Auto Detailing Guide - Glazes

• Overview of a Glaze
• Glaze Recommendations
• Frequency
• How-To
• Facts and Tips
• What's the Next Step?

Overview of a Glaze (Return to Top)

A glaze is often an optional step of the detailing process, but when used correctly can help add an additional layer of gloss and depth to the paint. Glazes are essentially polishes that leave behind oils, kaolin clay or some other substance that is designed to increase the depth and gloss while being able to mask or hide some minor imperfections in the paint. Glazes are great products to use right before a car show as it can help increase the depth and gloss, especially on lighter colored vehicles where this is often hard to accomplish. One of the downsides of using a glaze is that some products make it difficult for a sealant to properly bond to the paint, so it is important to research which glaze you plan on using.

Many peoples expectations are often too high when it comes to a glaze filling in minor imperfections. If your car is filled with swirls and scratches, you are much better off investing in a polish to remove the marks, which is also a permanent fix, the results from a glaze are temporary. Your car should be washed, clayed, and polished prior to using a glaze for optimal results.

Glaze Recommendations (Return to Top)

When using a glaze under a sealant, we highly recommend the Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze. This is an acrylic based glaze that allows sealants to properly bond even over the glaze. When using a glaze under a wax, it's ok to choose one that uses more oil based fillers. Our top glazes to use under a wax are Poorboy's World Black Hole and Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite.

Frequency of Applying a Glaze (Return to Top)

When applying a glaze, always do so prior to applying a new coat of sealant or wax. This is the only time a glaze should be applied for optimal bonding conditions of your protective layers.

Glaze How-To with a Buffer (Return to Top)

When using a buffer to apply a glaze, we recommend using a black finishing pad.

Porter Cable 7424 XP Glaze Application

• Step 1: Center your black pad on the backing plate
• Step 2: Apply 3 pea sized drops of glaze in a triangular pattern towards the outer edge of the pad
• Step 3: Visualize your working area, something between 18" x 18" and 24" x 24"
• Step 4: Trace your working area with the glaze on your pad with the buffer off
• Step 5: Turn the buffer on a low speed setting (1 ~ 3) and spread the glaze evenly through the entire working area
• Step 6: Turn the speed dial of the buffer up to ~4 and start in a corner of your working area
• Step 7: Begin to apply a light amount of pressure (~5 lbs) on the head of the buffer
• Step 8: Working from one corner to the next, move the buffer at controlled pace (~3 - 5" per second)
• Step 9: Once you reach the opposite corner, follow the same path back to where you started, but overlap your first pass by approximately 50%
• Step 10: Continue this pattern until you have applied the glaze to your entire working area
• Step 11: Repeat this process, but this time use the opposite direction (if you were working top to bottom then bottom to top the first time around, change it to left to right and right to left overlapping movements)
• Step 12: Once the glaze is worked into the paint, shut the buffer off
• Step 13: Using a clean microfiber towel, remove the glaze from the paint
• Step 14: Repeat steps 2 through 13 until the entire vehicle has the glaze applied

Flex XC 3401 VRG Glaze Application

• Step 1: Center your black pad on the backing plate
• Step 2: Apply 3 pea sized drops of glaze in a triangular pattern towards the outer edge of the pad
• Step 3: Visualize your working area, something between 18" x 18" and 24" x 24"
• Step 4: Trace your working area with the glaze on your pad with the buffer off
• Step 5: Set the buffer to your desired work speed (usually between 2 ~ 3 is recommended)
• Step 6: Using the variable speed trigger, spread the product around your working area at a low speed
• Step 7: Begin to apply a light amount of pressure (~5 lbs) on the head of the buffer
• Step 8: Working from one corner to the next, move the buffer at controlled pace (~5" per second)
• Step 9: Once you reach the opposite corner, follow the same path back to where you started, but overlap your first pass by approximately 50%
• Step 10: Continue this pattern until you have applied the glaze to your entire working area
• Step 11: Repeat this process, but this time use the opposite direction (if you were working top to bottom then bottom to top the first time around, change it to left to right and right to left overlapping movements)
• Step 12: Once the glaze is worked into the paint, shut the buffer off
• Step 13: Using a clean microfiber towel, remove the glaze from the paint
• Step 14: Repeat steps 2 through 13 until the entire vehicle has the glaze applied

Makita 9227C Application

• Step 1: Attach the appropriate backing plate to the Makita buffer
• Step 2: Center your black pad on the backing plate
• Step 3: Apply 3 pea sized drops of polish in a triangular pattern towards the outer edge of the pad
• Step 4: Visualize your working area, somewhere between 18" x 18" and 24" x 24"
• Step 5: Trace your working area with the polish on your pad with the buffer off
• Step 6: Turn the buffer on the lowest speed setting and spread the glaze evenly through the working area
• Step 7: Turn the speed dial of the buffer up to a comfortable working speed (between 700 ~ 900 RPMs is common)
• Step 8: Very little to no added pressure when applying the glaze
• Step 9: Working from one corner to the next, move the buffer at a pace of 5 ~ 6" per second while making sure you always keep the buffer moving
• Step 10: Once you reach the opposite corner, follow the same path back to where you started, but overlap your first pass by approximately 50%
• Step 11: Continue this pattern until you have polished your entire working area
• Step 12: Polish the area again, but this time use the opposite direction (if you were working top to bottom then bottom to top the first time around, change it to left to right and right to left overlapping movements)
• Step 13: Once the glaze is worked into the paint, shut the buffer off
• Step 14: Using a clean microfiber towel, remove the excess glaze from the paint
• Step 15: Repeat steps 3 through 14 until the entire vehicle has the glaze applied

How-To Apply a Glaze by Hand (Return to Top)

• Step 1: Dispense about 2 pea sized drops in the center of the foam hand applicator pad
• Step 2: Outline your 18" x 18" working area
• Step 3: Gently spread the glaze thinly and evenly in your working area
• Step 4: Using a as little pressure as possible, work the glaze into the paint using overlapping motions
• Step 5: Using a clean microfiber towel, remove the worked in glaze from the paint
• Step 6: Repeat steps 1 through 5 until the entire vehicle has the glaze applied

Facts and Tips (Return to Top)

• Glazes can help increase the depth and gloss in the paint
• The filling of light imperfections is only temporary and will return over time
• Do not expect a glaze to fill in too many imperfections, only the slightest imperfection can be masked
• If you are using a glaze that utilizes mostly oil based fillers, then top it with a wax since a sealant will not bond properly to it
• Glazes typically cannot be layered, so only one coat is necessary for maximum results

What's after applying a glaze? (Return to Top)

After applying the glaze to your paint, the next step is to properly protect your vehicle. This can be done with a sealant, wax or combination of both. Remember, if you just applied a glaze, make sure you are protecting your paint with a product that will bond to the glaze just used.