Ceramic coatings can provide many benefits to a car's paint, making it a popular choice among car enthusiasts and those who want to keep their vehicles looking their best. Here are some key advantages:

  • Enhanced Protection: Ceramic coatings create a durable, protective layer on the paint that shields against various environmental contaminants like UV rays, acid rain, road salts, and bird droppings. This helps prevent paint damage and oxidation.

  • Hydrophobic Properties: The coating makes the surface water-resistant, causing water to bead up and roll off easily. This helps keep the car cleaner for longer and makes washing it easier, as dirt and grime are less likely to stick.

  • Improved Scratch Resistance: While not entirely scratch-proof, ceramic coatings can offer a higher level of scratch resistance compared to unprotected paint. This can help minimize minor scratches and swirl marks.

  • Enhanced Gloss and Shine: The coating adds a layer of depth to the paint, enhancing its gloss and shine. This can make the car look more polished and visually appealing.

  • Ease of Maintenance: With its smooth surface, a ceramic-coated car is easier to clean. Dirt and contaminants are less likely to adhere to the surface, reducing the frequency and effort required for washing and detailing.

  • UV Protection: The coating helps protect the paint from harmful UV rays, which can cause fading and discoloration over time. This helps maintain the car's appearance and value.

  • Longevity: Ceramic coatings are known for their durability, often lasting several years with proper maintenance. This makes them a cost-effective option in the long run compared to regular waxing.

  • Chemical Resistance: The coating provides a barrier against acidic or alkaline substances, which can otherwise damage the paint. This includes things like bird droppings, tree sap, and road chemicals.

Overall, ceramic coatings offer a robust and long-lasting solution for preserving and enhancing your car’s paint, making it look better and easier to maintain over time.

Prosumer Grade Ceramic Coatings USE Code: HAWAIIDETAING for 10% off all products from DIY Detail

  • Duration: 3-8 years

  • Pros of a Ceramic Coating: Incredibly long lasting slickness, gloss and hydrophobic properties. Provides long lasting resistance to harsh elements when properly maintained.

  • Cons of a Ceramic Coating: Requires educating yourself & reasonable effort to achieve best results. Requires specialized tools and a properly shaded working area to apply. Air conditioned garage preferred. If in doubt of any of these items go with a spray sealant.

How To Prep & Apply:

Decontamination / Strip Wash Decontaminate your paint thoroughly prior to application. DO NOT DECON WASH IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT!

Mix 2oz. of a high quality All Purpose Cleaner with 1oz of Car Wash Soap into a foam cannon filled with water. Spray mix on to the car and allow to dwell for a few minutes but do not let it dry. Agitate with a soft wash mitt and rinse thoroughly. More info on how to wash a car

Home Brew Decon Wash

Ready To Use Decon Soap

  • Decon Wash soap This soap is ready to use and will strip clean most light duration sealants and topper products getting the paint ready to polish.

Clay Towel Run your hand gently over the car's surface after washing. If it feels rough or gritty, it likely has embedded contaminants that need to be removed with a clay towel. More info on how to use clay

How to Use a Clay Towel

  • Preparation:

    • Ensure the car is parked in a cool, shaded area to prevent the surface from drying too quickly.

  • Lubrication:

    • Use a clay lubricant (Rinseless wash mix is my favorite 128:1) to lubricate the area you are working on. Lubrication is crucial to prevent the clay towel from sticking and causing damage to the paint.

  • Using the Clay Towel:

    • Fold the clay towel into a manageable size.

    • Gently glide the clay towel over the lubricated area using light pressure. Use a back-and-forth motion, overlapping slightly to cover all areas.

    • Frequently check the clay towel for contaminants. If it becomes dirty, fold it to expose a clean section.

  • Wipe and Inspect:

    • Wipe the area with a clean microfiber towel to remove any residue.

    • Inspect the paint. It should feel smooth. If it still feels rough, repeat the process

Door Jambs Often overlooked but a great add on to your cermaic coating process. Coating the jambs will make any clean up in the future a snap. The jambs must be cleaned and prepped for the coating with the same process as the rest of the paint.

  • Rinseless Wash My favorite out there. Works great, easy to use, smells good and is the answer to a lot of situations when a light cleaner is needed. I used it non stop.

  • Spray Bottle Need one of these to mix up your rinseless wash. Great quality for the money. Chemical resistant.

  • All Purpose Microfiber Towel Yellow Having some soft high quality microfiber towels handy is a must. I use yellow for my all purpose needs.

Dry the car Use a leaf blower or soft drying towel to properly dry the car. Do not apply any spray protection products to the paint after the decontamination wash. More info on how to dry a car

  • Leaf blower Online Store or Amazon The best leaf blower out there IMO. Great power and a long lasting battery. With the stubby nozzle its perfect.

  • Leaf blower stubby nozzle Online Store or Amazon Reduces the overall length of the leaf blower. The longer OEM version is just too long for drying the car.

  • Drying towel large size Online Store or Amazon Thick ultra soft XL drying towel. Best for those that do not use a leaf blower. This towel is XL and will dry your entire car or SUV easily.

  • Drying towel medium size Online Store or Amazon Top notch thick ultra soft drying towel. Perfect size for whats left after you use a leaf blower to dry the paint.

