"Less is more"; an epiphany? (ie, how much product to use)

J

JustinR32

New member
I'm a perpetual noob, trying to add to the community here; any more experienced guys and gals, please get me back in line if what I'm saying is wrong. If it's been said before, or doesn't need to be said and this is extraneous, delete it.







I've always been a fan of using lots of everything. If some is good, more is better; put an extra slice of tomato on that burger, Alice! So, when I've waxed, I've always layered it on nice and thick.



WRONG!



But, WHY???? Surely, if a little wax or sealant adds protection, MORE product willl add MORE protection, won't it?



Nope, it's just wasteful (except for certain instances I'll get to).



Why is this? It's because the wax/sealant doesn't protect through its thickness of coating over your paint, it protects because it is made up of long molecules that link together to give a surface with nowhere for dirt and dust to attach.



So, use as LITTLE an amount of the product as you need to provide a complete coat. You'll find that it's easier to use, gives better results, costs you less money over time, and helps protect the environment (because that's where everything we use winds up eventually). You Zaino people; how thick of a coat does Sal say? Not very, as thin as you can get it, right?



This applies to car wash soaps, polishes, glazes, and interior products as well. If the bottle says "1 oz per bucket", don't dump in a quarter cup of car wash concentrate. 3M Imperial Hand Glaze, or Meguiar's Polish (step 2)? A spot the size of a quarter will do an entire panel on a Miata, after the applicator is full. For the swirl removers, a little more is useful, but still, two THIN lines about 8" long will do a panel, or 1/2 the hood. I can do an entire interior with one applicator pad full of 303; I don't need to continually go to the bottle, but maybe once for a refresher spritz.



So when is more better? When you are chasing a goal, to see just how glossy or deep you can get your shine. Multiple layers can improve depth and gloss, but only after you allow the first application to "set" or cure. Pinnacle recommends 24 hours in between coats of Souveran, and even they question the value of more than two coats. What is the waiting time for Zaino? I'm not sure, but it has to set as well, doesn't it? In any case, the extra layers aren't for protection (although undoubtedly there is some), they are mostly for appearance. 15 coats of Zaino desn't last 15 times longer than one coat of Zaino.



So, that's the awareness that has finally dawned on me; less is better, less is more. It costs less, it's easier, and your car will look better (unless you go bonkers, like I have, and then you will see it as needing a good wash and wax, RIGHT NOW, at 11PM).



Mosca
 
With waxes and stuff it's also due to the fact that all applying more does is make it harder to buff off. There's pretty much a set thickness that the wax will be when it's properly buffed out and applying more will only lengthen that process and make you more succeptable to streaking.



This is why I have become a very big fan of applying wax with the PC. A lot of people like to wax by hand but I find that it's much, MUCH easier to get a very thin, even coat applying using the machine. I still buff wax by hand, but application seems to go much smoother by machine.
 
very good post..... the biggest thing to remember is with polishes, only so much abrasive can come in contact with the surface at one time to be worked, and thus its better to apply and work thin coatings.



and with waxes- there's only so much wax that can touch a surface and bond at a time. Its always best to layer thin coats than glob one thick one on there that really isn't bonding that much.
 
Ditto to what Endus and Shiny Lil' Detailer said...in other words...



less is more....more or less! :p
 
Great post. :xyxthumbs



I've always used polishes mindful of the principle SLD mentioned I think.





Addenum: "Less is more - within reason." :D
 
endus said:
With waxes and stuff it's also due to the fact that all applying more does is make it harder to buff off. There's pretty much a set thickness that the wax will be when it's properly buffed out and applying more will only lengthen that process and make you more succeptable to streaking.



This is why I have become a very big fan of applying wax with the PC. A lot of people like to wax by hand but I find that it's much, MUCH easier to get a very thin, even coat applying using the machine. I still buff wax by hand, but application seems to go much smoother by machine.
Click to expand...



I agree, and have found this to be the main reason I love my PC: application of LSP. Much easier than by hand.
 
when I started doing body work and was mixing up fillers or glaze I was always told to only to mix up small amounts.



Y, beause the more you mixed up the more you would try to apply to the panel making more work to sand it down, and also you would be wasting alot of it as it would harden on the mixing board.



I brought that lesson over to detailing, with polishing too much product = sling and splatter.



Your also tempted to try and polish a bigger area than you should be to use up all the excess product. Then you end up buffing longer than you should be to break all that product down which by now has hazed and your creating swirls by "dry" buffing but never got anything else accomplished.



Like the others have said, putting on a heavy coat of wax won't give you some super duper shine but a harder time removing it.



It is true, "less is more"



More effective and more economical
 
does that apply to carnaubas as well? don't carnaubas have some filling ability-so wouldn't a thicker amount fill imperfections?
 
I don't think so. Remember that the fillers are going to fill in swirls and maybe minimize light scratches. Think about how small wash induced swirls are and what a tiny amount of wax you would need to fill it in. More wax=more work to remove it.
 
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