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Ceramic coating is one of the best paint protection methods to keep your car's clear coat safe from various harmful elements such as UV rays, bird droppings, acid rain, and more. But in the last few months, we've received multiple questions such as "Are you allowed to put wax on top of ceramic coating? , and general questions related to waxing ceramic-coated vehicles. Which is why we decided to write this article. We've already briefly answered this question in our FAQ article, but in this article, we'll try to expand on that and give a little more meat to the bone if that makes sense. Today, we'll discuss whether you can or can't apply waxes over ceramic coatings. As you probably know, only natural car waxes can provide that unbeatable shine of the car, but it lacks some protection properties when compared to ceramic coatings, and that's the biggest reason why people think of doing it. Contents: Can You Apply Wax on Ceramic Coating? The Types of Waxes You Can Use 3 Main Benefits of Applying Wax on Top of Ceramic Coating Negative Sides of Applying Waxes on Top of Ceramic Coatings Is There a Better Alternative to Waxes? FAQ Final Thoughts - To Wax, or Not to Wax on Ceramic Coating Can You Apply Wax on Ceramic Coating? We will go straight to the point - you can apply car waxes over ceramic coatings. You don't have to be worried about damaging something on the car's paint if you decide to do it. Ceramic coatings have extreme chemical protection, and when they bond to the surface, you won't break them by applying any automotive wax on top of it. Of course, there are some positive and negative sides to applying waxes over ceramic coatings, and we'll come to that as well. The only thing you should make sure of is to avoid applying car waxes over freshly applied ceramic coating. Make sure to wait at least 72 hours, or even better, 7 days before waxing a ceramic-coated car. The Types of Waxes You Can Use There are two main types of car waxes: natural and synthetic. You can apply both of these types worry-free. Natural waxes are made from carnauba wax, while artificial waxes are a mixture of carnauba waxes and synthetic polymers. The other classification of automotive waxes is based on the form they come in. We have paste, liquid, and spray waxes. And even though you can apply all of them over ceramic coatings, liquid, and spray waxes will be much easier for you to use. Our personal favorite liquid wax is Collinite 845 Insulator Wax, and if you don't have your favorite, we suggest you try this one out. 3 Main Benefits of Applying Wax on Top of Ceramic Coating There are a few more benefits aside from these three that we'll mention, but these are the most important ones. 1. Shine The first benefit is that you'll greatly improve the shine of your car by applying automotive wax (an especially natural one) on top of ceramic coating. Nothing can compare to natural waxes when we talk about paint's deep shine and gloss. 2. Another Protective Layer By applying an extra layer of wax on top of ceramic coatings, you'll get another layer of protection for your car's paint. This way, the wax will protect the ceramic coating, and the ceramic coating will mostly stay untouched so that it can protect the car's clear coat. 3. Increased Ceramic Coating Longevity The third benefit is that by applying waxes over ceramic coatings, you'll extend the ceramic's longevity a lot. Even though ceramic coating manufacturers claim that their coatings can last 3, 5, 7, or even 9 years, it's only possible with proper maintenance. Waxes can be a great way to maintain ceramic coating and make it last much longer. Negative Sides of Applying Waxes on Top of Ceramic Coatings Not all is "milk and honey". There are some negative sides as well. Some of you may agree with us or not, but these are objective reasons why one shouldn't apply car waxes on top of ceramic-coated cars. Ceramic coatings have fantastic hydrophobic properties, and by applying waxes over them, you'll reduce those properties a lot. The best way to check it out is by pouring water over a waxed car and a ceramic-coated car. The waxed one won't have as many beads as a ceramic-coated car. Even though this disadvantage may be subjective to some people, car waxes are hard to apply over ceramic coating if we compare them to some better alternatives. The last disadvantage is that your car will attract more dirt and dust. Even though both waxes and ceramic coatings prevent dirt and dust from sticking to the paint, ceramic coatings are much better at doing it. And if you apply wax on top, it will be the 1st layer, meaning that more dirt will end up stuck on the paint. Is There a Better Alternative to Waxes? There's a much better solution if you want to put something on top of ceramic coating, and these are called ceramic boosters. Ceramic boosters are made to maintain ceramic coatings. When compared to waxes, they're much better at doing that. I have tried a few of them, and Adam's Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating was the easiest one to apply. Also, it's pretty cheap, even when we compare it to car waxes. Another great product is Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray (check our review). However, it can't offer you the same level of shine and gloss as natural car wax. So before you decide to pick it, keep that in mind. You can check our top 10 list of ceramic spray coatings that you can buy, along with their ratings and respective reviews on how they perform in the real world. FAQ What are the benefits of a ceramic coating if it doesn't require wax? Ceramic coatings provide enhanced protection, a high gloss finish, and hydrophobic properties, making the vehicle easier to clean. How do you maintain a ceramic-coated vehicle? Wash regularly with pH-neutral car shampoo and avoid harsh chemicals or abrasive tools. Use ceramic-specific boost sprays or sealants for upkeep. Can applying wax over ceramic coating cause any damage? No, it won't damage the paint, but it can diminish the ceramic coating's performance and hydrophobic properties. Final Thoughts - To Wax, or Not to Wax on Ceramic Coating? Now you know that applying waxes on top of ceramic coatings is completely doable, but you also know that there's a better alternative to it. So, here's our recommendation for you: Apply car waxes if you want to get the best shine for your car Apply ceramic spray coatings/boosters if you want to maintain the ceramic coating We also recommend you check out our other articles on similar topics to expand on your newfound knowledge. For easier navigation, you can use our search box at the top of the page. Cheers!

Car paint protection is a valuable part of maintaining the aesthetic value of your vehicle. It protects against minor scratches and chips that might otherwise detract from the beauty of a well-maintained car and helps keep the paint looking vibrant and new for years to come. You should know some things about car paint protection that you might find helpful. See the list below. Contents: 8 Things to Know About Car Paint Protection FAQ Final Words on Paint Protection 8 Things to Know About Car Paint Protection 1. Paint protection is any type of coating applied to a car’s exterior that helps protect it from scratches and other damage Car owners know all too well the stress and frustration of keeping their vehicles looking presentable. From preventing rust to keeping it free of scrapes and dings, car paint protection can help do just that. A professional car detailer typically sprays a layer of car paint protection onto the vehicle's exterior using advanced polymer technology. This process provides a durable yet transparent barrier that helps keep your ride looking slick and smooth with minimal upkeep. Common types of paint protection are car wax, car sealant, paint protection film, and ceramic coating. If you would like to learn more about how each four paint protection methods compare against each other, then read our article "Ceramic Coating vs Car Wax vs Car Sealant vs PPF". 2. It can help prevent contaminants like bird droppings, road salt, and tree sap from damaging the paint job As anyone who's driven or parked under a flock of birds knows, bird droppings can quickly degrade the quality of your car's paintwork, leaving ugly marks that can be difficult to remove. Road salt can corrode metal surfaces, weakening the paint's integrity and chipping away tiny pieces at a time. Tree sap can cause a sticky residue on metallic surfaces that's tough to remove without harsh scrubbing. Car paint protection helps provide an extra defense shield against these things, so you don't have to worry about maintaining that perfect finish or dealing with any nasty surprises along the way. 3. There are many types of paint protection available, including waxes, sealants, ceramic coatings, and more With many types of protection available, including waxes, sealants, ceramic coatings, and more, it can take time to determine the right choice. A ceramic coating system could be the perfect option if you're trying to achieve a flawless finish with unparalleled gloss and durability. Waxes are excellent for providing a layer of protection and increasing the shine but offer different durability than sealants or coatings. It all depends on your budget, goals, and how long you want the protection. 4. Each type of protection has its own benefits and drawbacks Car wax and sealant are both popular options. While the wax is easy to apply and gives a polished shine, it does not provide long-lasting protection and must be reapplied regularly. On the other hand, paint sealants last longer and form a protective barrier that enhances color and gloss retention. Ceramic coating is another popular choice, offering extra durability and a glossy finish at the cost of more involved maintenance. Each type of protection has its benefits and drawbacks, so it's essential to understand all the details before deciding what will work best for your vehicle. 5. Applying paint protection is a relatively straightforward process. Car paint protection is an often overlooked but incredibly important task to keep your vehicle looking new. Despite its importance, it's surprisingly easy to apply. It doesn't take much in the way of tools or special skills, just a few hours of your time and a suitable paint protector. Car paint protection creates a sealed protective layer over your existing paintwork. Because paint protection layers are micro thin and barely noticeable, you don't have to worry about changing the look of your pride and joy, just a bit of extra shine. Applying paint protection to your car's paint regularly can give your car a long-lasting sheen you'll be proud to show off whenever you're behind the wheel! 6. Many DIY kits are available that make it even easier for those who don’t have access to professional services. DIY kits are more popular than ever, with all sorts of services becoming easier to access. For instance, DIY car paint protection kits have made car care more affordable and accessible for people who can't afford regular visits to the auto body shop. Plus, they allow you to skip the steep costs of professional car detailing. Not only do they help to keep your car in top condition without breaking the bank, but they also offer an easy way for those with limited mobility or access to professional services to take ownership of their vehicle care. Many DIY kits are available at various price points and feature customized instructions. 7. When applying paint protection, it is crucial to ensure that the surface is clean and free of contaminants. If you've ever taken on painting a room as a DIY project, you know that preparation is critical. The same goes when it comes to paint protection for your car. Before beginning any protective coating, the car's surface must be clean of debris and contaminants. If you want to learn how we clean a car before applying a ceramic coating to it, you can read our "How to prep for ceramic coating" article here. Sure, cutting corners may save time in the short term, but painters may face costly problems later down the road. Painting over dust or dirt can lead to bubbling or peeling paint and an uneven finish. It pays off to take extra care when preparing the area before beginning the application! 8. It is also essential to use the correct technique when applying paint protection. Although it may seem like a relatively simple job, successfully applying paint protection isn't something to be taken lightly - especially if you want it to stick for the long haul. That's why it's important to use the correct technique when applying car paint protection. You must complete the job correctly to avoid being in for some major headaches. Aside from following manufacturer instructions, one should take a few critical steps before application. Remove all dirt and grease with a cloth or brush, and allow any water spots to dry before proceeding. Once it's on, the paint protectant must also receive proper care. Paint protection is integral to keeping your car looking its best and can help you save money, time, and effort on repairs in the long run. With the right product and application technique, you can ensure that your car's paint job looks new for years to come. FAQ What is car paint protection? Car paint protection refers to products or treatments applied to a vehicle's exterior to protect the paint from damage and wear, such as ceramic coatings, paint sealants, and protective films. What are the key benefits of car paint protection? Key benefits include protection against scratches, UV rays, and environmental contaminants, as well as enhanced gloss and easier cleaning. How long does car paint protection last? The longevity varies by product; sealants may last a few months, while high-quality ceramic coatings or protective films can last several years with proper maintenance. Is professional application of car paint protection necessary? While some products can be applied by car owners, professional application is often recommended for optimal durability and effectiveness, especially for ceramic coatings and protective films. Final Words on Car Paint Protection All in all, car paint protection stands as an essential investment for preserving the aesthetic and structural integrity of your vehicle. Whether you choose waxes, sealants, ceramic coatings, or protective films, each method offers unique benefits and levels of durability. The key is to select a protection that aligns with your specific needs, considering factors like longevity, ease of application, and environmental exposure. Regular application and correct technique are crucial in ensuring maximum protection and maintaining your vehicle's pristine appearance. Embracing car paint protection not only enhances your car's look but also contributes significantly to its long-term value and appeal. Paint protecting out!

Ceramic coatings are an excellent choice for preserving the pristine appearance of your vehicle's paint job for a longer period of time. They're great and they are legit. But why does the question "Is ceramic coating a hoax?" circle around then? The reason for that is that too many people have been sold on the idea that ceramic coatings are a miracle worker and that if you apply one to your car, all your problems will go away — and this simply isn't true. We get asked these types of questions constantly, and by just answering, "No, ceramic coatings are not a hoax or a scam." we feel we're still leaving it open for people to believe that a ceramic coating is the perfect form of paint protection. Look, we love ceramic coatings. And out of all the common paint protection methods - we think this one is the best. That doesn't mean, however, that ceramic coatings are these all-mightly liquids that can solve all your issues in life, from a dirty car to a unibrow, because nothing can save the unibrow. Nothing. If you have a unibrow - a ceramic coating won't help you. Anyway, with that out of the way, ceramic coatings are really great stuff, and if you want to know more about it, there is plenty of material on this website where you can learn everything there is to learn about ceramic coating. Let's take a look at what ceramic coatings can and cannot do for your car's paint. Contents: What Ceramic Coatings Do Well What Ceramic Coatings Don't Do Well Do Ceramic Coatings Work? Are There Any Drawbacks to Ceramic Coatings? Are all Ceramic Coatings Created Equal? FAQ Final Thoughts — Is ceramic coating a hoax? What Ceramic Coatings Do Well Ceramic coatings provide an additional layer of protection against dirt, dust, and other environmental elements that can damage your vehicle's paint job over time. They also help to reduce surface wear so that your car looks newer for longer. An added bonus is that, when applied correctly, ceramic coatings can make cleaning your car much easier, as dirt and grime won't adhere as easily to the surface. What Ceramic Coatings Don't Do Well However, it's important to understand what ceramic coatings CANNOT do in order to get an accurate picture of their benefits. For starters, they cannot repair any existing damage — only fill it in temporarily or hide it with their glossy finish, nor can ceramic coatings protect against scratches or dents; at best, they may help prevent minor cosmetic damage from occurring. But cerami coating won't be able to stand up against anything more serious than that. Finally, they won't necessarily increase the value of your car; some buyers may see them as a plus, but others may not think twice about them. Do Ceramic Coatings Work? Yes! When applied correctly, ceramic coatings will provide a very durable layer of protection for your vehicle's exterior. The ceramic coat can last up to five years before needing to be reapplied, and it won't wash away like traditional wax protection. Also, unlike wax, ceramic coatings do not collect dirt and other impurities, so you won't have to wash your vehicle as frequently. Are There Any Drawbacks to Ceramic Coatings? The biggest drawback is cost—ceramic coatings tend to be more expensive than traditional waxes or sealants. Additionally, installation can be tricky if you don't know what you're doing; if not appropriately applied, ceramic coatings can cause damage to your vehicle's paint job. As a result, proper application is best left to experts who can ensure the finish is not harmed. Are all Ceramic Coatings Created Equal? The short answer is no. The quality of ceramic coatings can vary greatly depending on what type of product you buy, how well it was applied, and how often you maintain it. Generally speaking, higher-quality products will last longer and provide better protection than cheaper alternatives while still being relatively easy to apply. If you want a cheaper and easy-to-apply alternative to ceramic coatings, you can check out ceramic spray coatings. However, be aware that these are more sealants with some silica in them. If you want a real ceramic coating, then check out our top 5 ceramic coating list with test results and our review on these products. That said, there are some products out there that are nothing more than glorified waxes masquerading as "ceramic coatings,"—so don't be fooled! Make sure you do your research before making any purchases. FAQ What tangible benefits does ceramic coating offer? Ceramic coating offers tangible benefits such as protection against minor scratches, UV rays, chemical stains, and water repellency, resulting in easier vehicle maintenance and a longer-lasting shine. Are the effects of ceramic coating long-lasting? Yes, the effects of ceramic coating can be long-lasting, typically providing protection for several years, but this depends on the quality of the product and proper application. How does ceramic coating compare to traditional waxing? Ceramic coating provides a more durable and longer-lasting protective layer compared to traditional waxing, with better resistance to environmental elements and less frequent need for reapplication. Final Thoughts — Is ceramic coating a hoax? So there you have it: ceramic coatings are no hoax! Though they come with some drawbacks—namely cost and complexity—they offer superior protection compared to traditional waxes or sealants. If you're looking for long-term protection for your vehicle's paint job, then ceramic coating may just be the perfect solution for you! Just make sure that you find a qualified professional who can install the coating properly, so you don't end up with any unexpected surprises down the line. Cheers and happy driving!

