Q
What Exactly Is a Ceramic Coating?
What is a ceramic coating and what is involved in preparing the vehicle for the application?
To better understand ceramic coatings, it's important to understand what is required in order to apply a ceramic coating properly.
A
Ceramic Coating Preparation & Expertise
Before installing a ceramic coating, and before doing ANYTHING for that matter we have to ensure that the paint is not only clean, but completely stripped bare! This requires a little more than simple car washing. During the paint stripping and decontaminating phase we walk through 5 major ceramic coating preparation stages followed by paint enhancement or correction, then the application of the ceramic coating itself.
1
Pre-wash
‘The pre-wash wash’ where we remove as much surface dirt from the vehicle as possible without touching the paint.
2
Hand Wash - "Two Bucket Method"
‘Traditional car washing’ which is exactly what you think! After surface dirt removal, it’s time for us to wash the paint the way you did when you were a kid! Well… not exactly, we use better chemicals, better technique, and special processes, but you get the idea!
3
Iron Decontamination
Next is the ‘iron decontamination phase.’ If you’re not from the detailing world, that phrase means nothing to you. Most people aren’t aware of the tiny contaminants that sit on your car’s paint that are not removed through the washing process. These microscopic contaminants are single handedly responsible for long term paint DAMAGE! We’ve got the chemicals to remove them!
4
Clay Bar
Nearing the end we move into ‘clay barring’ the paint. After you wash your car… run your hand across the paint. What do you feel? Likely not a smooth surface, but rather a surface that LOOKS CLEAN and yet is bumpy like sandpaper. The clay bar phase of our ceramic coating preparation process allows us to remove any and all of the final contaminants that are embedded in the paint leaving a smooth and glassy surface behind that you’ve likely never felt on your car.
5
Paint Enhancement
Now that the car paint has been completely cleaned and stripped in preparation for the ceramic coating application, it’s time to level out the clear coat and remove some scratches! Because ceramic coatings are the most durable form of long term paint protection that exists in the detailing world, any little imperfection that is in the paint is there to stay as soon as the coating is applied. Here in Brantford Ontario… we get rain, snow, ice, hail, pollen, bugs, and pretty much anything else you can think of that would damage car paint! For that reason, it’s necessary for us to go through a paint correction stage prior to the ceramic coating application in order to remove paint imperfections, and create a smooth surface with which the ceramic coating can bond.
6
Final Wipe Down & Solvent Removal
Last but not least we move into the ‘final wipe down & solvent removal’ stage. This phase is exactly what it sounds like. We use a specific type of chemical that will remove any last minute oils, residues, waxes, or any other chemical that is left on the surface of the paint.
7
Ceramic Coating Application
After all of that work… It's now time to install the ceramic coating. Most of the time and labor is done in the preparation! Ceramic coating installations take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours depending on the size of the vehicle, but the preparation takes ALL of the other hours. Depending on the amount of paint correction done, a ceramic coating installation can take somewhere between a single day, and 2 to 3 days to finish.
Applying a ceramic coating to your vehicles paint, glass and rims protects against every sort of environmental factor your vehicle can expect to encounter. Ceramic coatings are extremely hydrophobic. This causes water to bead up and roll off, always leaving you with a long-lasting shine and a deep gloss finish.
