This isn’t one of those philosophical questions with no real answer like, “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?” There is a definitive answer to whether the paint sealant or wax comes first. The answer is, the paint sealant always comes first.
The reason is that car waxes almost always contain some kind of oily, slippery-feeling additive. It’s necessary to make the wax pliable and easier to use. (Natural carnauba wax is rock hard!) If you were to apply wax first and then a paint sealant on top, these oils would inhibit the paint sealant’s ability to bond to the paint. This method is likely to result in a cloudy, streaky finish.
On the other hand, a paint sealant is usually free of such oils. Once the sealant cures to the finish – which can take anywhere from an hour to 12 hours, depending on the specific product – a wax can be applied top without any streaking or clouding issues.
There are, of course, exceptions. The makers of Rejex specifically state that a wax will not bond well if applied on top of RejeX. However, there are countless paint sealants that behave just fine as base coats: Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0, Klasse All In One or High Gloss Sealant Glaze, Griot’s Garage Paint Sealant, Menzerna Power Lock, and many more.
One more exception to the rule: you cannot apply cleaner waxes on top of a paint sealant. The cleaners will take the paint sealant off. To rephrase the rule: When layering, always apply the paint sealant first, followed by a non-cleaning wax.
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