In the automotive detailing world, lots of folks hype up the merits of ceramic coating, and what it could do to your car. They’re promised to be the ultimate solution that offers great paint protection properties, and they could also make your car look super shiny and extremely photogenic. But, is ceramic coating really worth it, or is this all just one big marketing hoax? Well, to put these claims to the test, I can’t think of any other company that’s worthy of being a better ambassador for ceramic coating than Cerakote, one of the leading brands in car detailing. In particular, Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating is among the more appealing consumer ceramic paint coating products that I’ve seen lately, so let’s put it through the wringer.
So, why should you apply ceramic coating, in the first place? To start off, ceramic coating is basically a thick layer that provides top-notch protection for your car paint’s clear coat. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the latter is the top-most layer of your car’s paintwork. Among the many benefits of ceramic coating is that it gives your car’s paint far greater levels of chemical protection against acidic or corrosive residue, which might otherwise damage your paint, such as tree sap or bird mess. Furthermore, ceramic coating ensures that water, mud, or dirt doesn’t stick nearly as easily onto your car’s paint. And, it effectively resists the build-up of debris such as brake dust, as well as reduces the amount of UV (ultraviolet rays from the sun) that’s hitting the clear coat underneath.
The latter of which could further cause severe damage to your car’s paintwork after prolonged exposure. One other upside to ceramic coating is that unlike most other paint sealant-type detailing products, ceramic coating lasts a really long time. Sometimes, they could last you several years, from just a single application. Moreover, proper ceramic coating, instead of most sealants or waxes that may contain some ceramics in them, ultimately provides improved paint protection and resistance, as well as lasts longer. All the while, proper ceramic coating isn’t that hard to apply to your car, either. With that in mind, let’s take a deeper dive into what Cerakote is offering with its Professional Ceramic Paint Coating, and why it matters.
What Do You Get In The Box?
When you order Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating, you get a single box that comes with two 30ml bottles of the ceramic coating solution for the application. It might not seem like much at first, but one bottle should be more than enough for most passenger vehicles. In my case, as you can see here, I tested this on my new 2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed, Motor Verso’s latest project car. Yet, despite it being the size of a small barn, a single bottle of Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating is sufficient to coat the entire car. However, if you’re applying that ceramic coat onto a larger vehicle, like an American-sized pickup truck or a large commercial van, you might require more than just a single bottle.
In addition to those two bottles, the Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating kit also includes a sponge (or, referring to it by its technical term, an ‘applicator pad’). You’ll need to use this to apply the ceramic coat later on, and as we’ll soon discuss further below, applying Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating onto your car is surprisingly easy. While we’re here, it’s probably a good time to discuss price, as there’s a common misconception among consumers that ceramic coating is costly. Although it’s not cheap, for the £99.95 price tag (not including VAT) that Cerakote is asking for, the Professional Ceramic Paint Coating is pretty good value for money. It’s an even more appealing proposition when you consider that each application lasts you a long time.
Doing The Initial Prep Work
The entire application process for Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating took me around 6 hours. But, to be clear, applying the actual ceramic coat itself only took about 1 hour. The rest of it was spent on doing prep work, which is crucial before applying any ceramic coating product. So, no matter if you get Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating or any other products from rival brands, it’s very important to prep your car’s paint surface. As such, you need to commit some time and dedication to getting it cleaned and detailed properly before you can apply the ceramic coat on top. Or else, with sub-par preparation beforehand, the ceramic coat won’t cure or bond properly with your paint, negating some of its effectiveness and protection.
To give you a rundown on what you might have to do, some of the prep work that I’ve done on the Bentley, prior to adding the Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating on top, included cleaning the Continental GT (or, if you’re extremely paranoid, wash it twice over), and this encompasses the entire exterior, not just the paint. Just to be extra safe, I made sure to clean the entire car, including the wheels, exterior trim pieces, headlights, and the front grille, and then made sure that it was as clean and as dry as possible before moving on to the next step. This, of course, is to apply a clay bar on top.