How many times have you heard, "Hey, I've gotten my car ceramic coated, and I parked my car back at home, not realizing the sprinklers were still on." Well, if you are a detailer, then we presume you've heard this a dozen times. But if you aren't, well, this is something that might happen to you. Well, this, or something like this. So, before you park your freshly coated car under your sprinklers or park it outside just as the rain starts pouring, it would be useful to know the answer to the following question, "How long does ceramic coating take to cure?". Let's start curing the answer! (this makes absolutely no sense <_<) Contents: What is the Cure Time for Ceramic Car Coatings? Does Ceramic Coating Actually Cure in Weeks? Do I need IR Curing Lamps for my Ceramic Coating? What are your Options While the Ceramic Coating Cures? What Should You Do After The Ceramic Coating Has Cured? 8 Tips for Ceramic Coating Maintenance Once your Ceramic Coating has Cured FAQ Final Words — How long does ceramic coating take to cure? You've done all the hard work, and your car is finally ceramic coated. You'll be able to reap the rewards of your ceramic coating for many years to come once it has properly cured. The hard surface will have a high gloss that will shield the paint from environmental hazards like rain, UV radiation from sunlight, bird droppings, and tree sap. Due to their amazing hydrophobic properties, ceramic coatings can even prevent rust from forming and thus preventing a headache and saving your hard-earned cash. That sounds amazing! But how long do you have to wait now until the ceramic coating is fully cured? What is the Cure Time for Ceramic Car Coatings? You generally want to keep your car dry and safe from any contamination for at least 24 hours. This is the time a ceramic coating needs for it to become dry and hard enough, so it is not ruined by a simple rain shower. After those 24 hours, it is safe to drive your car out in the open. Before the ceramic coating is fully cured, we would suggest not driving the car on a highway to avoid bug splatter and not driving the car hard in any offroad conditions. Also, avoid using harsh chemicals and drive-through car washes until the curing process has been completed. Does that mean that drive-through car washes are safe for ceramic coating? They won't destroy the ceramic coating as some people claim, but they will introduce micro scratches over time, and they should generally be avoided. If you wash your car this way a few times, nothing notable will happen. However, the coating will continue to cure for a total of 5-7 days. That number is dependent on the coating you are using, the temperature, and the humidity. It is not advised to wash the car before it has fully cured to avoid any possible damage the ceramic coating might sustain. Does Ceramic Coating Actually Cure in Weeks? People who want to shield their vehicles' paintwork frequently choose ceramic car coating. The majority of people think that you must wait weeks before being allowed to drive your car safely, but this is not always the case! While most ceramic coatings have a curing period of about a week, at which point it is safe to wash the car and get it dirty without the risk of damaging the coating itself, there are exceptions. Ceramic coatings that cure anywhere from 2-3 weeks do exist. Always read the instructions that come with the products you buy, and abide by them for the best possible results. The mandatory 24-hour period still applies though, so it is safe to drive the vehicle after that. Do I need IR Curing Lamps for my Ceramic Coating? IR Lamps or Infrared Lamps are almost always used by professional detailing shops. The reason is that infrared radiation speeds up the curing process of a ceramic coating. They do not enhance the properties or the effectiveness of the ceramic coating in any way. The only thing they are doing is shortening the time it takes for the coating to cure. Instead of days, you can bring that time down to mere hours. If you are a professional ceramic coating installer, you should consider investing in infrared lamps. Having a car stay in the garage for at least 24 hours because the ceramic coating needs to cure enough before it can safely go out into the wild hinders you. It doesn't allow you to expand your business to more customers and prevents you from doing any work in the garage without putting the invested labor into jeopardy. But if you are not a detailing shop that specializes in ceramic coating installments, we suggest that you don't waste your money. What are your Options While the Ceramic Coating Cures? We advise you to use your car for as little as possible. Keep it safe in a garage whenever you can. This is particularly crucial during the winter months when ice formation on the surface can harm your coating. Try not to drive farther than is absolutely required if you must use your automobile during these periods. Additionally, when parking, keep it away from other cars and in the shade, and out of the rain. Those are quite the instructions we got there, but to keep it simple, here are some pointers on things to avoid doing while you are waiting for the newly installed ceramic coating to fully cure: avoid washing your car in general definitely avoid automatic car washes don't use highly acidic or highly alkaline car shampoos avoid using a pressure washer don't park under a tree don't drive at highway speeds or faster don't leave your car near sprinklers try not to leave your car out in the rain don't park in areas where there are lots of bird droppings Sprinklers generally use well water, which is very hard, and if that water is left to evaporate on the coating, it will bake the minerals it has in it onto the coating, leaving water spots. Should you ever encounter them, then read our article on how to deal with water spots and deal with them before they leave any permanent damage to the paintwork of your car. Some parts of the world also have acidic or heavy rain. The same rules apply. It is best to avoid those situations altogether. But if you do encounter them, we suggest you dry your car as soon as possible. Tree sap and bird droppings are both acidic and are best removed ASAP. Both can be harsh on the coating and the paint of the car if they are left to dry - especially tree sap. If any of the aforementioned come in touch with your coating, lightly lubricate the coated surface with an alcohol-based solution or a dedicated cleaning agent, and then wipe it down with a clean and dry microfiber towel. If you, for whatever reason, have to wash your car before the coating cures fully, use a touchless washing method, and use only pH-neutral car shampoo. What Should You Do After The Ceramic Coating Has Cured? Once finished, you should wash your automobile roughly once a month utilizing the two-bucket approach. Avoid using anything abrasive, such as a clay bar, compounding the car, or polishing it, since those will harm the ceramic covering. If you would like to learn more about ceramic coating maintenance, then see How to maintain ceramic coating on a car. One of the best choices you can make to enhance the look of your car and safeguard your investment is to protect your car's exterior with a ceramic coating. A ceramic coating is the best type of paint protection for your car because it outperforms all conventional waxes and sealants in terms of longevity, performance, and look enhancement. And while paint protection film might be superior to ceramic coating in certain areas, it is outshined by ceramic coating in other areas that we feel are ultimately more important. Read our article where we talk about Car Wax VS Car Sealant VS Ceramic Coating VS Paint Protection Film to see which one comes out on top and why. However, without proper maintenance, a ceramic or graphene coating may deteriorate much more quickly and lose its beneficial properties sooner. To ensure the maximum longevity of your ceramic coatings, make sure you keep up with the best recommended practices when washing your car. Use our search bar at the top of the webpage to learn more about ceramic coating, how they perform, and how to wash your paint-protected car properly. Or simply browse through our Education section. How to Wash your Car Properly Once the Ceramic Coating has Fully Cured? Everyone washes their car in their own magical way and at different rates, but to keep your ceramic coating's deep shine and hydrophobic qualities, it's advised to perform a maintenance wash at least every two to four weeks. The simplicity of washing a ceramic coated car is one of its many advantages. And yes, you still have to wash a car that has a ceramic coating installed. That is just one of many myths that surround this form of paint protection. If you would like to learn about myths that surround ceramic coatings, then read our article Top 15 myths about ceramic coatings. Here are 8 Tips for Ceramic Coating Maintenance Once your Ceramic Coating has Cured [not before]: 1. Use the "Two-Bucket Method" Using a wash mitt and two buckets, one with clean water and the other with soapy water, hand wash using the "Two-Bucket Method". To prevent abrasions from being caused by hard impurities, both buckets should have grit guards on the bottom. If you only have one grit guard, then place it in the bucket that you're using for the bottom of the car and wheels. 2. Only use ph-neutral car soap While a ceramic coating can withstand and is highly resistant to any chemical from pH 1 all the way to pH 13, that doesn't mean that they are impervious to damage. The stronger the chemical, the more quickly it will wear out the coating. To keep it safe and maximize the lifetime of the coating, it is best to stick to pH-neutral car shampoos. This way you know that even after years, the coating will be as effective as it was on the 1st day. You can learn more about why ph-neutral car shampoos are important for your car. 3. Use ceramic coating refresher sprays Use dedicated ceramic spray sealants that are meant to refresh or renew the coating. You can apply them once every three to four months after the car has been washed and dried. Usually, manufacturers have a refresher spray in a kit that comes with a ceramic coating. They have their own products that are designed to work well with their flagship ceramic coating. You can use those, but if you aren't able to, then any should be fine. These ceramic sprays give the ceramic coating extra slickness. This improves their hydrophobic properties even more and thereby helps prevent water spots. Check out our top 10 ceramic coating sprays! 4. Avoid washing in direct sunlight Avoid water spots, and avoid washing in direct sunlight. Especially if it is a hot day. Water will evaporate more quickly, and there is a chance it will evaporate while it is still on the car's surface. If the water you're using to wash the car is hard, you'll be left with water spots that can be annoying to deal with. 5. Avoid high-volume brush washes If you don't want to or can't wash the car yourself. Limit yourself to hand washing or touchless car washes. This is the same story as number 2. on this list. Ceramic coatings have a hardness rating of 9H and 10H, depending on the product. While they can resist some scratches, they aren't immune to them. And continuous beatings will wear them out eventually. Read this article we've written to learn more about whether ceramic coatings are scratch resistant. 6. Use good quality drying microfiber towels Use quality drying cloths so you don't risk abrasion during drying. Use edgeless, high-pile microfibers. And what we do, as soon as we get new towels, we rip off the label. That is a small trick used to avoid any unwanted scratching on the paint. Alternate between using one drying towel to soak up the majority of the water and a second to dry the automobile completely. Don't use too much pressure; let the towel do the work instead. 7. Remove brake dust Don't forget to deal with break dust on every wash or at least every other wash. The reason this is important is that once you let break dust accumulate on your wheels or even on the car body area near the wheels, it will start pitting the clearcoat, the rest of the paint, and finally, even the surface underneath the paint, therefore permanently damaging it. At that point, no amount of maintenance will be able to solve that issue. If you want to fix it, you'll have to repaint the affected area or even use body fillers to fill in the craters. Ceramic coating helps prevent that issue to some degree, but if you let the brake dust pile up, even a top-quality ceramic coating won't save you. The metallic impurities in your paint can be drawn out and broken down by applying a pH-neutral iron remover to the surface of your car. Simply spray it on, and then use pH-neutral soap and the two-bucket approach to give your car a maintenance wash three to four minutes later. 8. Never use a clay bar or perform paint correction on a ceramic coated car A clay bar must not be used on the coated car. The reason is that they are abrasive, and because of that, clay bars will remove the coating. The same applies to compounding and polishing. They are liquids that work the same as sandpaper. They are much finer instead. Still, they will damage and even remove the ceramic coating if used. BONUS TIP! During the first week after application, while the ceramic coating is curing, if you see an automatic car wash - run! In fact, do a 180 and start driving in the opposite direction as fast as you can - no one will blame you. FAQ How long does it take for a ceramic coating to cure? A ceramic coating typically requires a minimum of 24 hours to dry and harden enough to withstand a light rain. The full curing process generally takes between 5-7 days, depending on the specific product, temperature, and humidity. Is it necessary to use IR Curing Lamps for ceramic coating? While not mandatory for individual use, IR Lamps are used by professional shops to speed up the curing process from days to hours. If you're not a professional installer, investing in these might not be necessary. Can I wash my car during the ceramic coating curing period? It's advised not to wash your car until the coating has fully cured to avoid damage. If you must, use a touchless washing method with pH-neutral shampoo and avoid harsh chemicals and pressure washers. What should I avoid while my ceramic coating is curing? Avoid automatic car washes, using acidic or alkaline shampoos, parking under trees, driving at high speeds, exposing the car to sprinklers or heavy rain, and parking in areas prone to bird droppings. Final Words — How long does ceramic coating take to cure? Cheers to your newly ceramic-coated car! Remember, good things take time, so give your coating the 5-7 days it needs to fully cure. Keep it safe from the elements, and avoid the temptation of touch-ups and car washes. Your patience will be rewarded with a glossy finish and robust protection for your beloved vehicle. So, while you wait, sit back, relax, and imagine the envy-inducing shine and durability you'll soon enjoy! Cheers!

