# Detailing Terminology - Compounds Polishes Glazes Primers AIOs Paint Cleaners Coarse



## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

*Detailing Terminology - Compounds Polishes Glazes Primers AIOs Paint Cleaners Coarse Ultra Fine *

Abrasive Technology - _We've come a long way!_










*There's nothing stopping anyone from writing*

I think it's fair to say, anyone reading this article, or at least most people that will read this article now and into the future, are more than likely into car detailing. Either as an enthusiast or a professional or on the path from enthusiast to professional. This would include me. Everyone reading this can if they want, write a how-to article or if they so desire a how-to book. And in that article or book, share their opinion on any particular topic and then let the world debate the opinion and at some point - form a consensus.

For my part, I must passionate enough, less than some and probably more than most, that over the course of my life, besides writing hundreds of articles on the MeguiarsOnline.com discussion forum and now here on the AutogeekOnline.net discussion forum, I have also written 7 book in print at one time or another.

In my own effort to help all of us collectively use words and terms that we can all agree have specific meanings, in my 3rd how-to book and also my 4th how-to book, I wrote down specific words and gave them my own definition based upon my opinion but of course, also the historic definition associated with each word. I'm just the guy that instead of buffing out a car also got behind a keyboard and as Nike says, Just do it. I did it.

*Evolution*
One of the great things about the car detailing industry is the tools, pads, products and technique we all use are continually going through an evolution. In the context of this article, I'm specifically referring to paint care products and to dial-down even more specific, paint care products that use abrasive technology.

*Why am I writing this article?*
The reason I'm writing this article is to document the past and pave the way for the future. By the word future, I mean new words evolving or being introduced in our industry to describe new products. And there are new products and words/terms that have been introduced and I'm confident there will be more new words and terms introduced moving into the future and as this happens, I'm going to document it in this article.

*Car Wax History*
But first, I'm going to photo-document established words and terms up to this point. And of course, anyone can agree or disagree with the definitions I've used and if you disagree - well feel free to write your own book and thus your own definitions. My books have been used as training manuals for multiple detailing classes, business and even vocational colleges, so they have to some level, street cred. 

Here's photo-documentation of established words and their definitions.

*From the year 2011*










*Page 79*










*The list of words/terms I wrote to describe the paint care product we use in the car detailing industry.*

The first 4 words are the primary words I will focus on in this article moving forward and I see new words and CATEGORIES being added.










*From the year 2013*










*Page 92*










*Second Edition*

In the second edition of The Art of Detailing, I separated paint care products into more niche categories. Products that are used for paint correction, in any form, were given their own section in a dedicated chapter. Thus product that sealed the paint, like waxes, sealants and coatings, were give their own section in a different chapter.

The words/terms below have been adequate until the last few years. With the introduction of new products like the SONAX Extra Cut, Dr. Beasley's NSP Primers, etc. It's time for some new categories, new words and new terms.


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## Mike Phillips (Jan 26, 2007)

Continued...

To start this new collection of words and terms, here's my first stab at it. And just to note, this is just a real-time *rough-draft*.

*Compounds & Polishes*
Traditional products used to abrade paint that prepare the paint for the sealing step. If used with ceramic, quarts, polymer or graphene coatings, the use of the products must first be followed by using a dedicated Panel Wipe to chemically strip the paint to remove any polishing oils, fillers, lubricants or other substances that can affect or hinder the bonding of the coating.

Extra Cut Compounds
Aggressive/Coarse Compounds
Medium Cut Polishes
Fine Cut Polishes
Ultra Fine Cut Polishes

*Paint Correction Primers*
These are evolving abrasive technology that are formulated so that they have a synergistic chemical compatibility with coatings and as such do not need to be chemically stripped using a Panel Wipe before installing a coating.

Extra Heavy Cut Primer
Heavy Cut Primer
Medium Cut Primer
Fine Cut Primer
Ultra Fine Cut Primer

_More to come...._


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