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PAINT SEALANTS:
Since the term paint sealant was coined in the auto detailing business, there has been, and still is, a great deal of misinformation disseminated on the subject. I think, for the most part, this is done intentionally by many of the manufacturers or marketers of paint sealants.
Remember Polyglycoat?
One of the first big names in paint sealants was Polyglycoat, a paint sealant that claimed to have fantastic protective qualities. They had such an impact on the market that many other big name chemical producers followed suit with their version of a sealant product.
Sealant vs. Wax
For those of us in the detail business there must be a clear distinction between these two protection products. We need this information in order to be a professional, to convey to our customers honest information. If you read my last article on waxes, you know why a wax is a wax and what it will do with regard to protection and shine. In this article I hope to provide you with similar information on sealants.
A sealant is something that seals. But, if a wax seals, is it also a sealant? Technically yes, but typically sealing is not one of the requirements of a wax product.
Sealants may have wax in their formulation but because of the other ingredients they are more than just a wax.
If a wax has some of these other ingredients in its formulation then it is properly not a wax, but a paint sealant. Depending on who you talk to in the auto aftermarket business you can get a different answer when asking them to define a sealant. For example:
Body Shops: A sealant is something that has to be removed before repainting a car or it will cause many paint adherence problems. It also will impair solvent evaporation from a new paint, which causes problems.
Paint Manufacturers: They see a product as a sealant if it stops the bleed-through of undesirable properties from the lower layers of paint or substrate to a newly painted surface.
Detailers: A paint sealant for the detailer is any product that forms some sort of cross-linking film over the surface of the paint that forms a durable barrier on the surface that will last for a considerable length of time.
This last definition is the one we should concern ourselves with, and the one I will expand on. Let me explain to you why a sealant does what it does.
What Is In a Sealant?
This is where you must pay attention so as not to get confused. Like waxes, sealants can include in their formulation solvent, wax, water and amino-functional silicone fluids held in suspension by emulsifiers. They can take the form of creams and liquids.
You also will see ingredient terms like polymer and resins, or polymer resins. Our chemists feel these are buzz words intended by marketing people to make their products sound better. Let's understand what a polymer and resin are.
The Polymer
Kim Wilson, U.S. Chemical and Plastics, defines it as a macromolecule formed by the chemical union of five or more identical combining units called monomers. Silicones and resins can be generalized as polymers. The list of polymers available to (chemical) formulators is practically endless.
Dave Phillips, P & S Sales, also defines a polymer for us in the simplest descriptive sense; "poly" meaning many and "mer" meaning unit. So, any chemical that consists of endless repeating identical units is a polymer.
Examples of polymers include polyethylene, polyurethane and polytetrafluoroethylene. These products start with "poly" followed by another word. For example, polyethylene is simply many units of ethylene.
In the detail chemical business, the word polymer is the single most abused word. For example, most of the thickeners used in detail products are polymers which make it suspiciously easy to put the words "contains (space age) polymers" on the bottle. Judge your product on how it works, not whether the word polymer is on the label.
What Is a Resin?
Kim Wilson defines it as a semisolid or solid complex amorphous mix of organic compounds, animal, vegetable or synthetic (man-made).
Because the term is so broadly used it would be desirable to restrict its application to natural organic-soluble, hydro-carbon products coming from trees and shrubs.
According to Phillips, the chemical dictionary definition is so broadly used it has almost become meaningless. It is a catchall term. To be specific, however, resin is a polymer that melts or is soluble in specific solvents. In some cases the material used to make a plastic is a resin. If you see the term resin on the label of a detail product how do you know what it means? You just don't know!
What a resin does for a paint sealant is anybody's guess. In short, the use of resin, polymer, etc. is marketing jargon.
However, there are some polymers that can have a positive affect on the quality of paint sealants and waxes. This will be discussed in more detail when we answer the question, “What is an Amino-Functional Silicone Fluid? “
Silicone Fluid
A silicone fluid is a relatively short chain inorganic polymer called polydimethyl siloxane. (Note the prefix "poly" before dimethyl siloxane.) Technically a silicone is a polymer. So, to see the word polymer on a sealant label could mean anything as the definition becomes clearer to us.
The properties of silicone fluids range from very thin, volatile liquids that look and feel like petroleum solvents to very thick and heavy liquids that look like clear honey. The only difference between a thin and thick silicone fluid is the number of units in the dimethyl siloxane chain.
Almost all waxes and sealant products have some type of silicone fluids in them to provide shine and durability.