So, you bought a new car, and everything on and in it looks super shiny. Your car's paint is glossy, and you would want it to remain that way for a long time. The color of your vehicle fades as time passes. You clean your car diligently every day to keep the shine intact, but the irony is the supplies you're using to keep your car shiny can destroy it. So, you must be thinking about what to do now - Should I ceramic coat my new car? You want your automobile to appear its best at the end of the day. You wouldn't want your wife to be spotted in the passenger seat of an unattractive car, would you? Apply a ceramic coating to the surface. A ceramic coating is ideal for your automobile since it offers both light protection and a lasting candy-gloss luster. A ceramic coating, on the other hand, should never be DIYed since it needs a reasonably knowledgeable specialist to apply effectively. A ceramic spray, on the other hand, provides the benefits of a ceramic coating while being easy to apply at home, making it excellent for many owners on a budget. If you would like to know more about what the ceramic coating application process looks like in case you want to DIY it, read this article here. And if you want to DIY Ceramic Coat your car but would like to go for the more handy solution using a Ceramic Coating Spray, you can check this one to see the top 10 ceramic spray coatings that we have picked out for you! For those that would like to ceramic coat their cars by a professional, we suggest typing "ceramic coating near me" into Google and checking their local area for a certified shop with a good reputation. Can you let your car's color fade out? No! One of the best solutions to this problem is using ceramic coatings. It's Not Just About The Shine. It's About Protection. Ceramics coatings protect your car from external damage, apart from saving your car's color. Your car experiences a harsh environment every day, and therefore damage is inevitable. Ceramic coating penetrates deep into the pores of the clear coat and bonds physically to the paint. It forms a thin hydrophobic layer on the top, which is durable and sturdy, and shiny in appearance. Ceramic particles offer protection from UV rays, etching from bird droppings, chemical erosion, acid rain, and more. All those things, along with dust accumulated while driving, would dull out the paint and introduce numerous swirl marks and micro scratches that would eventually make the car look old and tired. Besides the above-mentioned protective properties, the ceramic coating has hydrophobic properties too. This hydrophobic property doesn't let water sit on your car and also prevents dust, dirt, grime, and road salt from settling on it. There's no reason why you shouldn't get your car ceramic coated. There are lots of benefits of ceramic coating. But you cannot expect a top coat to protect your car from major scratches and chips. Ceramic coatings are not very protective against the grit of daily traffic. Also, it cannot prevent mechanical erosion. So the answer to the question 'Should I ceramic coat my car?' depends upon you and your priorities. If you want your car to look in top condition, then it's best to have it ceramic coated. If you still haven't made up your mind about this subject, you can get additional information about whether the ceramic coating is for you, to help you make the decision that best suits you! Cheers!

- go back to Part 2 - Polymer Sealant - Continuing from where we left off... again! So far, in Part 1 and Part 2 of this article, we have covered the introduction to 'How to protect car paint?'. We've explained what Carnauba Wax is, what properties wax has, on how to use car wax properly. We have also done the same for Polymer Sealants. In Part 3, we will have lots to cover as we shall focus on Ceramic Coating, what it is, and why you should use it on your car! To see Part 2 of the topic, click here to learn more about the abovementioned things. You can also read in full detail about what Ceramic Coating is in a previous blog article by clicking here. We will cover some basics so that you get a general idea of what you are dealing with. Let's dive into this! What is a Ceramic Coating? Ok, so Ceramic Coating is a SiO2 ( Silicon Dioxide ) based liquid that forms a hard crystallized surface on top of the clear coat of your car's paint, thus protecting it from swirls and light to medium scratches, also giving it superior hydrophobic properties and protection from UV radiation. It is also highly resistant to heat and has some resistance to chemicals. Once it has cured, it will not come off as quickly as Carnauba Wax or Polymer Sealant would. You might even say that it coats your car's paint with a damage-resistant vest keeping the vehicle tucked in nicely for the next two years. Of course, the two years is debatable since different quality Ceramic Coating might alter that number. It would also be affected by how you treated your car and the climate of your region. Once correctly applied and given enough time to fully cure ( about a week ), the coating will have completely bonded with the car's paint and is there to stay. On top of all its protective qualities, it also covers your vehicle in a permanent glossy shine. The car's surface will be so slick that even dust will not stick to the paint and will simply fall off during driving. It is quite literally Polymer Sealant... but on steroids. But Ceramic Coat Expert, if it is that amazing, why isn't everyone using it? Well, for starters, not everyone knows about it or has heard about it but never took the time to educate themselves on the matter. Also, that is where Ceramic Coating significantly differs from Car Wax and Polymer Sealants. Ceramic Coating usually comes in a Kit. A 50ml bottle with a clear liquid inside. A small sponge block. And a small piece of leather-like cloth. The idea is to wrap the piece of cloth around the applicator block, squirt a few droplets of the Ceramic Coating onto the cloth and apply the coating onto the car with the proper technique as per instructions ( we shall get into that ) after waiting a certain time, buff it off completely. After about 1 hour, it is recommended to repeat the process one more time. Once the second coat has been applied, it is left to initially cure for at least 24 hours, meaning no contact with outside elements, especially debris or water. After those initial 24 hours, it will be hardened completely, and you are allowed to use your vehicle. But the curing process usually isn't done at that point yet. The Ceramic Coating will proceed to cure for the next 7 days, at which point it will be wholly hardened and bonded with your car's paint. While testing, we have seen the coating resist mild abrasives though it can be removed with a polisher given enough time. Mud wouldn't stick and easily sprayed off the vehicle with a garden hose with low to medium pressure. Using aggressive detergents such as dish soap or non-pH balanced shampoos didn't diminish the protective or hydrophobic qualities of the Ceramic Coating initially. Even though it would degrade upon multiple repeated attempts to use those high alkaline detergents, upon testing numerous brands, some would give out before others giving sub-par results. In contrast, some would give results that would be dismissed as ridiculous attempts at marketing manipulation. Well, we have seen it all. Ceramic Coating truly has unique properties. Sometimes, if you aren't prepared, it simply leaves you baffled because people usually aren't expecting such behavior. Some Ceramic Coatings along the SiO2 contain TiO2 ( Titanium Oxide ) to give the solution even greater strength once hardened. Today you have dozens of different Ceramic Coatings out on the market, with almost each of them differing in some way from the other. Some ceramic coatings are amazing, and some are just simply scams. Still, we have tested multiple popular products. Some are not so popular. And we will or already have posted test results in our Reviews section of the blog. You can look them up and find the one you like which fits your criteria the most. There are numerous questions that people are asking regarding Ceramic Coating, such as 'Is Ceramic Coat applied to new cars?', 'Is Ceramic Coating better than Wax?', or for instance, 'How much does it cost to get your car Ceramic Coated?', or even 'How long does it take to Ceramic Coat a car?'. There are tons of questions like this, and we are more than happy to answer all of them. We will dedicate an entire blog article just for that. Maybe even multiples, depending on the volume of all those questions. We will also go into detail on how to prepare your car for Ceramic Coating, Paint Protection in general, and how to properly apply Ceramic Coating to your vehicle. The whole process, all tricks and small details that might give you the edge so you can perform that task with great success and leave yourself dazzled with the results for years to come. We will give a short and clear summary listing all its features and grading them from F ( bad ) to A ( excellent ) compared to its competition for all products. So to summarize, here are some notes about Ceramic Coating: will last you up to 2 years ... A high resistance to the elements ... A medium resistance to damage ... D doesn't have to be expensive but can be depending on if it is a DIY project or a professional is doing it for you ... C / E straightforward application process but can be intimidating ... B solid resistance to chemicals & degreasers ... C Average grade: B / C We had to give Ceramic Coating two separate grades because of the four paint protection methods (wax, sealant, ceramic coating, and PPF) we covered in this four-part article — ceramic coating is the only pro-grade method that can be done in a DIY fashion with some confidence and little training. This means that while almost anyone without any training or tools can likely apply wax or car sealant, for ceramic coating, there's a lengthy and tedious preparation job that needs to be done beforehand, to ensure maximum adhesion. And while a car detailer working in a detailing shop will be the one to do all that prep work and installation, it is possible for a newbie (with proper education and a bit of training), to apply ceramic coating onto a car DIY-style. And solo. PPF, on the other hand, is at least a two-man job. And the difficulty level is way up there. So yeah, if you do it yourself (you'll still need a garage, all the tools, and the dexterity), ceramic coating your car can be cheaper. If you take it to a detailer, it's going to be more expensive. But, as long as you know what you are doing, the Average Grade stays at a solid B. Still, suppose you find the process intimidating, which, trust us. In that case, you are not alone with that problem. You will find that a professional car shop will drain your wallet in no time for doing the same thing. They will probably, use a high-quality ceramic coating product, and they will most likely do an errorless job. Still, the difference in cost can be astronomical. The main reason the price difference is so high is that the professional shops that are coating a car with Ceramic Coating will go to great lengths in their preparation work to detail the vehicle to its best before applying the coating. Our honest opinion is if you can afford it and you cannot be bothered to do it yourself, sure, pay a professional to do it. But, if you don't want to play a small fortune to get your car properly protected for the foreseeable future, then take some time, follow our guidelines, read a few reviews on which one to pick, and simply do it yourself. At its core, it is not much different than putting on car wax or a car sealant. However, it is much less forgiving of mistakes and requires a controlled environment more than the other two. Once you test it out on another surface to see how to apply the product, buff it off and test if you've done the job correctly, we are sure that you can do this yourself, alone. No help is needed as it is a one-man job. So, the question is - 'Should you use Ceramic Coating on your car, or should you stick to Carnauba Wax or Polymer Sealant?'. Honestly? Go for the Coating. Why? Well, once trained, it is really not difficult to apply it to your car. Some might have a more difficult time because they don't have a garage or a driveway, but as long as you prepare the whole process, preparing the car to be paint-protected will probably take you 5-10 hours if you are a beginner. You are being thorough and not hasty or sloppy. If you keep that in mind and the weather looks balanced as per instructions. There is no strong wind, there is no rain, the temperature outside is not like in an oven, and the car is not in direct sunlight. And most importantly - for the next 24 hours, until the coating completely hardens, it will not rain, or there will be no harsh winds or storms, you are ready to go. I know that even reading that sentence raises your stress level probably. Still, hey, once you accept that that is the procedure that you have to go through to get the desired results, it becomes much more manageable. Also, we remember using Ceramic Coating for the first time, and it really was an intimidating experience. We've had training, consulted colleagues that worked with Ceramic Coating, we've watched hours upon hours of youtube videos, and read everything there is to read about Ceramic Coating on the internet. And still, it was scary. But after the first, initial coat, we realized that it wasn't really that different than applying wax or sealant. You get a completely different perspective once you have actually done it. So our suggestion is, to prepare your knowledge, prepare your car and just dive in. If you mess it up, listen, it is not the end of the world. In the end, you can try it again with new skills under your belt this time. The price of Ceramic Coating is somewhat higher than that of a Polymer Sealant. Still, considering the effect you get and how long you get it, it is definitely worth it! Also, keep in mind how easily you can remove wax or sealants from your car just by washing your car, and you won't have those headaches with Ceramic Coating, which is perhaps even its greatest strength. Because you want your car protected, but you want that protection to stay on your vehicle without you having to babysit your car for the foreseeable future. Regarding its high cost in case a professional does it for you. We advise against it unless you are wealthy and you have a brand-new car, or you have a showroom vehicle. The reason is that the price can be ten folds what you'd pay by just buying the kit and doing the detailing yourself. Of course, not everyone has the tools skills, or knowledge required to perform a perfect job of detailing the paint on your car. Still, there are inexpensive ways to get decent results on a budget while doing it yourself. You do know that it will be protected with the highest quality coating in the business. It will be done properly, but the price difference is so large considering with proper training and preparation, you can do this yourself and, at the end of the day, be proud of your achievement and save even up to a few thousand dollars in the process. As was expected, we will push the last part of 'How to protect your car's paint?', namely Paint Protection Films, and some final thoughts and conclusions on the whole subject into Part 4 of this article, and you can click here to jump there right now. - continue to Part 4 - Paint Protection Film -

A strange question coming from us - a detailing company that promotes Ceramic Coatings in shiny bright light. Well, the reality of the situation is that we do not promote Ceramic Coating to everyone. We will not shove it down your throat just so we can make a quick buck. We overall care to build up a good reputation that we can be proud of so customers trust us and know what they will get and what they will not get based on what we tell them. And that is a huge thing that is missing from, unfortunately, some detailing companies or even Ceramic Coating manufacturers. While those types of products are excellent and widely beneficial to both you as consumers and your vehicle, they are not all-powerful. They will not do everything, as some claim. They have their limits. There is really no need to stretch the truth or introduce claims with no business near a Ceramic Coatings description. With that out of the way, the question you came here for was whether Ceramic Coating is for you. Should you Ceramic Coat your car? Is Ceramic Coating worth it? All of those are valid questions. And it is not easy to answer them. The answer would depend on a lot of factors. For example, suppose you came to us and asked us whether you should Ceramic Coat your car. In that case, we would attack you with a bunch of questions to determine whether you should or shouldn't go into this endeavor. Questions such as: How often do you wash your car? How do you wash your car? How long do you plan on keeping the car? What do you use your vehicle for? Are you using car-wash stations regularly? What kind of Car Shampoo are you using? Do you even care about the condition of your vehicle? And after we have gathered all that information, we need to decide whether we, as the detailers doing the paint protection job, should be reputable professional detailers or businessmen. If some detailing companies decide to eye the greens, well, that is on them, really. We at Ceramic Coat Expert want to perform jobs only we can stand behind and be proud of. It might sound cheesy, but if you are passionate about something, you really do want to do that thing, so it makes you happy. And selling a high-end Ceramic Coating job to someone that will not benefit from that long-term wouldn't really do that, would it? Satisfied clients, happy us. That is how it works here. There are loads of misconceptions when it comes to Ceramic Coatings about what they do. For example: Ceramic Coatings will not prevent water spots Ceramic Coatings are not permanent Ceramic Coatings will not prevent damage to your paint Having Ceramic Coating on your car doesn't mean you never have to wash your car ever again The last one seems a bit harsh, but some people believe all of these, and all those ideas draw some people to Ceramic Coatings, and once they learn that they are not true, they lose that will very quickly. That is why we firmly believe that education about Ceramic Coatings is vital to understand all of its benefits and what it provides for you as a consumer and for your protected vehicle. There are people out there thinking that if they coat their cars with Ceramic, they will never have to rewash them. Or even that the paint of the vehicle cannot be damaged anymore. If you are looking for a tougher variant of paint protection, you should look into Paint Protection Films. As for the washing part, you will still need to