If you want to keep your car looking shiny and new for a long time, you might want to consider applying a ceramic coating. Ceramic coatings are a popular choice for many car owners because they offer exceptional protection to the vehicle's paint from the elements and increase its longevity. In this blog post, we’ll explain what ceramic coating is, its benefits and drawbacks, and how to apply it to your car.
What is Ceramic Coating? A ceramic coating is a form of paint protection for cars, motorcycles, trucks, and boats. It contains silica dioxide/quartz, which is the main ingredient found in glass, making it very durable and able to flex with your car's movement.
Why Use Ceramic Coating? Ceramic coating offers several benefits, including:
- It's far more durable than wax or sealant, lasting years instead of months.
- Increased hardness and anti-friction finish makes it less prone to scratches.
- Its self-cleaning abilities keep your car looking cleaner for longer.
- It's cost and time-effective as it doesn't need to be applied as regularly as wax or sealant.
- It can be used to coat most interior and exterior trims, including glass, plastics, rubbers, wheels, leather, and metal.
What are the Disadvantages of Ceramic Coatings?
- It can be challenging for someone new to ceramic coatings to apply them correctly without the right knowledge.
- The initial cost of the coating can be expensive.
- There is a lot of false and misleading information surrounding ceramic coatings.
- Proper preparation of the vehicle's paint and trims is essential to achieve the best results.
- Coatings are temperature and climate-sensitive, so you must adjust your application method based on your environment.
How to Apply Ceramic Coating to Your Vehicle? If you plan to apply ceramic coating to your car, here are some steps to follow:
- Thoroughly wash and decontaminate your car, then polish the paint before applying the coating.
- Use an IPA wipe to remove any chemical residue, polishing oils, fingerprints, or other dirt from the paint and trims.
- Apply the ceramic coating using an applicator block or cloth. In general, dispense a bead/line of the coating across the applicator cloth and apply it to a half-metre square area of the vehicle's panel.
- Apply it in overlapping vertical and horizontal lines, wiping the coating several times in each section to ensure an even and consistent application.
- Wait until the coating flashes, meaning it's bonded to the paint and ready to be wiped down to collect the excess product. How long it takes to flash depends on the specific coating and temperature.
- Use a microfiber cloth to collect the majority of the excess coating and then buff the finish streak-free with a second clean microfiber cloth.
- Move on to the next section and repeat the application, flash-time, and wipe-off around the whole vehicle.
- Work from top to bottom around the vehicle and slightly overlap the coating application sections to avoid leaving any areas untreated or coated.
- Inspect each section for high spots or streaks in the finish before moving on to the next section. Once the coating begins to cure, it's impossible to remove any missed spots.
What Else Should I know?
- There is a wide variety of ceramic coatings, some of which are formulated to protect other vehicle trims such as glass, wheels, rubbers, plastics, and metal.
- Not all ceramic coatings are created equal, and quality varies from one product to another. Choose a high-quality, premium ceramic coating like the ones we offer at Mirror Finish Detail.
- Some ceramic coatings are only available to professional detailers and are more challenging to apply