Silica Sealants

[Lawlmens]

I'm fairly new to in-depth detailing. I tried looking without exact answers, on a few questions about silica sealants.

Does silica sealants such as Hydro2 provide a glossy shine to a vehicle after being applied?
since silica goes on a clean surface, is a coat of wax needed or recommended ontop of the silica?
To remove silica, can you just polish it off?

 

[itsgn]

Does silica sealants such as Hydro2 provide a glossy shine to a vehicle after being applied?

It does, very much so. But that doesn't last. If you want lasting gloss, consider applying a ceramic wax or a ceramic coating. And of course the level of gloss you'll get heavily depends on what shape the paint is in. If it's full of swirls, the gloss will be minimal, as the very thin (sub-micron) layer os silica left behind by Hydro2 won't be able to fill those scratches. If it's fully corrected, then the gloss will be impressive.

since silica goes on a clean surface, is a coat of wax needed or recommended ontop of the silica?

Generally not recommended, because it diminishes the positive properties of the silica sealant, like tightening the water contact angle and increasing water repellency. That said, technically you can do it, even though the longevity of the wax will also most likely get reduced due to the silica sealant under it trying to repel it as much as possible.

To remove silica, can you just polish it off?

Hydro2 is very lightweight, so it actually wears off over time (like in a few weeks, most) or after a few washes. Claying also definitely gets rid of it. Of course if you polish it, that will also remove any and all sealants remaining, but is a step that's only required to remove more heavy-weight silica stuff, like a ceramic coating.

 

[Lawlmens]

Thanks for those answers. I plan on doing my first swirl / scratch removal today then applying hydro2. If all goes well and I'm happy with results I'll step up to ceramic!

 

[Desertnate]

It is worth noting that "silica sealants" covers a really broad category these days.

There is everything from apply-when-wet products like Hydro2, to the new "SIO2" spray waxes, coating boosters, and "lite" coatings like CanCoat, which will provide protection from a few weeks up to a manufacturer claimed six months. There are also some paste sealants on the market like Synergy which have silica in them to provide coating-like performance with the application process of a paste wax.

As mentioned, most will wear away pretty quickly. What is left will probably go away with a light claying. Even the most durable of the products I mentioned can be easily polished away if anything remains.