wash and maintain your metallic friend. It will be just that much easier. It will get less dirty because dirt will have a much harder time sticking to the car. Even things like wind or fast driving might clean the car because the air pressure will be more substantial than the grip grime has on the coating. Maintenance is critical for the longevity of the Ceramic Coating. Read our article if you want to properly maintain your car after being ceramic coated to get the most out of it. If you would like to learn more about what Ceramic Coating is and how it protects your car's paint, you can click the link. Is ceramic coating for you: Yes or No? If you want to see our thoughts on all the Frequently Asked Questions about Ceramic Coatings, then you can click here. When not to get Ceramic Coating: You do not care about how your car looks You do not wash your car regularly or ever You are using your car or truck as a workhorse or for offroad purposes You do not like to spend money on your car You do not look to keep its value over time as high as possible You could Ceramic Coat your car regardless. But if you came to us, we would likely turn you down and introduce you to a Ceramic Coating that we can vouch for based on personal experience. We would suggest you do the coating yourself and educate yourself on how to do it properly. Not to be rude, but because doing a complete detailing treatment of your car wouldn't likely be entirely beneficial to you. You might have seen that pesky neighbor's shiny and glossy freshly Ceramic Coated car the other day and thought to yourself how you could do the same. You come by your local vehicle detailer, and the price they give you shocks you making you back out of it instantly. The whole idea of a Ceramic Coat on your vehicle is to protect the paint that will be underneath the Ceramic Coating. If the paintwork is not in pristine condition, it will stay that way. Ceramic Coatings do not remove swirl marks, oxidation, dirt, or grime that might be embedded in your clear coat, scratches, or rock chips. Your paint will look the same as it looks right now, plus a bit of gloss. But if you invest in the car's paint being corrected and appropriately detailed to bring out that factory look. If you get it as close as you can to that factory look and then Ceramic Coat that car - you will be a pleased customer with a brand new-looking vehicle for years to come. Provided you maintain the coating, of course. That is what the majority of the price tag comes from - washing, claying, compounding, polishing the paint to perfection, and only then would we Ceramic Coat the vehicle. We want to make the car 'Pop!' and for it to look amazing. We want that neighbor of yours to be jealous and wonder how your car looks so slick all of the time. You will simply not get that result without detailing the car unless the vehicle is brand new. And to do that, you also need all the right tools and experience to perform it correctly. Experience and a lot of time. And you might think, 'Well, I can learn all that, and I can practice and get great at detailing.' Of course, you can. It really isn't that difficult. With a bit of knowledge and guidance and a few hits and misses, you could technically become a novice detailer. But to do that, you would need to buy a severe amount of items and all that to detail your car every few years when you reapply for the Ceramic Coating. That isn't worth it, really, unless you are looking to start a business. In that case, we say, 'Go for it!' and if you have any questions, feel free to ask us. So, to summarize... Should you ceramic coat your car? We believe that every car should be Ceramic Coated. It is that good of a product, and there are so many benefits that come with it, provided you are using a proven and tested product. That is our opinion, but the decision comes down to yours. If you like your car to look glossy and shiny, and you like that, it is more easily cleaned and maintained. It repels water really well and things that usually would doesn't stick to your car's paint that easily. Suppose you care for your vehicle, so it looks clean and fresh. In that case, if you like to protect your car as an investment so it keeps a higher value in the future - then Ceramic Coating is for you. If you cannot find yourself in any of those above and are still wondering if you should ceramic coat your car then read our article answering that question. You are also welcome to check out our list of Best Ceramic Coatings 2023 to help you find one that would suit your needs the best. Cheers!

Many Ceramic Coatings will have 9H or some even 10H in their names. But if not their names directly, almost all of them will have the same written into the product description. So 9H ceramic coating - what is it? Contents: What does 9H mean? What is the Mohs Scale? Let's conclude what all of this actually means! Do all Ceramic Coatings have a hardness rating of 9H? Can Ceramic Coatings have a hardness of 10H? Will multiple layers of Ceramic Coating increase the hardness level? What does 9H mean? 9H refers to the hardness level of a pencil or a material's surface hardness (H for 'Hardness'). In pencils, it indicates an extremely hard lead that creates a very light mark. In material science, it signifies a high level of scratch resistance, often used in screen protectors or coatings. Now, for a little bit more context and why 9H is associated with Ceramic Coating products: And why are we talking about pencils on a ceramic coating website?! Well, here's why. If you go ahead and use Google to get an answer to the above question, you will likely stumble upon the following: "9H Ceramic Coatings get the 9H based on the Mohs scale." Unfortunately, this is where most people would stop their investigation regarding the matter and would start having wild expectations from Ceramic Coatings and would, naturally, be outraged when they do not deliver. What is the Mohs Scale? Back in 1835, a german scientist specializing in gemology and mineralogy named Friedrich Mohs invented a method to determine the hardness of various minerals and a way to rank them. This method is known as the Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness. And that scale is what Friedrich Mohs would be known for the most throughout his career. We use this scale even today and it is quite handy when it comes to Ceramic Coatings as well. Well, any material, really, but Ceramic Coatings are why we are here. Talc would be the softest material that Mohs used, and he gave it a rating of 1, while a diamond was at that time the hardest known mineral and was given a rating of 10. Everything else we use, he's put in between the two. Hmmm... So if we consider this scale when doing our assessment, that would mean that Ceramic Coatings would have a hardness level of about a Corundum or a Sapphire. Wow! That is amazing. That basically means that unless you are attacked by a diamond hailstorm, you are unlikely to ever get a scratch on your car ever again. While you're at it, you might give yourself a Ceramic Coating as well and become practically bulletproof. Brilliant! If only... Obviously, that doesn't make much sense. Either Ceramic Coatings would be known by anyone worldwide, or they would cost so much that only a handful of people on the planet would be able to afford them. Neither is true, so let us dig deeper and do some more research. Hardness is the resistance of a material to scratches, while toughness is the object's resistance to chipping. When it comes to Ceramic Coatings, we are interested in their hardness in most cases. One thing in "9H" that definitely stands out when taking a closer look at the Mohs scale is the "H" part. There is no "H" on the scale at all. The other thing to consider is that almost all Ceramic Coatings will have the word "Quartz" written somewhere on the product packaging. And quartz is 7, not 9. So let us conclude what all of this actually means! Namely, the "H" stands for Hardness, and you might have seen 9H in school written on your pencil. This is where the "9H" comes from the so-called "Pencil Hardness Test". The Pencil Hardness Test, also known as the Wolff-Wilborn test, is a method of using graphite pencils to determine the hardness value of a surface, or more precisely, the coating. The H in graphite pencils stands for Hardness, while the B stands for Blackness. The ones marked with B tend to be much softer, thus leaving a darker line, while the ones marked with H would write a thinner, much lighter line due to their increased levels of hardness. The way we determine the hardness of a surface is by using a graphite pencil and pushing it along the surface under a specific angle using constant pressure. Since we know the hardness of the pencil used, we can determine the hardness of the surface as well. After the test has been performed, if the surface remains undamaged, then you would take the next pencil on the pencil hardness scale and redo the test until the surface gets scratched. At that point, the surface no longer can resist getting damaged, and the tested surface receives a rating of the last pencil used that did no damage. For example, you could start with an H pencil and go up in hardness all the way up to 9H. If the surface that is being tested resists all pencils until it gets damaged by a 7H pen, it would get a 6H rating. A handy tool that can be used to perform the Wolff-Wilborn test is called an Elcometer 501. Using such a tool is extremely handy because it will keep the pencil at a fixed 45-degree angle, and it will provide a constant amount of force, thus providing repeatable results that are reliable. Ceramic Coatings get their 9H hardness rating using the method described above. If you wanted to refer to the Mohs scale, Ceramic Coating would receive a 6 to 6.5 rating, just below quartz, depending on the quality of the Ceramic Coating used. Do all Ceramic Coatings have a hardness rating of 9H? No. Some quality products do, but unfortunately, some are very liberal and vague when it comes to their product descriptions, while others are straight-up lies. And as a newcomer to the world of paint protection and Ceramic Coatings, it is hard to know which is which. That is why we like to test products using the same method before making any judgment on our part. We do real-world testing and strive for situations that most people would have in their day-to-day life. If you would like to know more about the testings we do to rate the Ceramic Coatings we use or have used at some point, please check out our product Reviews page of our blog. So can Ceramic Coatings have a hardness of 10H? Well, conventional pencils range from 9B, the softest, all the way to 9H, which is the hardest pencil. Some manufacturers claim they produce pencils that have a 10H hardness. And technically, if you wanted, you could use that pencil in the Wolff-Wilborn test. Do such Ceramic Coatings actually exist, or are they just marketing ploys to reach more customers? Well, if you ask us, we believe that only some high-quality industrial-grade products that are thick enough and slippery enough when cured would have such a high hardness rating. So for the average consumer, 10H Ceramic Coatings are more of a unicorn than a reality. If you would like to find out more about ceramic coatings and how long it takes for them to fully cure, then read this article we've written. If I coat the car with multiple layers of Ceramic Coating, will it have a higher hardness rating? This one is a no. Installing multiple layers of Ceramic Coating on a car will only increase the thickness of the coat. Its hardness rating will not be affected. For example, you can stack two wooden planks on top of each other, and while they will be tougher to pierce through than just one plank, they will still be as easily scratched. It might take more scratching to go through the coating, but it will not be more resistant to scratches. If you want to learn more about multiple layers of Ceramic Coating on a car, read this article here. Cheers!

We can already hear people shouting at us as to how we forgot to list Graphene Coatings in our list of methods for 'How to protect the paint on your car?'. Well, we haven't forgotten. We simply didn't want to mention them, and let us explain why. First off, what is Graphene Coating? It seems like they hit the Car Detailing industry by storm, and everyone is mentioning Graphene Coatings as this new miracle coating that does it all. Hell, it can even turn a Toyota Corolla into a Dodge Demon - it is just THAT good! Contents: What is Graphene Coating? Graphene Coating VS Ceramic Coating Final Thoughts What is Graphene Coating? Graphene Coatings are really just ceramic coatings with graphene powder or graphene oxide added or infused into them. Before some of you start dialing 911 and calling the FBI, give us a few minutes of your time to clarify why we wrote what we did just now. You see, Carbon can be found in many shapes depending on its molecular structure. Some well-known forms of carbon can be found in our Graphite or Diamonds. In 2004 Graphene was discovered in the form of powder particles. It is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice or a chicken wire structure, if you will. This gives Graphene some amazing properties. While in this structure, graphene is about 300 times stronger than steel and only a fraction of its weight. It has some flexibility, but if it loses that hexagonal structure, it becomes extremely brittle and easily falls apart. Since 2004, a way to produce Graphene Powder in bulk has been developed, and you can now easily buy it, although at a steep price, even on Amazon. Now, what happened is that science is still researching and developing ways to use Graphene to advance technologies, and of course, some people thought to themselves, 'Well, we should make a coating for cars since it is so amazing. That sure sounds like an amazing idea!". And we admit, it does sound amazing! But unfortunately, it does not work... not yet, anyway. People tried mixing that Graphene with Waxes, Sealants, different solutions, resins, and so on. All sorts of testing have been performed, so we don't have to, and after some time, many agreed that Ceramic Coating is best used as a medium to cover your vehicle in graphene. Do you remember how we wrote that Graphene is stronger than steel at only an atom thickness, but only if it has that honeycomb structure? Well, it turns out it is very hard to get Graphene to form that structure just like that. Ways were invented to use fabric to force Graphene into a hexagonal structure giving it its strength. But currently, that is still in development, and you wouldn't want to cover your car in a blanket... literary. So once you cover your car with Graphene Coating, what happens is your car has Ceramic Coated with Graphene Powder scattered all over the place imbued inside the Ceramic Coating itself, and you've guessed it - not in a hexagonal shape. Meaning it does nothing to improve the Ceramic Coating. That means you have paid extra money for something that does nothing in this current situation, and not only does it do nothing, but it could, in some situations, make the Ceramic Coating worse than it is. It was shown to reduce some of the slicknesses of the Ceramic Coating or, if multiple coatings are applied, even darken the current color of the vehicle slightly. We have tested multiple products currently on the market, and as with Ceramic Coatings, some performed very well while others didn't. You can read a full review of some of these graphene coating products in the following articles on our website - Best Ceramic Coatings and Top 10 Ceramic Spray Coatings. Or simply use the search function on the top of the site and type in 'graphene'. We've applied all of them as per the manufacturers' instructions. Some required two coats, while others were straightforward in their application. We've put them against already tested Ceramic Coatings, had they cured side by side, and then tested them with water for their hydrophobic properties. We had them cleaned with various strong car shampoos that you might find at your local car wash and even by using stronger chemicals to remove some serious dirt stains. Again, they performed as a Ceramic Coating would. Some did better than others. But we have noticed on some of them that parts or even whole coated areas lacked the slippery surface a Ceramic Coating usually provides once it is applied, or sometimes once it hardens. So ending up paying more for the same thing just felt scammy, and we had to leave this review and advise our readers not to buy those products due to the rise in popularity of Graphene Coatings. If you want to buy Graphene Coating, our advice is to buy Ceramic Coating for the same amount of money, and we guarantee that you will get a better product. Graphene Coating VS Ceramic Coating There's not much to say here because, as we have previously said, both are pretty much the same thing. The graphene is just makeup that helps sell. Currently anyway. One day when science figures out a way to properly use it, it will definitely be something that we will likely want, but then again... likely won't be able to afford it. So you can't exactly pit those two against each other by name, but some Ceramic Coatings are better than others, so be sure that one will always come on top, even the Graphene Ceramic Coating - it just won't be the graphene that makes it better. You can check out our deep dive into ceramic coatings vs car wax vs car sealants vs PPF! We also mention graphene coatings in that article. Final Thoughts on Graphene Coating So, long story short, "Graphene coatings can be amazing, but if they are - it isn't the graphene that is making them amazing. It is the ceramic coating." Graphene is a wonder material and will, most likely, be used for many things in the future, but that future is still not here yet. We must be a little bit patient before we have our bulletproof cars. Also worth noting is that Graphene is extremely conductive, meaning that if you drive around during a storm, your car would be a lightning rod, so that you wouldn't be worried about bullets. So just keep that in mind for the day Graphene Coatings that work do come out. So stay cautious when watching those ads about Graphene Coatings that are jumping on you from both left and right, promising you how it is the new technology, better than anything developed to date, and that it can do all kinds of crazy stuff, trying to get you to buy it at any price. Currently, at this moment in time, it is just a scam... for now. But keep your eyes sharp and open, as the day they will work might be around the corner. If you would like to read about some graphene coatings we have reviewed on this site, you can check out 303 Graphene Nano Spray Coating and Adam’s UV Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating, or Adam's Advanced Graphene Coating. Cheers!

