Why You Can’t Wax Matte Paint Finishes

Wax and matte paint are mortal enemies for one reason: wax gradually begins to reverse the ‘flat’ effect. Waxes are most commonly known as protection products that yield a shine, mostly because they’re made of carnauba and filling ingredients. In basic speak, traditional waxes fill imperfections to create an even surface. Problem is, matte paint is full of imperfections. In fact, it’s those very imperfections and microscopic dimples that diffuse light rays and make the surface appear non-reflective to the human eye. Now I know what you’re thinking… what does that mean? I put together some visuals that may clarify this concept a bit further.

gloss clear coat reflection diagram
The even clear coat creates a reflective finish on glossy cars.
matte paint clear coat reflection diagram
Matte paint diffuses light, therefore creating a visibly non-reflective surface.

Now for protection. As you would imagine, adding a wax or sealant to a glossy car essentially adds to the surface’s ability to reflect light specularly. By covering up and filling in blemishes, any scratches or swirls that would otherwise be noticed by scattering light are successfully filled and shielded from your vision. With matte paint, if this happens, you lose your non-reflective appearance. As you can see, enough wax would begin to reverse the matte effect. Because of matte paint’s need for untraditional means of protection Matte Paint Coating was born. As the diagram shows, its unique chemistry bonds to the surface at the molecular level and does not fill like a wax would. Unlike any other protection product available for matte paint, the surface remains ‘flat’ and not glossy.

Wax on matte paint
Wax fills, causing matte paint to start appearing glossy.
How Matte Paint Sealant Works
Matte Paint Coating keeps matte paint non-reflective while protecting it.

So you see, waxing a matte car essentially reverses the effect that makes your ‘flat’ painted car unique. All paste or liquified waxes should be avoided, as the idea behind carnauba (for example) is to fill imperfections. Once again, it’s those imperfections that make matte finishes appear the way they do. That being said, if you do wind up with wax on your matte finish, you can remove it easily with Matte Paint Cleanser. Hopefully this clarifies a bit of the worry surrounding matte paint, and I trust you’ll invest in properly protecting the paint to retain its unique appearance. If you ever run into questions, we’re happy to help: facebook, MyTeam, or comment below.

31 thoughts on “Why You Can’t Wax Matte Paint Finishes

  1. Sammi says:

    I purchased the Matte Protection kit – but I am not sure when I would use the Cleaner. I used the wash, and then the sealant while my bike was wet, and I’ll keep the Finish in my bag, in case it needs a spot clean, but when do you use the Cleaner?

    Thanks!

    • Dr. Beasley's says:

      Hi Sammi,

      Matte Paint Cleanser is probably the product you will use the least if you properly maintain the finish (wash, seal, etc.). It acts as a deep cleaner and is used when you run into sap, caked on bug guts, overspray, scuff marks, light staining, hard water spots, and other hard to remove substances. On a normal finish you would be able to polish or clay to remove these contaminants, but on matte you can’t without affecting the look of the finish. This is why we developed Matte Paint Cleanser… to take care of these issues without the use of abrasive scrubbing or polishing. We recommend using it during a car wash, and always remember to reapply protection to the area it’s used on.

      Hope this helps! Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions.

      James

  2. driver123 says:

    matte paint looks better in my opinion i just painted my car performance red with matte finish it makes The grooves and body pop more i like how it shadows

    • Dr. Beasley's says:

      Thanks for your comment! I couldn’t agree more.

      The flat look totally brings out the body lines and makes the car look more aggressive (in an aesthetically awesome way). I think more and more people are picking up on this… I’ve certainly been seeing an increase in the amount of matte finishes on the road.

      James

  3. wizz says:

    I have a mt09 matte grey, when I was detailing it today I used a soft cloth that in the past had car wax on it, have I done any harm to the paint, its still looks matte thank you for any advice.

    • Dr. Beasley's says:

      Wizz,

      If it was protected with Matte Paint Sealant than you’re safe!

      If it wasn’t protected but you still don’t see anything wrong so far than don’t worry. If it does start to show up, then use the Matte Paint Cleanser.

      We always recommend having completely separate tools and accessories for matte vehicles for just this reason.

      Thanks! And let me know if there’s any other questions!

      Will @drbeasleys

  4. mr D says:

    Hi. Someones open the door into my frozen silver m3. Anyway to remove or reduce the scratch without getting the whole panel painted?

    • Dr. Beasley's says:

      Mr D,

      Yikes, sorry to hear about that scratch. Unfortunately because a polish for matte paint hasn’t been developed yet, and like a regular glossy car in a deep scratch, you usually have two basic options: touch-up paint or repaint the panel.

