Hey guys, not so new to detailing as Ive always done it by hand. But am somewhat new to the extensive line of products available at my disposal due to the use of a PC. My question is in regards to a sealant! When you do feel its necessary to add this to your lineup when detailing a vehicle? Meaning what would make you say, Im going to apply a coat of sealant to this car before I apply my wax. Also sealant should by no means be an alternative to a wax, correct? If applying sealant, its good to let it tighten up for about an hour or so before you apply your wax right?
First a paint sealant can by all means be an alternative to wax and a very good one in many cases. Sealant will provide much better durability than wax so if you are interested in durability you should use a sealant. Sealants give a different look from wax. Sealants give more clarity and crispness to the paint where as wax gives more depth and glow. Combine the two and I think you get the best of both worlds. Now some sealants require a 24 hour cure time before you layer another product like wax over it. Then there are sealants like CGs Jetseal and Tropi Care Sunburst Sealant that can be topped after about 30 minutes.
Generally sealants have a longer durability than waxes but there are a few cases where the opposite is true. It really comes down to a matter of preference really. There's no right or wrong with what type of protection you want to go with. I think some sealants require a bond time and you may have to wait before layering it with your wax of choice.
I'd rather use a sealant and having used a lot, I like this WERKSTAT. I look at it from a durability point of view. With the sealant, I can expect over 3 months protection. With a wax, I might get 2 months. Together, wax on sealant perhaps a good 5 months total. Everything is dependent on how much exposure to the elements , how many washings, how many miles in what type of conditions, how many layers of wax, etc. etc. But I'd much rather have a sealant under a wax, than just wax alone.
Yea I was always into waxing, never really looked into sealant. Thats why I was wondering and all of your answer pretty much cleared it up for me Would a sealant pop better then a wax on certain color cars?
why not do a sealant and top off with a coat of wax ? i have metalic gray paint i use two coats of CG Jetseal 109 and then a coat of CG 50/50 , i can def notice a lot more flake when the sun hits the paint .. and its O SO SMOOOTH
Cant be anything wrong with both I assume : ) A pass with a glaze is as easy as a wax right? No need to break it down or anything is there? Still wondering if a Glaze or Wax make a certain color pop more.
a glaze can be done with a quick pass .. glaze will bring a slight better depth in color .. and if you get the right wax .. it will def my the color pop more
Sweet. Was just wondering if a sealant was preferred on certain color exterior. Maybe sealant would maybe make a black car pop better then wax (if you were to just apply one or the other) was what I was getting at. I may pick up sealant for any higher end car I do. Just to protect the paint even better and add a little more depth!
sealant is more used for protection .. where it does offer a nice shine .. but if depth/pop/shine/ is what you want then a carnuba wax is the way to go .. for protection, sealan is the way to go thats why i said you should use both
here are some pictures of two cars I did with a glaze and then a sealant The glaze is Extreme EZ-Creme the sealant is FMJ this was the first time I tried this combo and I am extremely happy how the cars turned out