The Amino-Functional Silicone
This is a silicone fluid that has been slightly modified. The polymer content is different. The amino portion of the amino-functional silicone is what causes the silicone to crosslink and physically attach to the paint surface. This cross linking capability is what makes a paint sealant more durable than a wax. Typically, waxes only include standard silicone fluids. So they are not as durable as a paint sealant.
What Is a Teflon?
Teflon is a trade name of Dupont Chemicals for a polymer Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). In spite of what some detail chemical companies may say, Teflon is a polymer that is not well suited for use in a paint sealant or wax because of several properties unrelated to its durable slippery nature.
Teflon is powder that melts at 600° degrees F or dissolves in fluorinated solvents such as freon. Those are the only known ways to liquefy Teflon. If it cannot be made into liquid it cannot coat or stay on a surface.
There is a letter written in 1980 by a Dupont engineer in the Automotive Products Division stating that Teflon has no known capabilities to enhance the shine or durability of a car wax or sealant. This could put that issue to bed, once and for all.
What's the Difference between a Cream and Liquid Sealant?
Whether a sealant separates or remains cream does not mean anything. Emulsion sealants can be formulated in several different ways and these differences can show up in the physical state of the product. Product with the same ingredients could be produced as a cream or quick separating liquid. Physical advantage of one over the other cannot be concluded based solely on form, which is, cream, liquid, etc.
Can Wax Be Put Over a Sealant?
Yes, if you have allowed the sealant to air dry for a few hours to let the cross linking molecules form. But why do it? The only possible reason would be to fill the spider scratches and possibly increase the depth of the shine on a black or dark car.
Conclusion
This conclusion will take into consideration previous comments made on the subject of waxes.
So which is better a wax or sealant? If you are looking for durability, then a sealant must be your choice. The best waxes will last maybe 50-60 days, tops. A paint sealant will last up to six months under the best conditions.
From a shine point of view, a wax might provide a deeper shine on a dark car because of the greater oil content. This is not to say that a sealant will not shine.
With our detail product customers, we recommend using only a paint sealant. Why? It goes on faster, comes off easier and lasts longer. There is more value for the motorist and it is easier for the detailer to use.
In some instances we advise to put a coat of good carnauba wax over the sealant if you want to fill in spider line scratches on the paint.
So, in conclusion, I think a paint sealant is a better product to use than a wax in almost all instances.
Since the term paint sealant was coined in the auto detailing business, there has been, and still is, a great deal of misinformation disseminated on the subject. I think, for the most part, this is done intentionally by many of the manufacturers or marketers of paint sealants.
Remember Polyglycoat?
One of the first big names in paint sealants was Polyglycoat, a paint sealant that claimed to have fantastic protective qualities. They had such an impact on the market that many other big name chemical producers followed suit with their version of a sealant product.
Sealant vs. Wax
For those of us in the detail business there must be a clear distinction between these two protection products. We need this information in order to be a professional, to convey to our customers honest information. If you read my last article on waxes, you know why a wax is a wax and what it will do with regard to protection and shine. In this article I hope to provide you with similar information on sealants.
A sealant is something that seals. But, if a wax seals, is it also a sealant? Technically yes, but typically sealing is not one of the requirements of a wax product.
Sealants may have wax in their formulation but because of the other ingredients they are more than just a wax.
If a wax has some of these other ingredients in its formulation then it is properly not a wax, but a paint sealant. Depending on who you talk to in the auto aftermarket business you can get a different answer when asking them to define a sealant. For example:
Body Shops: A sealant is something that has to be removed before repainting a car or it will cause many paint adherence problems. It also will impair solvent evaporation from a new paint, which causes problems.
Paint Manufacturers: They see a product as a sealant if it stops the bleed-through of undesirable properties from the lower layers of paint or substrate to a newly painted surface.
Detailers: A paint sealant for the detailer is any product that forms some sort of cross-linking film over the surface of the paint that forms a durable barrier on the surface that will last for a considerable length of time.
This last definition is the one we should concern ourselves with, and the one I will expand on. Let me explain to you why a sealant does what it does.
What Is In a Sealant?
This is where you must pay attention so as not to get confused. Like waxes, sealants can include in their formulation solvent, wax, water and amino-functional silicone fluids held in suspension by emulsifiers. They can take the form of creams and liquids.
You also will see ingredient terms like polymer and resins, or polymer resins. Our chemists feel these are buzz words intended by marketing people to make their products sound better. Let's understand what a polymer and resin are.
The Polymer
Kim Wilson, U.S. Chemical and Plastics, defines it as a macromolecule formed by the chemical union of five or more identical combining units called monomers. Silicones and resins can be generalized as polymers. The list of polymers available to (chemical) formulators is practically endless.