      Both processes are very similar to any glossy finish. You can get some touch-up paint from your dealership or any authorized BMW matte paint shop. This will help the underlying affects of having a scratch in the panel, it’ll look better but it won’t look perfect.

      I hope this helps.

      Will @DrBeasleys:disqus

  5. Clint Rown says:

    I know this is an old topic and there are alot of other forums that might address this, but… Someone said i could use a product that was a clear non carnuba wax on my satin finish (striping) on my hood and now its begun to look faded. The paint is not old and when wet it holds the water so i know its the wax retained in the paint. How can i remove it without ruining the satin finish?

    • Dr. Beasley's says:

      It may be an old topic, but we’re still here to help! To get the remaining wax out, I’d recommend using our Matte Paint Cleanser. In addition to being a powerful spot cleaner for matte, it also excels at removing wax, sealants and coatings. If this color still looks faded, try applying our Matte Paint Coating. It will give your hood a protective hydrophobic coating and reverse some of that fading. Hope that helps.

      • Clint Rown says:

        Thank you for quick reply and the helpful info. I will update as soon as i can trying the product applications you recomended. Thanks again

  6. Mathieu says:

    Hi my dad wash my Yamaha MT09 matte black ans apply a car wax after. The paint lost the matte effect There is any product that I can use to remove the wax? Tanks for your very welcome help and advice

  7. GkG82 says:

    Hi , there was a small scratch on my frozen BMW paint . The car wash used wax and now it looks like the area is shinny / glossy. Almost as if the matte clear cote was removed . Will the matte paint cleaner revive the matte effect ?

    • Chris Racana says:

      Matte Paint Cleanser should help remove the wax embedded in your matte paint as well as any contaminants that may be embedded in the scratch. By removing the wax, one should reveal the matte finish underneath. Hopefully, you can also make the scratch less apparent by removing any contaminants embedded in the scratch.

    • Chris Racana says:

      Yes! The signature of our matte products is that they are safe for ALL finishes. Matte stays matte. Satin stays satin. Gloss stays glossy.

  8. Mr Martyn Brunskill says:

    I have some wax transfer on my motorbike fuel tank, from my waxed cotton jacket, which if your products would be best to remove this, i see their is a Matte Paint Cleanser Pro now, is this better than the normal one ? Or would I use Decon ?

    • Chris Racana says:

      Hi Martin, Best practices dictate that we start at the least aggressive solution and then work our way up. So we would start with Matte Body Wash, and then move to Matte Paint Cleanser. Long dwell times and multiple applications may be necessary. Then, as a last resort, we can go to Matte Paint Cleanser Pro. Remember with matte, it is all about increasing the chemical aggression, not physical or mechanical aggression.

  9. Albert says:

    Hello, apparently the detail shop I use didn’t realize the product they were using and attempting to get some glue stains they applied wax to a part of the matte paint and it is now shiny. What can I do to reverse that shine? Thankfully it is not a large part but it is still there.

    • Chris Racana says:

      You can use Matte Paint Cleasner to remove the wax. Long dwell time (without letting the chemical dry on the surface) and multiple applications may be necessary.

  10. Darrell Mitchell says:

    I purchased a matte finished boat. Love the look and got a lot of positive comments. However, I purchased Chemical Guys Jetseal Matte Sealant and Paint Protectant …..big mistake. Now I have a white chalky finish. I have tried everything to remove the chalky white substance with no luck. I’m sick about using the “Matte Sealant” my boat looks terrible. I’ll try anything to restore to the original finish, but feel its a lost cause. Any recommendations?

  11. Jim says:

    Hello.
    I have an unusual question. I recently purchased a motorcycle helmet (AGV K6S) that has a matte finish. Great color scheme and design. But….
    I think the helmet would look better with a gloss finish.
    What process can you recommend to transform the matte to a gloss finish?
    Thanks in advance for your reply.
    Jim

  12. Jim says:

    Hello.
    I have an unusual question. I recently purchased a motorcycle helmet (AGV K6S) that has a matte finish. Great color scheme and design. But….
    I think the helmet would look better with a gloss finish.
    What process can you recommend to transform the matte to a shin finish?
    Thanks in advance for your reply.
    Jim

  13. Mike Phillips says:

    Hi Jim,

    It’s “possible” you could machine polish the helmet and the polishing or abrading action would smooth the matte finish over and create “some” level of gloss. It really depends on the paint/coating on your helmet.

    Once you get past the point of,

    “Well if it doesn’t work – I’m okay with it”

    Then maybe do some experimenting. You could test by using a microfiber applicator pad and then rubbing one of our NSP products to a small area. Inspect the results and go from there.

    https://www.drbeasleys.com/shop/exterior/nsp.html

    Mike Phillips

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