Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 7
The 4 primary benefits of using detailing clay to clay paint
Using detailing clay to clay your car's paint, or your customer's car's paint will,
Lets take a little deeper look at these benefits...
1: Claying safely removes Above Surface Bonded Contaminants
Over time, if your car is parked outside for any length of time during each day then any dirt or air-borne contaminants that land on the paint will tend to bond to the paint if they are not removed in a timely manner. Once they bond to the paint some of them won't come off just from normal washing. This is where detailing clay comes into the picture.
Detailing clay uses special abrasives that have the ability to basically sand-off any contaminants sitting on top of the surface without installing scratches into your car's paint at the same time. I
n the old days, people would use coarse rubbing compounds to remove above surface bonded contaminants and while these types of products would work they would also,
That's two negative things you don't want to do your car's precious clear layer of paint.
2: Claying paint enable your choice of wax or paint sealant to better bond or adhere to the paint.
Claying paint restores a clean surface so a coating of wax or paint sealant can maximize the bond between the paint and the protection ingredients. This helps to insure the wax or paint sealant coating will last a long time and thus protect a long time, and this is something all people want out of their choice of car wax or paint sealant.
The number one question I hear people ask on the topic detailing usually goes like this,
And the technically correct answer is,
You see, a good chemist will create a car wax or paint sealant formulation to bond or adhere to car paint, not a layer of dirt. When contaminants build-up over the surface they create a layer or film of gunk, a mixture of whatever is floating around in the air where you live and park your car. The protection ingredients cannot get to the paint until this layer of contaminants is first removed.
If above surface, air-borne contaminants are present on the paint when a wax or paint sealant is applied, the wax or paint sealant will not last very long because it won't be able to bond very well to the top coating of the actual paint itself.
3: Claying paint restores a silky, smooth, clean surface
I think we can all agree that a great looking paint job is a glossy looking paint job and gloss comes from a smooth surface.
When air-borne contaminants build-up on your car's finish they create an irregular surface or texture that feels rough or bumpy to the touch. This un-even, bumpy surface due to above surface bonded contaminants reduces gloss. Claying your car's paint will remove the contaminants, this restores a smooth surface and this in return restores a high gloss finish
If you're a detailer, claying restores smoothness and this shows up to your customer's eyes as gloss and makes for happy customers.
4: Claying paint makes polishing easier, more effective and safer
In the context of this section, when we say polishing, we mean abrading the paint to remove below surface defects and/or refine the existing finish to a higher level.
The good news...
Using detailing clay to clay paint is fast and easy and for your time-investment it provides the best bang for the buck when doing production detailing. Your average customer bringing you a daily driver wants you to do the dirty work for them so they don't have to do it. They see value in paying you for your time and energy to clean and maintain their vehicle so their time is freed up for what they perceive to be a more valuable use of their time. This could be working at their job, spending time with their family or fill-in-the-blank.
As a professional detailer, you want to do top-notch work while maximizing your profits and using detailing clay to clay your customer's car creates dramatic end-results that your customer will notice and this will help you to retain their business while getting valuable referrals.
Claying gives your customer what they want even if they don't know what they want and the big picture visual results are a clean, shiny car that resembles the car when they first bought it and this makes for a happy car owner and by extension... a happy customer.
The above three physical results are the primary benefits or values created by claying paint to remove above surface bonded contaminants.
Resources
The benefits of a light paint cleaner, cleansing lotion or pre-wax cleaner
The Benefits of using a Car Wax or Paint Sealant
The Baggie Test - How to inspect for above surface bonded contaminants
Tips and Tricks for using detailing clay
How often do I need to clay my car?
Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay Bar - Review and How-to
Do I need to wash my car after I use detailing clay to clay the paint?
How to clay, clean and wax paint by hand with Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion and Pinnacle Signature Series II Carnauba Paste Wax
Show Car Garage Videos
How detailing clay works and how to use detailing clay to remove above surface bonded contaminants
Using detailing clay to clay your car's paint, or your customer's car's paint will,
1: Claying safely removes Above Surface Bonded Contaminants
2: Claying paint enable your choice of wax or paint sealant to better bond or adhere to the paint.
3: Claying paint restores a silky, smooth, clean surface.
4: Claying paint makes polishing easier, more effective and safer.
2: Claying paint enable your choice of wax or paint sealant to better bond or adhere to the paint.
3: Claying paint restores a silky, smooth, clean surface.