Ceramic Coat Silica Sprays are popping out from everywhere, it would seem. All the big brands manufactured at least one of these to keep up with the competition, but it would seem that Adam's also took it one step further! We are looking at Adams Graphene Spray Coating. Graphene Coating and in Spray form as well! A unicorn, it would seem. Now, is it all talk and nothing to back up those words, or does it actually work? Also, what does that UV ( ultraviolet ), in the product's description, mean exactly for Ceramic Coating? Let us find out together! Just to clarify - we are not sponsored by Adam's or any other manufacturer of Paint Protection products, and we will test and review the product as it is in real-world conditions. We will follow the manufacturer's instructions during the application process, and we will prepare the surface to ensure the best finish and best adhesion possible. We are leaving an affiliate link to all our review products, but in case the product turns out to be of low quality or not as all as advertised, we leave a warning to all our readers, and the quality of the product will always be reflected in the grade we assign to it at the end of every review. So if you do not want to sit through all of this text, you can scroll down to the Average Grade and read our Final Thoughts to get a general idea of what the product is all about. Adam’s UV Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating Get your Adam’s Graphene Spray Coating on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/30ll2Pk First of all, what is Graphene Coating? Is Graphene Coating better than Ceramic Coating? Is Graphene Coating the same as standard Ceramic coating? Whatever question might dwell in that mind of yours, we have an answer. You can learn everything you need to know about Graphene Coatings by clicking here. We made a detailed explanation of how Graphene Coatings work exactly. The short answer is - it is a Graphene infused Ceramic Coating Spray. And the graphene part does little to nothing to the overall performance of the coating itself, and in some cases, it may even hurt its quality. The reason why is explained in the blog post mentioned above. So if Graphene Coatings are a scam, does that mean this product is bad? Absolutely not. Adam's Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating might be bad, but then again, it may be the best product you have ever used. The reason for that is that this product is still Ceramic Coating. So if the Ceramic Coating part of this product is good, then it just might perform really well. We will test it! Let us see some claims and properties that this product promises: bottle size 12 Oz first legitimate spray graphene coating ceramic glow technology can be used on all surfaces easy application at least 12 months of durability made in the USA Well, we have a lot of big words here and a seemingly new technology as well hiding in there. We could speculate about what something is or how something should or might work, but to be honest - the best thing is to just test it out in real-world conditions and just simply see it for ourselves. We will follow the manufacturer's instructions for product application, as you always should. Some products might be in the same category as other products that you have used in the past but could have a completely different application method that will define how well the product will perform. So to be sure and to ensure maximum performance, we will always use a product by the book. Ok, so before we do anything, we need to prepare the car's surface. To learn what this process looks like and learn all the juicy tips and tricks click here. Once the car's surface is clean and ready to be coated, we will need a microfiber applicator or a folded-down microfiber towel if you do not have an applicator, and spray Adam’s Graphene Spray Coating onto the applicator and you are ready for application. Section the vehicle into smaller parts beforehand, so you have an easier time applying the product, and so you do not miss a spot accidentally. Apply the product onto the working area, ensuring full coverage. Apply the product only, do not buff it. You want to apply the product and let it dry, so to speak. Once the area you are working on has been fully covered, you need to let it sit for about 2 minutes until it reaches its flashing time. At that point, you will need to buff that area with a clean and dry microfiber towel. Never use the same application towel for buffing purposes. If you are unsure whether the product is ready to be buffed, then just look at it under light to see if it has gotten rainbow colors on it. That means it has reached its flashing point, and it needs to be buffed off. Note that the 2 minutes of waiting time will give you enough leverage to cover a whole panel, if not even a whole side of a car. Just keep in mind that once the 2 minutes are up that you need to stop with the application. Remember where you have finished. And start buffing the product to a nice deep shine. Only when you have finished buffing all the areas you have already covered can you continue with the application. If you are a beginner, best to take your time and work on one panel at a time (e.g., hood, door ) until you get the hang of it. Only one coat of his product is needed per instructions, but for testing purposes, we will be applying two layers on half of the hood panel to compare the difference later. We will apply the 2nd layer after about 30 minutes. Once you have coated the whole vehicle with Adam’s Graphene Spray Coating, you are required to wait for 4 hours until the coating cures and is ready to be tested. It is advisable not to use the vehicle for that duration to ensure the coating has formed a hard and click surface everywhere, and introducing water or foreign particles such as dirt or dust might damage the coating before the curing has completed. The application process was straightforward and easy to do with a little bit of planning beforehand. It was also very easy to buff off, meaning - less elbow grease was needed to complete the task successfully. That is always a big plus! Time to explain the 'UV' in this product's name! Adam’s Graphene Spray Coating contains the Glow technology that will seemingly be patented by Adam's that allows you to use UV light to make the coated areas glow. This way, you can ensure that every area is fully covered because, for inexperienced or unprepared users, it is not uncommon that parts of the vehicle get skipped or missed or even that a panel isn't fully covered (e.g., edges, corners ). It is an interesting approach to solving that problem. But is that problem big enough that you will need to invest in a UV light source, most commonly a UV lamp? Well, to be honest, we think not. It is a nice feature if you have a UV light source already. But if you don't, we suggest you just simply section the car into parts and do the car panel by panel to ensure everything has been covered as it is with other paint protection products. Nice, but unnecessary. How did Adam’s Graphene Spray Coating perform? So, after application, we left the car in the garage overnight. So it got plenty of time to cure. The car looked as when we finished buffing. IT was still under the same light in the garage, and you could tell that it looked shinier and glossier than it was before application and after preparation. IT was already off to a good start, so let us see what we had in mind to test its durability. The plan now was that for the next 2 weeks, the vehicle would be parked outside in the sun, and it will be washed about 10 times using regular car shampoo that most people would use at home or the kind that you would most commonly encounter in DIY car washes or automatic car washes. We would also drive the car every day in town and do some light offroad driving to accumulate enough dirt and dust. Rain was also promised during the week, so let us hope for that as well. If not, we will try to simulate those conditions by using tap water and letting it evaporate in the sun to see how the coating handles water spots. The first wash happened that day to see if it would affect the coating at all. Many products would start to fail already at this stage, so it is a quick and easy test to perform. We used the regular diluted car shampoo as you would in any DIY application and used microfiber mitts to agitate the coating, and used the two-bucket method to rinse and clean the microfiber gloves. We didn't want to use a foam cannon because we wanted to see how to coating would perform in real-world conditions. Then we rinsed it with a pressure washer using just water. The water beaded off very quickly, leaving the car clean yet covered with water droplets that were trapped on the surface of the car in some places due to its hydrophobic properties. We used an air compressor to blow them off the vehicle. There weren't many, so you could have done it with a hairdryer or a leafblower easily. The first test was a success. Over the next two weeks, we washed the car nine more times. On some occasions, it was dusty. And it rained once, leaving the car with dried up dusty trails allower the car. Each time we've used the same method of washing. After the 7th wash, we noticed some drop in its effectiveness but saying that, it still performed amazingly. It started sheeting water in some areas after its final wash, but after a couple of seconds, the affected area was dry again. We certainly were surprised by how well this product has performed, considering the marketing and the claims. It definitely performed very well and was among the best Spray-On Ceramic Coating Products we have used. Our verdict on this product: product life time when applied: C resistance to elements: D resistance to damage: E resistance to chemicals: C application difficulty: A hydrophobic properties: B gloss / shine: B Average grade: C Cost: 2.37$ / 1 fl oz 0.08$ / 1 ml Final thoughts on Adams Graphene Spray Coating? This product started off with wild claims that each other product is fake, and this one isn't leading us to believe that this will be one of "those" products. Well, we were certainly surprised, as this product performed very well, considering it is a Ceramic Spray Coating. Now unless they have made amazing leaps in scientific discovery and have found a way to get a hexagonal structure of graphene atoms once the product is applied onto a vehicle, the graphene likely does nothing to the overall performance of the coating. Otherwise, you would probably start hearing about Adam's name next to Tesla or Amazon. The graphene does give the liquid its dark, blackish color, but once applied, it really is only transparent. So it is safe to be used on any color of your paintwork, even white. Some scientists say that graphene might be reducing the temperature of the surface of the vehicle. We have tested this using an infrared temperature measurement tool, and we saw no difference in temperature on this vehicle or other with the same color. But if it did, that would mean it would block more of the UV radiation that we get from sunlight delaying the decay time of the car's paint and other coated materials. That would certainly be an amazing benefit. So who knows, we might see a Graphene Coating in the future that does exactly that. To be fair to Adam’s UV Graphene Ceramic Spray Coating, this product does not promote any temperature reduction, but we had to be sure. In the meantime, if you are looking for a Ceramic or Graphene Coating that is very easy to work with and isn't ridiculously expensive, then you have found what you were looking for in this product right here! Get your Adam’s Graphene Spray Coating on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/30ll2Pk

In this article, we will be answering some popular Ceramic Coating FAQs, or frequently asked questions, that we've found people asking us in the shop or we've seen people ask on the internet. If you find yourself having a question that wasn't answered here or hasn't been covered in one of your articles, please post it here in the comments, and we will give our best to help you with your query and add it to the post for others to learn as well. Contents: How much does Ceramic Coating Cost? How long does it take to coat a car with Ceramic Coating? How long does Ceramic Coating last? How long does it take for Ceramic Coating to cure fully? Is Ceramic Coating DIY friendly? Is Ceramic Coating a shield? Are Ceramic Spray Coatings a scam? Can I use Ceramic Coating on a plastic or glass surface? Does Ceramic Coating create a perfectly flat surface? Should water sheet or bead from a Ceramic Coated surface? Can I reuse the applicator used to coat my car with Ceramic Coating? How long do I have to wait when I Ceramic Coat a car? How do I maintain the Ceramic Coating on my car? Should a Ceramic Coating be Hydrophobic or Hydrophilic? Is Ceramic Coating permanent? Ceramic Coating VS Car Wax Can you put Ceramic Coating on top of Car Wax? Can you put Car Wax on top of a Ceramic Coating? Should you use a clay bar on Ceramic Coating? Can I keep using towels that I used when Ceramic Coating a car? How thick is Ceramic Coating? Why are Ceramic Coatings in a glass bottle? Can you Ceramic Coat leather? Can you use Ceramic Coating on your wheels? How do I start my own car detailing business? But before we jump in, if you want to learn more about which Ceramic Coatings are the best, you can check our Top List of the Best Ceramic Coatings we have tested in our shop. Here we go! How much does Ceramic Coating Cost? If you are referring to the bottle that contains the Ceramic Coating Kit - they, on average, cost between 50$ and 80$ ( USD ). You, of course, will find those that are much cheaper and those that are a lot more expensive. But we are talking about some averages here. Keep in mind, while you might even find some for like 5-10$ on eBay, we would take those with a grain of salt because some might be fake or really bad quality. We suggest you stick to those that have been proven and tested and are backed by someone reputable and trustworthy behind them. You can go to the Reviews or Top Lists section on our site to see our reviews of the products that we would recommend, along with their advantages and disadvantages. If you are referring to how much it costs for a shop to coat your car with Ceramic Coating professionally? They would charge you anywhere from 1000$ all the way up to 5000$ depending on multiple factors: shop reputation, the product they are using, condition of the car, how many layers of the ceramic coating are being applied, is the car being detailed beforehand, how big the car is, is it a showroom car, etc. But most of the price percentage would be all the preparation work that would go into the car before the Ceramic Coating itself. It all depends on the type of paint you have on your vehicle, whether it is a showroom vehicle, the value of the vehicle, car surface terrain, and how much clear coat there is left on the vehicle ( perhaps it would even need a repaint ). There are simply too many factors to consider to simply slap a price and just say, 'That is how much it will cost'. If you want to know the price, then you need to break it down to everything you are paying for and understand why all those things are important when taking your car into consideration. Also very important to note is that once the preparation has been completed and it has finally come to Ceramic Coat your car to keep that newly perfected paint safe and protected, most professionals will use a tested and proven high-end Ceramic Coating product that they usually work with and know its ins and outs. Their reputation would be on the line, and their mission is to make your car beautiful and preserve its appearance as it currently is for years to come. How long does it take to coat a car with Ceramic Coating? If you think that detailing your car is not needed ( paint correction, claying, polishing ), then whatever time it takes you to properly wash your car plus 1 hour on average for one coat, depending on the size of your car and your experience with using Ceramic Coating. Note that some Ceramic Coatings will require you to apply 2 coats of that product with some waiting time in between. Usually, that time is 1 hour, so if you have one of such products, then coating your car might take you up to 3 hours under those conditions. Then obviously, if you think that you should do some exterior detailing on your car, we definitely recommend, then the above plus whatever you decide to do to your car. Detailing a car, meaning - washing, claying, and polishing might take you around 5-6 hours on average, obviously depending on various factors. It could be more, or if you are really experienced and prepared, you might even be able to do it in 4 hours. Not every vehicle is the same to work on, so even experienced professionals working in the car detailing industry might have variable times when working. As noted above, we recommend detailing your car prior to covering it with Ceramic Coating because whatever the condition of the paint of your car is currently, it will stay in that condition during the coatings' lifetime. Ceramic Coating does improve the gloss of your car's paint, but it does not remove scratches or swirl marks, and they will still be seen underneath it. How long does Ceramic Coating last? It varies depending on the product and the way you treat your car during that period, but if the car is being properly maintained then anywhere from 2 years upwards on average. Some manufacturers promise much longer longevity of their Ceramic Coating. If you are not properly maintaining the exterior of your car thought, then deterioration of the ceramic coating might happen faster. Learn more about how long ceramic coating lasts from one of our articles. How long does it take for Ceramic Coating to cure fully? Once applied as per instructions, the Ceramic Coating usually hardens after about 24 hours, but it continues to cure and fully bonds onto the car's paint after about 1 week, but with some products, it may take even longer. It is important to note that the Ceramic Coating will not cure at the same speed because of things like weather, temperature, humidity, etc. So your best bet is to read the manufacturer's instructions and perform as they say. Read this article if you want to learn more about how long it takes for ceramic coatings to cure. Is Ceramic Coating DIY friendly? Yes. With research and preparation, you will be able to successfully coat your car with Ceramic Coating in a DIY fashion. Here you can learn more about how to prepare your car's surface for ceramic coating and other forms of paint protection. After that, you can learn more about how to apply ceramic coating to your car. If you do not care about your car's appearance before application but would just instead coat your car using Ceramic Coating in its current condition, our suggestion is to not use Ceramic Coating in that case but instead opt for cheaper alternatives such as Automotive Car Wax or Polymer Sealants since the application process is simpler and they cost less. In any case, do your proper research before you proceed to apply it to the paint of your car. Is Ceramic Coating a shield? No. Ceramic Coating is a paint protection product, and it does protect your car's paint to a certain degree. It is not some magical forcefield but it does have some amazing properties that help it do its job extremely well. Once fully cured, it bonds on