Dave Phillips, P & S Sales, also defines a polymer for us in the simplest descriptive sense; "poly" meaning many and "mer" meaning unit. So, any chemical that consists of endless repeating identical units is a polymer.
Examples of polymers include polyethylene, polyurethane and polytetrafluoroethylene. These products start with "poly" followed by another word. For example, polyethylene is simply many units of ethylene.
In the detail chemical business, the word polymer is the single most abused word. For example, most of the thickeners used in detail products are polymers which make it suspiciously easy to put the words "contains (space age) polymers" on the bottle. Judge your product on how it works, not whether the word polymer is on the label.
What Is a Resin?
Kim Wilson defines it as a semisolid or solid complex amorphous mix of organic compounds, animal, vegetable or synthetic (man-made).
Because the term is so broadly used it would be desirable to restrict its application to natural organic-soluble, hydro-carbon products coming from trees and shrubs.
According to Phillips, the chemical dictionary definition is so broadly used it has almost become meaningless. It is a catchall term. To be specific, however, resin is a polymer that melts or is soluble in specific solvents. In some cases the material used to make a plastic is a resin. If you see the term resin on the label of a detail product how do you know what it means? You just don't know!
What a resin does for a paint sealant is anybody's guess. In short, the use of resin, polymer, etc. is marketing jargon.
However, there are some polymers that can have a positive affect on the quality of paint sealants and waxes. This will be discussed in more detail when we answer the question, “What is an Amino-Functional Silicone Fluid? “
Silicone Fluid
A silicone fluid is a relatively short chain inorganic polymer called polydimethyl siloxane. (Note the prefix "poly" before dimethyl siloxane.) Technically a silicone is a polymer. So, to see the word polymer on a sealant label could mean anything as the definition becomes clearer to us.
The properties of silicone fluids range from very thin, volatile liquids that look and feel like petroleum solvents to very thick and heavy liquids that look like clear honey. The only difference between a thin and thick silicone fluid is the number of units in the dimethyl siloxane chain.
Almost all waxes and sealant products have some type of silicone fluids in them to provide shine and durability.
The Amino-Functional Silicone
This is a silicone fluid that has been slightly modified. The polymer content is different. The amino portion of the amino-functional silicone is what causes the silicone to crosslink and physically attach to the paint surface. This cross linking capability is what makes a paint sealant more durable than a wax. Typically, waxes only include standard silicone fluids. So they are not as durable as a paint sealant.
What Is a Teflon?
Teflon is a trade name of Dupont Chemicals for a polymer Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). In spite of what some detail chemical companies may say, Teflon is a polymer that is not well suited for use in a paint sealant or wax because of several properties unrelated to its durable slippery nature.
Teflon is powder that melts at 600° degrees F or dissolves in fluorinated solvents such as freon. Those are the only known ways to liquefy Teflon. If it cannot be made into liquid it cannot coat or stay on a surface.
There is a letter written in 1980 by a Dupont engineer in the Automotive Products Division stating that Teflon has no known capabilities to enhance the shine or durability of a car wax or sealant. This could put that issue to bed, once and for all.
What's the Difference between a Cream and Liquid Sealant?
Whether a sealant separates or remains cream does not mean anything. Emulsion sealants can be formulated in several different ways and these differences can show up in the physical state of the product. Product with the same ingredients could be produced as a cream or quick separating liquid. Physical advantage of one over the other cannot be concluded based solely on form, which is, cream, liquid, etc.
Can Wax Be Put Over a Sealant?
Yes, if you have allowed the sealant to air dry for a few hours to let the cross linking molecules form. But why do it? The only possible reason would be to fill the spider scratches and possibly increase the depth of the shine on a black or dark car.
Conclusion
This conclusion will take into consideration previous comments made on the subject of waxes.
So which is better a wax or sealant? If you are looking for durability, then a sealant must be your choice. The best waxes will last maybe 50-60 days, tops. A paint sealant will last up to six months under the best conditions.
From a shine point of view, a wax might provide a deeper shine on a dark car because of the greater oil content. This is not to say that a sealant will not shine.
With our detail product customers, we recommend using only a paint sealant. Why? It goes on faster, comes off easier and lasts longer. There is more value for the motorist and it is easier for the detailer to use.
In some instances we advise to put a coat of good carnauba wax over the sealant if you want to fill in spider line scratches on the paint.
So, in conclusion, I think a paint sealant is a better product to use than a wax in almost all instances.