4: Claying paint makes polishing easier, more effective and safer.
Lets take a little deeper look at these benefits...
1: Claying safely removes Above Surface Bonded Contaminants
Over time, if your car is parked outside for any length of time during each day then any dirt or air-borne contaminants that land on the paint will tend to bond to the paint if they are not removed in a timely manner. Once they bond to the paint some of them won't come off just from normal washing. This is where detailing clay comes into the picture.
Detailing clay uses special abrasives that have the ability to basically sand-off any contaminants sitting on top of the surface without installing scratches into your car's paint at the same time. I
n the old days, people would use coarse rubbing compounds to remove above surface bonded contaminants and while these types of products would work they would also,
- Instill scratches into the paint
- Remove perfectly good paint
That's two negative things you don't want to do your car's precious clear layer of paint.
2: Claying paint enable your choice of wax or paint sealant to better bond or adhere to the paint.
Claying paint restores a clean surface so a coating of wax or paint sealant can maximize the bond between the paint and the protection ingredients. This helps to insure the wax or paint sealant coating will last a long time and thus protect a long time, and this is something all people want out of their choice of car wax or paint sealant.
The number one question I hear people ask on the topic detailing usually goes like this,
"How long will brand X Car Wax last?"
And the technically correct answer is,
"It depends upon how well the surface is prepared to accept the wax"
You see, a good chemist will create a car wax or paint sealant formulation to bond or adhere to car paint, not a layer of dirt. When contaminants build-up over the surface they create a layer or film of gunk, a mixture of whatever is floating around in the air where you live and park your car. The protection ingredients cannot get to the paint until this layer of contaminants is first removed.
If above surface, air-borne contaminants are present on the paint when a wax or paint sealant is applied, the wax or paint sealant will not last very long because it won't be able to bond very well to the top coating of the actual paint itself.
3: Claying paint restores a silky, smooth, clean surface
I think we can all agree that a great looking paint job is a glossy looking paint job and gloss comes from a smooth surface.
When air-borne contaminants build-up on your car's finish they create an irregular surface or texture that feels rough or bumpy to the touch. This un-even, bumpy surface due to above surface bonded contaminants reduces gloss. Claying your car's paint will remove the contaminants, this restores a smooth surface and this in return restores a high gloss finish
If you're a detailer, claying restores smoothness and this shows up to your customer's eyes as gloss and makes for happy customers.
4: Claying paint makes polishing easier, more effective and safer
In the context of this section, when we say polishing, we mean abrading the paint to remove below surface defects and/or refine the existing finish to a higher level.
- By removing any above surface bonded contaminants first, you enable your polish and pad to immediately go to work on the paint with nothing on the surface in the way.
- You make the polishing action smoother as your polish and pad will move over the surface easier with less potential for hopping or grabbing.
- You reduce the potential for accidental marring of the paint during the buffing process since there are not contaminants that can come loose and become trapped between the pad and the paint.
The good news...
Using detailing clay to clay paint is fast and easy and for your time-investment it provides the best bang for the buck when doing production detailing. Your average customer bringing you a daily driver wants you to do the dirty work for them so they don't have to do it. They see value in paying you for your time and energy to clean and maintain their vehicle so their time is freed up for what they perceive to be a more valuable use of their time. This could be working at their job, spending time with their family or fill-in-the-blank.
As a professional detailer, you want to do top-notch work while maximizing your profits and using detailing clay to clay your customer's car creates dramatic end-results that your customer will notice and this will help you to retain their business while getting valuable referrals.
Claying gives your customer what they want even if they don't know what they want and the big picture visual results are a clean, shiny car that resembles the car when they first bought it and this makes for a happy car owner and by extension... a happy customer.
The above three physical results are the primary benefits or values created by claying paint to remove above surface bonded contaminants.
Resources
The benefits of a light paint cleaner, cleansing lotion or pre-wax cleaner
The Benefits of using a Car Wax or Paint Sealant
The Baggie Test - How to inspect for above surface bonded contaminants
Tips and Tricks for using detailing clay
How often do I need to clay my car?
Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay Bar - Review and How-to
Do I need to wash my car after I use detailing clay to clay the paint?
How to clay, clean and wax paint by hand with Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion and Pinnacle Signature Series II Carnauba Paste Wax
Show Car Garage Videos
How detailing clay works and how to use detailing clay to remove above surface bonded contaminants