top of the paint of your car. Usually, that is the clear coat layer of your vehicle's paint, and forms a hard, slick surface that has some resistance to damage and is fairly resistant to harsh chemicals, and has excellent resistance to heat. It is also resistant to UV radiation that we receive from sunlight and weather. It has amazing hydrophobic qualities, and the slick surface not only prevents water from sticking to it but also prevents particles, in general, from fully sticking to it, such as mud, bugs, or dust. And if they do not fall off while driving due to wind resistance then they should be easily washed off by rinsing them with water. Are Ceramic Spray Coatings a scam? No, they are not. That being said, Ceramic Coating Sprays usually do not perform nearly as well as their counterparts in bottled form. They are actually a different formula, even though, on first inspection, it might seem that they are doing the same thing. That is why you will likely find them at a cheaper price point than true Ceramic Coatings. Spray Ceramic Coatings have been invented as an easier-to-work-with alternative to Ceramic Coatings. Spray-On Ceramic Coatings are usually polymer sealants combined with ceramic coating technology. Some are even infused with graphene for supposed added benefits. They, indeed, are much easier to work with since they are mostly applied in a spray-on and buff-off manner, and it takes a significantly shorter time to coat a car. But they are really not designed to replace Ceramic Coating since they offer mostly the same properties but at a weaker scale and thus perform worse. Most notably, they will, on average last as an Automotive Car Wax would since they deteriorate quicker and easier when dealing with any day-to-day activities. Can I use Ceramic Coating on a plastic or glass surface? Make sure to read the product label and use the product as per the manufacturers' instructions before use. Most Ceramic Coatings can be used on both plastic and glass surfaces, but not all Ceramic Coatings are the same. Even though they might look like a transparent liquid and they might smell the same, their chemical properties might be different and might affect those materials differently. So some Ceramic Coatings may leave a hazy or whitish finish that wouldn't look good on plastic and would be considered unsafe on glass. Does Ceramic Coating create a perfectly flat surface? Generally no. It all depends on the condition of your car's paint prior to coating. Damage to the paint of a car leaves all these hills and valleys. And Ceramic Coating does, since it is based on nanotechnology - meaning its molecules are super small compared to something like Wax or a Sealant - meaning that the coating will trace all those imperfections, leaving a thin protective coating on it once dry and cured. So the surface will not be perfectly flat on areas where there was damage, but you will get a smoothing effect instead. Should water sheet or bead from a Ceramic Coated surface? Since Ceramic Coating leaves a smooth hydrophobic surface when cured, liquids will not stay on the surface but sheet off it instead, or if there was damage on the car's paint ( we are talking on a microscopic level ), even though the surface is slick and smooth in those areas as well, it is not perfectly smooth, and they might hold water in the form of a bead. If the car is stationary, the bead will stay on the coating, but the slightest disruption, such as wind or vibrations, will most likely drive that bead out of that microscopic valley and push it off the car. Under ideal conditions, we are talking almost utopian if the surface of the car would be perfectly smooth without any damage, the paint job was perfect, and the Ceramic Coating was added to the car perfectly and had enough time to cure under perfect conditions, undisturbed, and the Ceramic Coating used was of very high quality, then all liquids would sheet off the surface of the cars paint without fail to leave no beads. So the perfect Ceramic Coating would have all the water sheets off the surface in seconds' time, leaving no beads on the surface. That way, you would avoid water spots and would have a dry clean surface during the coatings lifetime. You can read more about water sheeting and water beading in ceramic coatings. Can I reuse the applicator used to coat my car with Ceramic Coating? When working with it, the applicator ( usually microfiber or suede ) pad will remain soft as long as you regularly reapply some Ceramic Coating liquid to the pad. So even if it takes you 30 minutes or 1 hour to apply the coating, the applicator will be safe to use. But, when you stop using it and you stop adding more of the Ceramic Coating solution onto the applicator, the liquid will evaporate, and the ceramic coating solution will start to crystalize and harden. It can still be saved if the more liquid solution is reapplied within about 15 to 30 minutes. The best thing to do is to touch it with your fingers once some Ceramic Coating liquid has been reapplied to it to see if it is soft to the touch. If not, or more than 30 minutes have passed, we recommend getting rid of the applicator. Even washing it in a washing machine will not do much at this point. The best thing is to dispose of that one to avoid scratching the paint by mistake in the future and take another applicator at this point to be safe. You can use a clean and dry microfiber towel if you do not have a designated applicator. Make sure it is not damp. How long do I have to wait when I Ceramic Coat a car? You might also wonder when it is safe to drive or use your car when you finish coating it. Avoid using it and keep it covered and protected from rain or wind to avoid ruining the coating or the finish before it has hardened or cured. Ceramic Coating usually cures for around a week. Some products take more, some take less, and the times are also affected by the temperature outside and the humidity in the air. But it usually, unless instructed by the manufacturer otherwise, hardens on the outside in about 24 hours. It is safe to use your car now, but it is not recommended. We would perhaps avoid hard driving, highways, offroading, or washing the car during the curing process to ensure a perfect uninterrupted bond on the whole surface of the car's paint. How do I maintain the Ceramic Coating on my car? You finally have your car coated in Ceramic Coating, and now it is an impenetrable tank that cannot be damaged for the next 5 years all way up to forever. Well, no, not really. Ceramic Coating is the best way to protect the paint on your car, at least in our opinion, but it is not some SF wizardry that promises eternal youth and infinite fortune. It will, as most things, deteriorate over time, it will suffer damage, and eventually, it will fail. The good news for you is that it will take a good amount of time before that happens, especially if you maintain the coating correctly. Wash the car regularly, do not let bird droppings or tree pollen sit on your car for a long period of time, use pH-neutral car shampoo and avoid abrasive towels but use microfiber towels to clean your car instead. The key tip here is to use pH-balanced shampoos really. Automotive Waxes or Polymer Sealants will get washed off by strong car shampoos, even by rain eventually ( as it can be somewhat acidic as well ), and sometimes even in one go. Or at least you will notice the difference immediately. With Ceramic Coatings, especially if they are good, you won't notice any differences in their effectiveness even if you are careless about how you care for your car, but it will hurt the coating, trust us. So to get the most out of your Ceramic Coating, just use the tips stated above and take care of your car regularly. We have a full guide on how to maintain a ceramic coating so you get the most out of it. Should a Ceramic Coating be Hydrophobic or Hydrophilic? The question of whether a ceramic coating should be hydrophobic or hydrophilic is a bit complicated. To answer that question, we must first explore what both terms mean. For a surface to be hydrophobic would mean that that surface would repel water molecules. There would be no repulsive force involved in the process, but instead, there would be a lack of attraction. Because of that, you would see water escape the hydrophobic surface, and if it can't, it would instead form a bead of water that would stay in place until external forces give it enough momentum to escape the surface. For a surface to be hydrophilic would mean the exact opposite. So that surface would have a strong affinity towards water molecules and would cause the water to spread evenly along the area of the hydrophilic surface. With that out of the way, almost all Ceramic Coatings are hydrophobic, and water beading would be common. As the coating loses its strength, it starts to sheet water instead of more and more. But due to the hydrophobic properties, it would even remove all water off the surface, even though it would take a little bit longer than the instant effect when the coating is fresh. That would leave the surface completely dry without or with a very small amount of water beads. Because the water didn't escape so fast, the slower spreading of water would collect all that rogue water that would be too slow to escape otherwise and would be left alone for a bead with no way of escape without help. So sheeting is better as it leaves a dryer surface, meaning no possibility of water spots. While Ceramic Coatings wouldn't make a surface hydrophilic per se but instead would use nanotechnology to create a surface so slick that nothing would be able to retain a grip on it, no matter how low its weight is. So basically, Ceramic Coating would reduce the surface's sliding angle. Some coatings have those properties, and they sheet instead of a bead, which is much better for the overall health of your coating and the paintwork of the car since it will prevent water spots or, in the events of rain, which can sometimes be acidic, or unrinsed shampoos, clear coat damage. You can learn how to remove water spots from a ceramic-coated car here. Is Ceramic Coating permanent? No. Ceramic Coating lifetime varies from product to product, but they usually last from 2 years up to 5 years. Some coatings may deviate from those numbers. Also, the longevity of Ceramic Coating is massively influenced by the environment, usage of the coated vehicle, or the way the coating is being maintained. Temperature, exposure to the sun, washing techniques, and non-pH neutral automotive shampoos are all variables that help in the decaying process of Ceramic Coating. So, for instance, you may Ceramic Coat a vehicle and leave it in a garage under perfect conditions, and that Ceramic Coating may last forever. But that is not realistic unless we are talking about a museum or a showroom vehicle. Ceramic Coating VS Car Wax Why would you use Ceramic Coating when you have a Car Wax that is much simpler to put onto the car and is less expensive? Well, that is simply for 2 reasons. The first is that car wax is not resistant to chemicals at all and will wash off in one or two washes, while Ceramic Coatings are resistant to chemicals and will usually withstand a much-prolonged beating when compared to waxes or sealants. The second reason is resistance to damage. While car wax offers almost no resistance to damage, ceramic coatings usually do. When talking about damage resistance, we aren't talking about the car suddenly becoming bulletproof or that you can attack it with a sword medieval-style and expect it to suffer no damage whatsoever. When talking about car paint and damage, it is usually considered in the form of light to medium scratch resistance, swirl marks, and maybe surviving stone chip damage but only at lower speeds, really. That might not sound impressive, but when you give it a little more thought, it actually is amazing. Your car's paint is usually perfect when it comes out of the factory, or once you had it detailed to perfection which is a timely and expensive process. You can also consider respraying the car, which is, again, expensive and timely. No matter the reason and no matter how perfect the paint on your car looks now, it will very soon have swirl marks and scratches and will start to look duller and dirty. The kind of dirty that you cannot simply wash off. There are numerous culprits for the damage your paintwork suffers, but unless it is not driven and in a garage ( for example, a showroom car ), it will suffer damage over time. Even a simple rain can damage the paint of your car. All those things add up until your car's paint doesn't look new or fresh anymore but quite the opposite. To keep the paint on your car looking new or fresh, you need to protect it. And Ceramic Coating is the best way to give it that protection for the money you are paying. If you are ridiculously wealthy and do not care about money, there are even better ways of paint protection. But we are talking here about a method that is available to the average Joe, and it won't drain your wallet. Those were only two factors covered, but aside from how easy it is to apply the product, Car Wax loses pretty hard in all other categories compared to Ceramic Coatings. If you want, you can check out our deep dive into ceramic coatings vs car wax vs car sealants vs PPF! Can you put Ceramic Coating on top of Car Wax? No. The reason is that the chemical structure of Ceramic Coating requires it to bond directly onto the clearcoat of the paintwork. To ensure maximum adhesion, the surface needs to be decontaminated using a clay bar and an iron remover, and finally, a degreaser agent or isopropyl alcohol to remove all oils from the surface that is about the be Ceramic Coated. Those two reasons are why you should never use Car Wax or a Polymer Sealant under Ceramic Coating. Can you put Car Wax on top of a Ceramic Coating? Yes, you can, but it is not recommended. Some people say it is great or ok to do it this way because you will enhance the color of the car even further, and you will make the Ceramic Coat last longer because you have two protective layers now instead of just one. The thing is that both Ceramic Coatings and Automotive Waxes and Polymer Sealants do pretty much the same thing, except Ceramic Coating does a much better job, with some added features, and Ceramic Coating does it for much longer. Now putting on wax or a sealant on top of the Ceramic Coating would hinder the coating and prevent it from doing what it was supposed to do. While theoretically, you might get a better shine or better UV protection. The car would perform as if it had only wax on it. And all the downsides of wax would be present, while the strengths of the Ceramic Coating would be prevented with the wax. This way, you would be forced to wash the car more as it would attract more dirt than the CC would on its own, basically losing the Carnauba Wax soon anyway. So no real advantage would have been gained by doing that. You would only be removing the Ceramic Coating effectively until the wax is gone and the surface is properly cleaned and degreased so that the Ceramic Coat can finally do its job again. Should you use a clay bar on Ceramic Coating? No. A clay bar exists in the automotive detailing industry to remove contaminants that are stuck in the clearcoat, or in this case, in the coating. Now if you use a clay bar, which is abrasive, you might be damaging the Ceramic Coating to a point where it needs to be reapplied again. Also, since a clay bar is supposed to be used with proper lubrication, the hydrophobic properties of Ceramic Coating make this task even more difficult. Using a clay bar is definitely not recommended. What you can use is a Tar Remover or an Iron Remover, depending on the material that is stuck in the paintwork because Ceramic Coatings will be mostly unaffected by such chemicals. Can I keep using towels that I used when Ceramic Coating a car? No. The reason for this is that the microfiber towel that you have used to buff or level the ceramic coating in question will have some embedded in its fibers. And once the Ceramic Coating has cured, the now dry crystalline structure will become a very strong abrasive and would very likely scratch and damage the paint of your car if further used on it. Not even using a washing machine will not guarantee it will be fully cleaned. Honestly, in our experience, the microfiber towels will be ruined. So be careful if you're thinking of using them on the paint of the car. Now, if you decided to keep them and use them for cleaning the engine bay or something like that, you could technically, but we wouldn't use such towels for professional use anymore. It is not worth damaging a vehicle over a dollar or two. How thick is Ceramic Coating? Once it has been applied and the product has fully cured, one layer of Ceramic Coating is usually between 1 and 2 microns thick. Why are Ceramic Coatings in a glass bottle? Suppose you see a Ceramic Coating that is in a plastic bottle or a plastic container of any kind. In that case, you will know that product is not a classic Ceramic Coating but a mixture of a polymer sealant with perhaps some elements of car wax and some elements of a ceramic coating. The reason for that is that pure Ceramic Coating would react with the plastic to make the liquid solution unusable. Plastic is not safe to use as packaging for Ceramic Coatings, and glass is required instead to keep the liquid coating safe for use. You can read more about why ceramic coatings are stored in a glass container instead of plastic. Can you Ceramic Coat leather? Yes, yes, you can. More precisely, you can use a dedicated ceramic coating made specifically for a leather finish on any part of your car that is covered in leather. That usually means seats, steering wheel, sometimes the dashboard, door trim, etc. You can learn everything there is to know about ceramic coating for leather here. Can you use Ceramic Coating on your wheels? Yes. While you can use almost all traditional ceramic coating on your wheels, there are ceramic coatings made specifically for that purpose. They also help with heat that comes from breaking, and they also help with brake dust that is notoriously difficult to remove if you do not know what you're doing. Our article about ceramic coating for wheels will give you more insight into the topic. How do I start my own car detailing business? Well, for starters, you need two things that money can't buy - the willpower to do it, and we hardly suggest that you go open your own shop only if you really enjoy detailing cars. That includes cleaning cars, paint correction, and paint protection. After you have those two sorted, you will need a business plan, and after you figure out what you want, you'll need a financial plan to make it all happen. This is a very rough and quick answer to a very complicated question. We suggest you check out our Beginner's Guide to Starting a Car Detailing Business for a more detailed ( no pun intended ) explanation. Final Words for Ceramic Coating FAQs Well, there you have it! As we think of more questions we often get asked, we'll update this list. And if any of these need further explanation or a deep dive, we will work hard to ensure you get a dedicated article for those questions. If you would like to check out some misconceptions about Ceramic Coatings, you can read our article. Also, check out our article on how to Ceramic Coat your car from start to finish in full detail, if you want to learn more. Cheers!

