use on white vehicles.

Thanks for any suggestions.

3600-5545-163730.jpg
 
White doesn't really 'pop'. Because of the nature of white you can't get it to reflect very easily. White just absorbs colors and doesn't reflect it back like darker colors. Therefore, no matter what you do to it, all you get is really really bright paint. You'll never see the wet pool of paint look that you would get with a dark car.

However, with that being said I will say that on my last car (white acura) I got great results using a couple of products. Klasse Sealant Glaze looked great after 5 coats and then topped with a carnauba. It made the white very shiney and polished rock looking. The added carnauba on the top gave it a wetter look, but it was still mostly gloss that you could see.

I also got a good look with Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection. It is harder to find that product now since the vendors are limited, but it looked great on white with three or four coats and a carnauba topper.

The best it ever looked was with a straight three coats of Wolfgang Paint Sealant and no wax topper. Out of all the experimenting I did with waxes and sealants for nearly 5 years on that car, when I discovered Wolfgang on it I stopped testing. That was as good as I ever saw it look. I've got pictures I can post, but I'll have to do it later. I saw this question and had to respond. I'll post pics when I have some time to find them.
 
I'll second on the WG sealant on white...One thing that I have used to make white come up better is to glaze right after polishing the car then seal wait for the cure time (24 hours) and paste wax.

The glaze that I use is FK1 pink hand glaze
 
Jngrbrdman said:
White doesn't really 'pop'. Because of the nature of white you can't get it to reflect very easily. White just absorbs colors and doesn't reflect it back like darker colors. Therefore, no matter what you do to it, all you get is really really bright paint. You'll never see the wet pool of paint look that you would get with a dark car.

However, with that being said I will say that on my last car (white acura) I got great results using a couple of products. Klasse Sealant Glaze looked great after 5 coats and then topped with a carnauba. It made the white very shiney and polished rock looking. The added carnauba on the top gave it a wetter look, but it was still mostly gloss that you could see.

I also got a good look with Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection. It is harder to find that product now since the vendors are limited, but it looked great on white with three or four coats and a carnauba topper.

The best it ever looked was with a straight three coats of Wolfgang Paint Sealant and no wax topper. Out of all the experimenting I did with waxes and sealants for nearly 5 years on that car, when I discovered Wolfgang on it I stopped testing. That was as good as I ever saw it look. I've got pictures I can post, but I'll have to do it later. I saw this question and had to respond. I'll post pics when I have some time to find them.
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Definately listen to Anthony. His white Integra was absolutely blinding.


For me, the most successful look I've had was from Pinnacle Liquid Souveran.
 
I will third the WG sealant. I have an 06 F150 all white FX4 and have 3 coats of WG sealant on it now and it looks very nice. 04 RED LARIAT I have pics in my gallery on f150online screen name Nebraska!!:howdy

SCDetail
 
Jngrbrdman said:
White doesn't really 'pop'. Because of the nature of white you can't get it to reflect very easily. White just absorbs colors and doesn't reflect it back like darker colors. Therefore, no matter what you do to it, all you get is really really bright paint. You'll never see the wet pool of paint look that you would get with a dark car...
Click to expand...

Sorry but I have to disagree with that statement, although white is a lot more difficult to photograph and catch the reflections.

Clay, Z1, Z5, multiple layers of Z2-Pro, Z-8 between applications of the Z-2

IMG_4090.JPG
 
Anything will reflect in the shade. My goal is to make the car look stunning when it is in the parking lot in the full sunlight. Trying to make a car look good in the shade is pretty easy. Making a white car glow in the sunlight is a little more challenging. Here are some examples of my white car. Geting money shot angles in the shade is easy on any car as long as it isn't oxidized. My objective is to get cars to reflect in the direct sunlight. Like this, for example:

1zz1il5.jpg


That is liquid souveran on my Integra. I couldn't believe my eyes when I started seeing reflections on the side of the car in direct sunlight of objects that were a few feet away. That isn't typical of white. However, if you get white looking that good in the sun, then it will be outstanding in the shade.

1zz27hu.jpg


1zz280w.jpg
 
Actually, white reflects all colors while black absorbs all colors. White light is actually composed of all colors in the spectrum. Black is devoid of color. What we see as color is actually the specific wavelength reflected off the subject that our eye picks up. It's a science thing....:)

My theory on white is to make sure the surface was fully cleaned and polished. Carnauba Moose Wax seems to work really well on white as do many sealants. You don't get white really "wet", so it's best to concentrate on gloss and depth to get the reflections you want.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I will be tring a few things on the king ranch and will post some pics when I get it up to par.


BTW... Hi SCDetail, good to see a fellow f150 onliner here.
 
One in a slightly shaded area.

HPIM00511.jpg


Same vehicle in the sun.

HPIM00491.jpg


That's Klasse AIO topped with 4 Star UPP.

FWIW, the photographer was some old guy I stopped going down the street. I'm much younger and have lots more hair.:)

Charles
 
Here is a shot of the side of the truck. It has some reflection to it, but has never been polished yet.

100_1521.JPG



I can't wait to detail it out.
 
04 RED LARIAT said:
Here is a shot of the side of the truck. It has some reflection to it, but has never been polished yet.

100_1521.JPG



I can't wait to detail it out.
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real nice truck. Your paint loks to be an excellent condition. What ever you decide im sure you'll have nice results.
 
Jngrbrdman said:
Anything will reflect in the shade. My goal is to make the car look stunning when it is in the parking lot in the full sunlight. Trying to make a car look good in the shade is pretty easy. Making a white car glow in the sunlight is a little more challenging...
Click to expand...

You mean like this? :D

IMG_3759.JPG
 
DFTowel said:
You mean like this? :D

IMG_3759.JPG
Click to expand...
The Black car in the background looks much better to me the white looks like it is wrapped with Saran wrap very glossy but the shine is laying on top. The Integra looks awesome nice work best looking white I think i have ever seen. Just my opinion and probably worth just what you paid for it.
 
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