Paint Correction Polish your paint to remove any swirls or imperfections. More info on how to correct paint

  • Polisher or Amazon Rupes is the best in the industry. Time tested and pro approved. These work great for the full time pro all the way to the weekend DIY enthusiast.

  • Polisher Pad Wool A course cutting pad for medium deep polishing where defects need to be removed from the paint. Used as step 1 of 2 in a 2 stage paint correction.

  • Polisher Pad Jeweling A ultra fine pad for light surface jeweling to bring the clear coat to the highest shine possible.

  • Polish This polish is buttery smooth and last a long time on the panel. Great results and a 10/10 on ease of use.

  • Rinseless Wash My favorite out there. Works great, easy to use, smells good and is the answer to a lot of situations when a light cleaner is needed. I used it non stop.

  • Spray Bottle Need one of these to mix up your rinseless. Great quality for the money. Chemical resistant.

  • Polish Removing Microfiber Towels Dual Nap Grey A high quality dual nap microfiber giving 2 options for polish removal. Different situations require different aproaches. This covers them all.

  • All Purpose Microfiber Towel Yellow Having some soft high quality microfiber towels handy is a must. I use yellow for my all purpose needs.

  • Polishing Lights: More info on Paint Correction Lights

Prepping the paint for the ceramic coating

APP Option 1 (My GOTO option) Apply Adhesion Promoter Polish APP using a low RPM palm sander and a jeweling pad apply APP to the surface. The goal is a cross hartched pattern to ensure full coverage. This is not intended to correct paint. Its job is to prep the paint for the coating to bond effectively. Only use enough product to lightly cover the surface. Wipe clean with a dry soft microfiber towel after application. Less is more in this step of the process. As long as the product was visibly spread on the entire paint surface, thats enough. Too much is a waste of product. APP should wipe off easily. APP prepares the clear coat for the ceramic coating by increasing the ability of the ceramic coating to bond to the paint. Because of this a panel prep product is not required.

  • APP Designed to prepare the clear coat for the ceramic coating to bond with. Part of the process for applying C6 ceramic coating. Would work great with other brands as well.

  • Palm Polisher Short Throw A neat tool for your kit. Will be handy in a lot of situations. When applying APP this is a requirement. Do not use a large throw full polisher with APP.

  • Polisher Pad Jeweling A ultra fine pad for light surface jeweling to bring the clear coat to the highest shine possible. Works great for applying APP.

  • Polish Removing Microfiber Towels Dual Nap Grey A ultra soft high quality dual nap microfiber giving 2 options for polish removal. Different situations require different approaches. This covers them all.

  • All Purpose Microfiber Towel Yellow Having some soft high quality microfiber towels handy is a must. I use yellow for my all purpose needs.

Panel Prep Option 2 Properly wipe each panel in small sections with the panel prep product. Panel prep is deigned to decontaminate and remove any residue from the polishing process. This leaves the paint raw and ready for a coating.

Applying the Ceramic Coating Do not apply in direct sunlight or in extremely hot or cold environments. Only apply the product at a temperature between 5°c and 25°c. Soak the application pad with approx. 3 full drops of ceramic coating. The goal is to move product around on the paint. If it is spreading product and gliding nicely thats enough product. If its starts to get draggy and not spreading product effectively add more ceramic Coating. Adjust product amount accordingly to ensure you are not over or under applying product. Less is enough. Extra product applied to the paint will just be wiped off and wasted. There is plenty provided to do a large SUV if you meter the amount used properly. Apply to the paint in overlapping strokes to an area roughly 2ft by 2ft. Use a cross hatch pattern to ensure full coverage of the paint. Larger working areas can be used after you have familiarized yourself with the product and the working time. Most Ceramic coating have an working time of 3-10 minutes depending on working conditions. After the ceramic coating begins to haze (rainbow or sweating effect visible on the surface) begin to remove ceramic coating residue with a clean microfiber towel. Use multiple microfiber towels as needed to remove the residue. The first wipe down will feel slightly grabby. Continue to wipe the surface free from all visible product. Flip the towel and lightly buff to a shine. It should feel slick under the towel indicating that all the excess product has been removed. After panel is fully wiped down use a bright detailing light to inspect the paint surface for missed residue or streaks before moving to the next panel. Address any missed residue at this point to avoid product curing without being properly leveled or wiped clean. The surface should be clear with no visible product or streaks remaining. If there is a spot that is tough to wipe clean or “level” reapply a small amount of coating from your already moist applicator to loosen the affected area. After moistening the high spot it should now wipe clean very easily. This method of dealing with high spots is only effective for a short time period after application. Applying a ceramic coating is an easy process if you follow these easy steps. Don’t be afraid it’s totally doable. Working small sections is key until you get a solid working process established

Maintenance and post Ceramic Coating protection Topping you new ceramic coating with a spray sealant is a very smart idea. This provides a high quality sacrificial layer of protection as your new ceramic coating cures. This curing can take 12-24 hrs and beyond to reach its full strength. I also recommend applying a regular spray protection topper after each wash to continue this sacrificial protection and make your ceramic coating far outlast its quoted lifespan. More info on after wash drying aids and spray sealants

  • Amplify Super shiny and slick topper for your new ceramic coating

  • Green Plush Microfiber Towel Perfect for applying the amplify or any other spray protection. I like green with all my Armour products.

Please let me know if you have any questions or if any of these links are not working properly Jeremy@HawaiiDetailing.com