You are probably here because you have decided to Ceramic Coat your car or are at least interested in doing so! Suppose you decided to go to a professional to Ceramic Coat your car. In that case, you can skip this article since this will cover all the ceramic coating tools you would need or would be using if you were Ceramic Coating your vehicle at home DIY style! We will write this article for you to understand what needs to be done from start to finish and what tools we are using for those tasks. Suppose there are multiple options to perform the same job, for instance, a budget option or a more professional option. In that case, we will also list them so you can pick what works best for you. A little about us We are a Car Detailing Company focusing on Ceramic Coatings, and we have been in business for years now. We will share what we feel works and why based on our experiences with multiple items or tools that we've tried over the years and settled on after tons of testing. Ok, let us not drag this on. Let's jump into it instead and see where we need to start. How to ceramic coat a car in 8 easy steps: perform paint correction if needed fully wash the car clay bar the car leveling paint touch-up if done earlier compound and polish degreasing ceramic coat the car wait 24 hours at least for the product to harden Let's go through each section separately and see what they are all about and how you can maximize your efficiency and results by listing the tools we use daily. If you want to learn a little bit more about the whole preparation process at any point, you can read our article we've linked above. Also, you can check out our article to see how to apply Ceramic Coating to your car in full detail. Ceramic Coating Tools you'll need In each of the 8 steps, we will give you a list of tools needed to complete the step successfully. We will also go into detail on how we use each of the listed tools in the given step. Let's dive in! Perform Paint Touch-Up If Needed Tools used in this step: disposable latex gloves eye protection glasses breathing mask pressure washer pH-neutral car shampoo sandpaper 1500, 2000, or 2500 grit paint thinner the correct color for the car ( explained below ) 2k clear coat (described below ) ear cleaning cotton buds ( a few are enough ) small painting brush Always use gloves when detailing cars. Always make sure to use breathing protection when working with fresh car paint. And Always use eye protection when sanding. When you think of paint correction when working with cars, you are probably imagining a hand-polishing machine. Still, paint correction actually means that if there is visible damage on your car's paintwork and that it will be removed by neither compounding nor polishing it, you will need to fix the damage by performing paint correction before the buffing step. That process is commonly referred to as Paint Touch-Up. For instance, if there is rock chip damage on the hood ( where you usually find that type of damage ), the damage often goes all the way to the metal panel of the car. Also often accompanied by corrosion and rust in most cases. Or if there are deep scratches beyond the clear coat and paint layer, revealing the primer or, again, the metal panel underneath. There are all kinds of scenarios where the paint has been damaged so much that no matter how much effort you put into detailing it, the damage will still be visible. So what do we do then? First, give the car a good wash with car shampoo so you can clearly see what condition the paint is currently in. If you see a scratch or chip in the paint and are unsure whether buffing it will fix the issue, you can use water to test it. Once the damaged area is covered in water and is not visible anymore, the damage can be fixed by buffing it. If the damage is still visible even when watered, that means the damage is too deep to correct with compound or polish. If you find it challenging to identify all the damage that needs to be repaired, consider machine polishing before making the picture clearer. If there are many small chips, it is not a bad idea to draw a small circle around them with a marker to keep track of all the spots that need to be addressed. We need to buy a small amount of paint with the correct color code for the vehicle in question and a small amount of 2K clear coat from the local Color Store. You will usually go there with the car or a small panel that has been cleaned ( e.g., the fuel cap ). They will use a color reader tool to check for the paint's exact tone and use the color code that you can find in the driver's door's inner side to get a precise color mixture to match the car's existing paint. Sometimes you will see a white car and think that you can just buy white color paint and fill the damaged area, but you will soon find out that the shade is very different once it dries. Always use the method above to be sure, no matter how much you think you can pick the same color - sooner or later, you will have a mismatch, and the results are not pretty. Keep in mind that you can skip this step entirely if there is no such damage to your car. Once you have acquired the correct paint for the car you are working on, you will need to clean and degrease the area you are working on. If there is corrosion, remove that first by scraping all the corrosion off until you have just the metal. If you are unable to scrape it off, then use a rust converter to be safe. After it has been cleaned, use 2000 grit sandpaper wrapped around a sponge and basically the weight of your hand to flatten the damaged area's pointy and jagged edges. If you, for any reason, are not able to get a hold of 2000 grit, then 1500 or 2500 grit will work just fine. Keep in mind that the lower the grit number means the sandpaper is more aggressive, and you will need to be more careful when working with it. Do not be afraid to cut the sandpaper into strips to avoid sanding areas that do not need addressing. As for the technique used, use short back-and-forth strokes vertically and horizontally around the damaged area. Avoid using circular motions. Make sure to spray the area with water and the sandpaper with some water to prevent dust from going all over the car and reduce heat buildup caused by friction - that type of sanding is called 'Wet Sanding.' When done, wipe the area you've worked on with a microfiber towel. The sanded spot will be hazy. That is normal. After that, use an ear cleaner cotton bud stick to apply some paint thinner onto the area. This will ensure the area is clean, and the paint thinner will serve as a bonding agent for the upcoming paint. Let it air dry for 30ish seconds, and then use a small brush to apply the paint onto the area by slowly dabbing the paint into the damage. Make sure the damaged area is not visible. The cavity will be filled with a clear coat. When the color has surface dried a bit, apply some clear coat on top of the paint. Ensure the damaged area has been completely filled and, to be safe, leave a bit more on top of the spot you are working on. Like a bit of a hill. Because once it dries, you will sand and buff the area to perfection. Give it at least 48 hours to dry up before you continue with further steps to ensure the paint and clearcoat have cured enough to not come off when performing the following steps. Sometimes Color Shops will mix the paint with the clearcoat, meaning you will have to apply and fill the area with two coats. Perform as described above to ensure the highest quality result. Tools Recap: When working in the car detailing business, it is always essential to have two things - a pressure washer and a machine polishing machine. Those two cut the time you have to perform labor by so much that we couldn't imagine not having them. We have been using Karcher Pressure Washers for years now, and we fully stand behind their products. The Karcher K5 does the job so well. It is straightforward to use and has been very reliable. Latex gloves are also a must when detailing a car. The Mr. Pink pH-neutral Car Shampoo from Chemical Guys has been our number one choice for a while now, and we are happy with how it performs. All the other tools that we use in this step you can usually buy at most Color Shops. Some might not have such high grades of sandpaper. If you cannot acquire it there, just get a sandpaper set to have around when you need it. Eye and breathing protection is an excellent idea to have. Some people like to live dangerously, but if you plan to do this long-term, it is definitely a good investment! You can get these in Color Shops as well or in any hardware store. Fully Wash The Car Tools used in this step: disposable latex gloves pressure washer foam cannon pH-neutral car shampoo brake dust cleaner or iron remover detailing brush 3 standard-sized buckets ( 3-5 gallons ) grit guard ( that can fit one of the buckets ) microfiber washing mitt microfiber towel ( always good to have a dozen ) microfiber drying towel ( best to have 2-3 at least ) If a correction has been performed, you need to wait until the new clearcoat completely dries up. We suggest waiting at least 48 hours before sanding and buffing the corrected areas. But clearcoat cures for up to 2 weeks if there is time. You best wait the entire duration, but we realize you cannot afford to wait that long in the professional world. That is why you need to perform paint correction beforehand because of the long waiting time. Ok, so you have a car with no hard damage in the paintwork, and we are ready to give it a proper wash. Before you start, you want to put on your latex gloves. All the dirt, sweat, salt, and oil on your hands will leave marks on the paint. You want to avoid that. Now take your pressure washer and rinse the whole car making sure everything has been covered, from the top all the way to the inner wheel arches, to start loosening all the dirt that may be on the car. After that, you want to attach the snow foam cannon addon onto the pressure washer filled with some pH-neutral car shampoo and cover the whole car with the foam. You want to let all the dirt and grime soak into the soap. Let the foam do all the work. As it slides down the car, it will pull most of the grime from the car's surface. In this article, we wrote you could learn everything about pH-neutral car shampoo and why they are important when maintaining and cleaning your car. In case you do not own a pressure washer, you can use a water hose with a spay mode addon to achieve similar results. There are foam gun addons that can be connected to the hose. They are much weaker, but you will still achieve outstanding results, even though it is slower and a bit more tedious. Now you want to take 2 buckets and wash the inside to make sure they have no dirt inside them. Place the grit guard in one of them and fill it with water - this bucket will be your 'Rinse' bucket. Then take the second bucket and fill it with water and pH-neutral car shampoo diluted as per the product's instructions depending on the size of the bucket you are using. Ok! Now what you want to do is take your foam cannon and reapply the snow foam over the whole car again. Once done, take your microfiber washing mitt and start working the vehicle from top to bottom, moving the glove in straight lines to prevent any additional swirls from forming. As you wash the car and collect dirt, all that dirt will act as grit and introduce scratches. Straight lines are less visible and are easier to work with. Rinse often, and do not be afraid to replace the dirty water inside the rinse bucket ( even though the grit guard will prevent you from collecting any heavy dirt with your washing mitt ). The bottom of a car is always the dirtiest part of the vehicle, so pay close attention to those parts. The best practice is to use the 3rd bucket for the bottom of the car and the wheels. But using this method, you can get away with using the 3rd bucket for the wheels only. While the car is still soapy, you want to use the detailing brush to go in all the tight and hard-to-reach places on the vehicle, window edges, tight spots, and areas you wouldn't be able to fully clean with the wash mitt to agitate all of the dirt and let the soap pull it down from the car. Once you are satisfied, use the pressure washer to rinse the whole car with water from top to bottom, pushing all of the soap and dirt that managed to survive from the vehicle. Time to clean the wheels! Wheels need special attention because of brake dust. All those tiny iron particles are embedded into the clear coat. They will rust over time, making them almost impossible to remove without using machine polishing. To avoid that, you can use an iron-removing chemical or a brake cleaner. Both do the same thing. Spray it all over your wheels and all over the bottom of the car. You will see all the iron particles react with the chemical and become purple-colored. That means the chemical is working as intended. Let it work its magic as per the instruction on the product. After that, you can use your 3rd bucket to rinse off the mitt often. All those particles are tough and rigid and will definitely leave scratches as you drag them along. That is why you do not want to rinse it off in the regular rinse bucket to avoid carrying them by accident during rinses onto the car's paintwork. Use your washing mitt and add some shampoo to the sprayed areas. Wash them thoroughly. Use the detailing brush to make sure all 4 wheels have been cleaned properly. After all the brushing and cleaning, rinse the car with the pressure washer again. Once cleaned, you want to dry the car off. You do not want the water drying on the paint's surface because that will leave water spots. Use the microfiber drying towel to collect all the water from the car, and use regular microfiber towels to get into the tight sports. Bonus hint: It is a great idea to use an air compressor to push out water from all the tight spots where it might be hiding. Tools Recap: We've mentioned the Karcher K5 Pressure Washer in the previous step. Still, we just might again since it is really so important. Without a pressure washer, it is challenging to be efficient in this type of business. If you do not have one, you really are spending so much time and energy that you could be pointing elsewhere. Karcher has been providing that service for us over the years. We've used multiple models and have been delighted with each and every one of them. A foam cannon addon that you attach to the pressure washer to shoot car shampoo in the form of thick foam onto the car is also a fantastic feature if you have one. The one we use is made for all Karcher pressure washers, but you can get away with most. Just make sure it fits. Coverage with this one is impressive. We can cover a mid-sized car in under half a minute. Touchless foam cleaning does wonders when working with luxury cars because it minimizes the risk of scratching the paint. Even if you perform a touch wash, it lubricates the whole vehicle so well, softening all the dirt and dragging most just by sheer gravity. Also, be sure to use some good quality pH Neutral Car Shampoo to compliment the pressure washer and foam cannon nicely. Make sure to have at least 3 buckets and a grit guard. The VIKING Bucket Grit Trap we are using fits all standard-sized 3-5 gallon buckets and performs amazingly. We have been pleased with it. If you are thoroughly washing your car, you will need some sort of Iron Remover for the wheels and the lower sections of the vehicle. You can get one in most stores. Equip yourself with a few Detailing Brushes of different sizes until you figure out which one works best for you. It is