just thought of some questions

S

skifreak122

New member
Basically I'm just confused between the difference of a sealant and a wax. As far as I understand they both are protectants, just that sealants last quite a bit longer. So can you all help me with the difference on that....and also the word sealant to me means pretty much a completely protective barrier. If this is true wont that hurt paint over time because doesnt paint need to "breathe"?? thanks for helping me with my puzzled mind!:huh
 
This is my take on a sealant and wax. Once you have clayed, SWR, polished you have brought the clear coat back to near perfect or as close as possible. Its time to protect what you have done. A sealant is much like varnish for wood, you are protetcing what you have done. It seals the finish with a durable finish. Then after 24 hours curing time, you can top that with a paste wax. Wax is a softer protecten that will enhance the shine of your previous work, it however will not last that long depending on how your car is kept.
 
so is one better than the other or is it just preference?? also beemerboy you said that wax will enhance the shine so say i 1 coat of a sealant on then topped it with a carnuba. would it be alright if i decided a week or two later that I wanted another coat or two of sealant to just go ahead and apply it or is there something I should do to remove the remaining wax before application. Thanks for all the help guys...I'm really new but extremely interested so every bit of info is greatly appreciated!
 
Once you top a sealant with wax, you will have to stay with wax toppers or polish to remove everything and basically start over. Choosing a wax or sealant is definetely a preference. Carnaubas can hide swirls while sealants can highlight imperfections. Also carnaubas give a warm look to the paint.
 
To further confuse/inform skifreak122 I hear from other members that Poorboy's Polish with Carnauba (PwC) topped by EX is popular on black and dark colours. As ou know carnauba is a wax and we've just heard from Beemerboy and eggroll that you should seal before waxing. The carnauba produces a slick wet look which many prefer, I love it. The theory with PwC may be that the glaze and wet look is accomplished in one step (rather than an additional wax once glazed and sealed), then sealed, no additional wax. The sealant, i.e. EX or EX-P can then be layered after the 24hr cure time has passed.

To recap:

Wash
Clay
Compound
Polish
Glaze
Seal
Wax

OR

Wash
Clay
Compound
Polish
Glaze & Wet Look PwC
Seal
Extra Sealant

Your call. Depends if it's your car too ;)
 
To further confuse/inform skifreak122 I hear from other members that Poorboy's Polish with Carnauba (PwC) topped by EX is popular on black and dark colours. As ou know carnauba is a wax and we've just heard from Beemerboy and eggroll that you should seal before waxing. The carnauba produces a slick wet look which many prefer, I love it. The theory with PwC may be that the glaze and wet look is accomplished in one step (rather than an additional wax once glazed and sealed), then sealed, no additional wax. The sealant, i.e. EX or EX-P can then be layered after the 24hr cure time has passed.

To recap:

Wash
Clay
Compound
Polish
Glaze
Seal
Wax

OR

Wash
Clay
Compound
Polish
Glaze & Wet Look PwC
Seal
Extra Sealant

Your call. Depends if it's your car too ;)
 
thanks for the help guys! The PwC and EX that EZ presented above makes perfect sense reading it but it still wants to confuse me when my mind starts to think about it. hmmmmmm, a sealant or polish with carnuba in it can be layered over but a straight carnuba can't. I guess if it works then it works...and I certainly can't argue with some of the results I've seen on here!
 
The results we're all seeing on Detailcity are deadset awesome. There's a lot of talent going around.

IMHO you should list the most commonly discussed and endorsed products in the posts and research them at the various supplier websites (the one's that support Detailcity of course!!!), also the manufacturers websites. Make your own tables up matching the most common applications, faults to rectify (no doubt swirl marks on dark cars ;)) and build your product base around this knowledge. You will have built a quick reference chart in the process and this takes a lot of the mind bending out of the process until it's just second nature, like looking up a skirt etc.
 
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