How long till you can seal/protect NEW paint?

[yellow2000S/R]

Doing a bunch of work to a friends Cobalt, entire car is getting painted, along with a body kit spliced onto the stock bumpers. I've finished most of the kit work is done and painted the shell as well as the inside of the doors.


My Question:
How long do you suggest waiting till you apply stuff to "protect" NEW finish/paint?

I painted it tonight and I'll be nibbing a few spots Wednesday and a quick light wetsand to the entire car to make it perfectly smooth (show car and possibly some magazine coverage) then compound, swirl remover, and a final glaze.

Just a general idea, how much would you charge for this and do you travel to do the work? I'm in Lewisberry Pa 17339 and have a 2 car garage that is heated and has A/C and plenty of lights.



He is very nervous about scratching the paint to the point how it was before I worked on it (2005 Cobalt). Do you have suggestions on products he could use to clean/maintain the car and detail?

[evomike]

I always wait a minimum 3 months but I suggest like 5 or 6, if you seal before this you will trap solvents and ruin a job.

[yellow2000S/R]

Originally Posted by evomike

I always wait a minimum 3 months but I suggest like 5 or 6, if you seal before this you will trap solvents and ruin a job.

Thanks, every instructor at WyoTech had their own opinion and it ranged from 2 weeks to 6 months.

The car sits under a cover outside most of the time, he said he will probably end up renting garage space from a buddy now so it's not in his apartment complex's parking lot.

[evomike]

A cover is a horrible idea, you'll get scratches that way. An it is beyond me how an instructor wouldn't know what to tell you. 3 months is the low end but realistically I wait 6 months and that's what I tell customers.

[PoorMan'sR]

I've heard anywhere from 30 days to 6 months, however be sure to protect the paint (garage/shade/away from trees and such) in the mean time

This is Oakes, didn't know I was logged in