always good to have a set nearby. They allow you to clean the car much more effectively and clean hard-to-reach places that would usually be skipped using traditional methods. Make sure you are stocked with microfiber towels. They are the foundation of the detailing business and also have at least 2 microfiber washing mitts and a few microfiber drying towels. The drying towels are usually specially made thick microfiber towels that absorb water much better. Claybar The Car Tools used in this step: automotive clay bar water spray bottle washing and drying the car when finished The car may look clean, but it can be even cleaner! If you close your eyes and go over the paint with your hand, you will feel that some paint parts feel rougher than others. That is because there are still particles embedded into the car's clear coat that is usually hard to get rid of just by washing. Take the clay bar, flatten it using your fingers, lay it flat on your palm, and spray some water onto the area you will be working on and on the clay bar as well. You do not want to use circular motions but instead move the clay bar back ad forth in straight lines, as explained before when using the washing mitt. Do that until you can feel the area is smooth to the touch. If the area is tacky or grippy, it will still have some contaminants in it. You will even be able to hear if the area has impurities or not. Make sure you lubricate the area you are working in often. If the side of the clay bar you are working with is too dirty, fold it in half, flatten it again, and continue working until the whole car has been clay bared. Once you have clayed the whole car, you want to snow foam the entire vehicle again, give it the 2-bucket method treatment again to remove all the dirt that you might have loosened up by claying, and once you have soaped the whole car using the wash mitt rinse it with the pressure washer. And make sure it has been dried. You might ask yourself then - why not do the clay baring before the washing to save time? Well, the reason is that the clay bar itself is a type of abrasive. It will also collect dirt like crazy. Working with it, along with all the heat from the friction created, you would scratch up and burn the clearcoat like crazy. Not to mention, you would fly through the clay bars as they quickly get too dirty to work with. Just stick to the proven methods to maximize your results and be economical with the tools used. Tools Recap: We get our clay bars in bulk. The amount we use is a bit more than usual since many vehicles go through our shop. If you plan on doing this as a hobby or just for personal use, then 2-3 clay bars should last you a lifetime. By the time you use up one, you will get a feel for how much one would linger for you and your habits, and then you can adjust accordingly. A spray bottle you can get almost at any store. Get a specific spray bottle, or just reuse an empty one you have lying around the house. Leveling Paint (If Touch-Up Was Done Earlier) Tools used in this step: disposable latex gloves eye protection glasses breathing mask sandpaper 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000 grit microfiber towel If you have not done any paint correction on this vehicle prior to this step, then you can skip this step completely. Always use gloves when detailing cars. Always use breathing protection when working with fresh car paint. And Always use eye protection when sanding. You will notice that there are not many tools needed beyond what you already have. So the addition is 3000 grit sandpaper. You will be using small straps from the sandpaper, so it will serve you for a long time. It is a good investment and a handy thing to have around any car enthusiast. As for the lower grades of sandpaper, it would be ideal for you to have 1500, 2000, and 2500 as well. You might get away by not having 1500, but then it will be a longer sanding process, or you might skip 2000. Still, then you are risking having too deep scratches for the machine polisher to buff out. You need to cut the sandpaper in straps the width of the area that you will be sanding. So not too small and not too big either. Wrap the strap around a sponge. A harder sponge or a softer sanding block is perfect because they are sturdy enough to exert equal pressure. They are also soft enough to adjust to the panel you are working on. Use plenty of water with a spray bottle preferably or just splash some water on the area that is currently being sanded. When wet sanding, water helps lower the temperature that is generated due to friction to prevent you from burning through the clear coat. The water will also help catch all the dust particles. Use the same technique when you are sanding away the jagged edges from the damage when preparing the damaged spots before painting and clear coating. The result you want to achieve is that the new paint is leveled with the old paint. The haziness is common. You do not want to sand too much, obviously, but you do not want to sand too little either because the spot will show then. To be perfect and blend with the paint as if there was no damage in the first place, you need to find that sweet middle. Even if you mess it up, you can go back and do more sanding until it is perfect. Once you are done with this, you will need to compound and polish the areas to eliminate that haziness and bring out that mirror shine. In order to degrease the places you've worked on, use some isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber towel, and let us jump to the next step! Super hint: Using a micro machine polishing machine that can attach different sandpaper grades will get you superior results and much faster than working the area by hand. The reason behind that is that machine polishers are consistent and continuous, as opposed to you doing the work manually with different pressure, speeds, direction of movement, etc. Tools Recap: Nothing too crazy to cover here. Most tools that you will use up until this step have already been covered. The specific item would be very high-grade sandpaper. You might find those in a hardware store, but those usually have just the rough low-grade ones used in construction and woodworking. We want some high-grade sandpaper to almost polish the paintwork. You can commonly find them in stores that specialize in colors. Other items used in this step you can get there as well. If you have trouble finding suitable grades of sandpaper, you can get them here. Also, disposable gloves are critical to a perfect detailing job. Make sure you have them ready at all times. Microfiber towels, no surprises here, are a must-have when working on cars in the Automotive Detailing Industry. Compound And Polish Tools used in this step: disposable latex gloves paint depth measuring tool car inspection portable light masking tape dual action polisher machine polishing pads car compound and polish microfiber towels This step is the most important one and probably requires the most time and energy to prepare a car for paint protection. This step will determine whether the vehicle will look like a show car or have swirls, micro scratches, and faded paint all over the place resulting in a worn and tired look. Using a machine polisher or polishing by hand is an art on its own, so we won't go into great detail but will instead point out what the whole process looks like and utilize it to excellent results. First, you want to tape off all the rubber and plastic trim edges on the car using masking tape. You do not want to polish those to not damage them or leave them with a dull, hazy finish. Polishing a car basically removes the clear coat until it is leveled so light can reflect from it perfectly. If you are not sure whether there is not enough clear coat to work with, you can take a paint depth measurer. Pick one panel of the car ( e.g., the hood of the car ). Divide it into workable sections. If you cannot do it mentally, use masking tape to separate the hood into 4 sections. You want to keep your working areas manageable. First, you want to use the automotive compound as it is more aggressive. The compound will eliminate all the significant imperfections. Simultaneously, the much more delicate car polish will bring that mirror shine out of the paint. Apply 4 - 5 pea-sized drops onto the buffing compounding pad. Dab the pad all over the area you will be working on to spread it around. Using the lowest setting, you want to go over the area you are working on with medium speed using a criss-cross pattern. This way, you want to ensure complete coverage of the working area and will avoid splatter by hitting it with too much spin from the get-go. When done, increase the speed of the machine polisher and start buffing the area as described above. Use both hands to guide the machine where you want it to go. Do not press on it. Let the machine do all the work for you. The weight of your hands is enough. Also, you want the buffing pad flat on the paint, not under an awkward angle. You want to avoid using the high setting unless experienced. Also, avoid staying in one place. You want the machine polisher to be moving the whole time to avoid building up too much heat due to friction. That would result in the buffer burning through the clear coat of the paint. And that would not be good! Once most of the compound has been used up, stop the polisher, take a clean and dry microfiber towel, and buff the area by hand. The paint should already look AMAZING. In case you still see swirls of some deeper scratches, you might repeat the process. You can use either compound the whole car and then polish the whole vehicle. Or, you could compound and polish right after, section by section. It doesn't really matter which way you do it. It is up to your personal preference. If new, try both to see which method suits you the best. After the compound comes the automotive polishing process! You apply it the same way as you would with the compound. You work with it the same way as well. After you buff off the polish with a fresh microfiber towel, the paint should have a mirror shine. Tools Recap: When using a machine polisher, it is always a good idea to know what you are working with to not burn through the whole clearcoat. The Allsun Paint Thickness Gauge serves us just fine. There are others out there on the market that you might grab instead if you wish. Sunlight is the best tool to see all the imperfections the paint might have. Since sunlight is not available all the time, we highly suggest you get a Portable Working LED Light so you can get a closer look at the paint to know what it looks like. Do not be fooled by thinking you can rely on the lights from your garage or natural daylight that might be coming from your window. You will see all the imperfections you thought weren't there once you get a close look at the paint using the portable light. It also highly depends on the color of the vehicle you are currently working on. Some colors show imperfections more than others ( ( i.e., black shows imperfection more easily than white ). The Dewalt Random Orbit Cordless Polisher is the weapon of choice for us to remove imperfections and bring out the shine in the paintwork of a car. The Cordless part saved us lots of headaches that we didn't even notice before we started using it! Having the polisher cordless makes the job so much simpler. Using Random Orbit or Dual Action Polishing Machines ( two names for the same thing ) is much better than using traditional rotating buffers. It is harder to burn through the clear coat using those. They also weigh less in most cases, and the only thing you need to do is to guide the machine where you want it to go. It will do everything else for you! When detailing a car, always have Masking Tape around to protect all surfaces you do not want to affect when working with a machine. When working by hand, you have a bit more precision, perhaps, but then you are using a device to do that job for you then. We highly suggest masking off any rubber trims or sharp edges to avoid damaging the clear coat. When detailing, you will first need a compounding paste, and to finish the job, you will need a polishing paste. We have been using this set from Chemical Guys for the last few months, and we are thrilled with the results. If the paint condition is terrible, we always go with Mother's Aluminum Polish instead of other compounds. This one has repeatedly proved itself how good it erases any imperfections in the paint. It being a cream instead of a liquid also helps with reducing splatter. Truly a fantastic product! Do not forget the buffing pads that you attach to the polishing machine. We use these 5.5-inch pads from Chemical Guys. Even though we mostly use the orange pad for compound and the green pad for polish as a finishing step, the other ones come in handy depending on the paint condition. It all depends on what you plan on doing with the car. You can get any pads really as long as they fit the machine polisher in size and they have been tested to good results. We feel that these foam pads with the hexagonal pattern have brought the best results than many others we have tried over the years. Degreasing Tools used in this step: isopropyl or rubbing alcohol, or surface prep product disposable latex gloves microfiber towel The car is looking fantastic right now, but it is currently covered with oils and grease from the buffing solutions. Before you can apply any type of paint protection, you need to remove those so the method used can bond with the paint properly. Ceramic Coating is no exception to this rule. For the Ceramic Coat to connect correctly with the car's paint, there can be no grease of any kind on the car's paint. Put on your gloves if you haven't, and get to work. Spray the alcohol onto the paint and buff it off with a microfiber towel straight away. Do this to the whole car. Once you have completed this part, your can is ready for the Ceramic Coating of your choice! Tools Recap: Rubbing Alcohol, you can usually find in hardware stores. Yet, Isopropyl Alcohol you might not find in stores depending on where you live. Some countries might have them listed as restricted items. So if you have trouble finding them, try getting them online from Amazon or eBay, but again, you have to check first whether it is legal to get them that way. Because of that, Rubbing Alcohol might be the safer way to go. They are unique because they degrease, clean, and evaporate quickly, leaving no water sports or smears. Ceramic Coat The Car Tools used in this step: ceramic coating kit of your choice microfiber towels disposable latex gloves If you want to learn how to Ceramic Coat your car, you can click the link to learn all there is about it. If you are not sure which Ceramic Coating to use, you can check our Top List of Ceramic Coatings that we have reviewed and go from there. Wait 24 Hours At Least For The Ceramic Coating To Harden Tools used in this step: patience The curing time of Ceramic Coating is usually around 7 days. All of that varies depending on the climate of the area where you live and the product used. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions to achieve the best results. We suggest you do not go for any heavy and fast driving during those 7 days and refrain from washing the car. However, if you want to use the car, we suggest you wait at least 24 hours for the Ceramic Coating's surface to harden enough for it not to get damaged. Congratulations! You are now done and have successfully finished Ceramic Coating your car! - If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at info@ceramiccoatexpert.com - Cheers!