The entire point of using a clay bar, particularly on your paintwork, is to pick up any tiny dirt or debris that might still be stuck on the paint surface, even after cleaning the car. Remember, a smooth and levelled paint surface is important for ceramic coating, in making sure that it properly bonds to the paint job, and the ceramic coat can provide maximal paint protection, as well as guaranteeing that it actually lasts long enough before you need to apply another layer of ceramic coat down the line. Visually, bear in mind that as I mentioned earlier, a ceramic coat is a pretty thick layer, so an uneven paint surface usually sticks out like a sore thumb once the ceramic coat has been applied.
Anyway, this process also highlights the importance of ensuring that the weather has cleared up before you work on adding a ceramic coat to your car. So, if you’re not doing this under the protection of a roof on your porch or a closed garage space, it’s best to double-check your local weather reports. Crucially, look out for any rain, and it’s also a good idea to not apply any ceramic coat under bright sunlight. Overly strong or bright UV rays from the sun will impact how the ceramic coat’s chemicals bond and cure onto your car’s paint job. Aside from that, once that clay bar application was done, I then moved on to cleansing the car once again. This was to remove any of the oily residue that might’ve been left behind by the clay bar.
After that was complete, I then polished the Bentley, as well. Now, it doesn’t need to be a hugely extensive polishing job, though it does depend on how severely worn or damaged your car’s paint surface is. In my instance, a simple hand polish was more than enough to help mask any imperfections in the paint, like small scratches. This ought to further encourage the bonding and curing process. Another cleansing job after the polishing is also recommended to completely clean off and remove any residue from the polishing compound. Cerakote themselves suggest that you rub some isopropyl alcohol onto a microfibre cloth and run it over your car, wherever you’re adding the ceramic coat.
Finally Adding The Ceramic Coat
So far, it might seem like it’s a whole lot of work just to add some ceramic coating onto your car – and to some extent, it is – the end result, especially once your car’s paintwork is as smooth as a baby’s bottom, with that clay bar application and polishing, the ceramic coat after that is the cherry on top. Okay, with all that prep work out now of the way – and again, this is crucial to do prior to applying any ceramic coating product – you can finally apply Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating. At this point, you’ve done most of the heavy lifting, and it’s smooth sailing from here on out.
All you need to do is shake the 30ml bottle for around 30 seconds. And then, drip a bit of the ceramic coat from the bottle onto the included sponge or applicator pad. While you’re doing that, ensure that the aforementioned sponge or the applicator pad is generously wetted, and you can then run the sponge onto your car. Apply this by moving the sponge or pad in even, repeated cross-section patterns across your paint job, and getting every panel moist with the ceramic coat. As we’ll discuss later, ideally, you should work on each individual body panel or part at once. The way I did it first was moving the sponge, dripped in Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating, vertically, and once a single body panel was done, I then moved it along horizontally.
You can start on any of your car’s body panels you want, such as covering off the rear wings, and then move on to your doors, front fenders, bumpers, side skirts, and so on. After you’ve completed a whole body panel, and you’ve ensured that the entire paint surface is covered with a ceramic coat, leave it be for at least 5 minutes. After the timer has counted down, you can then buff off the ceramic coat with a microfibre cloth. While it’s curing for those 5 minutes, you may notice that the body panel to which you’ve just applied the ceramic coat might appear like it’s sweating. This is perfectly normal, so don’t worry about it.
When it comes to the buffing part, while it’s not entirely necessary, I’d also highly recommend utilising the two-towel method when you’re buffing out the cured ceramic coat. Basically, you could use one towel initially for levelling and removing the excess solution, and then another towel after that to buff out the ceramic coat further to give it that deep shine. As you might’ve noticed thus far, applying a ceramic coat onto your car takes time and patience, as you’re slowly moving from one body panel to the next… Applying the ceramic coat, letting it cure for 5 minutes, and then buffing it… Before moving on to the next body panel after that, and so on. This could be even harder when you’re applying a ceramic coat onto more complicated bits and surfaces around your car.
The latter might be parts of your car like the chrome trim, badges, headlights and taillights, or your alloy wheels. Not to mention, you have to account for larger panels and pieces, such as your windows, or even your license plate, too. Additionally, ensure that after you’re done applying the ceramic coat onto each body panel or section of your car, drip more ceramic coat onto the sponge or applicator pad. Another thing to bear in mind is that once all the ceramic coat has been applied, you leave it for at least 2 hours to cure before driving. And, it will take you another 24 hours to fully cure all the way through. Afterwards, you can safely get your car wet, drive it through the rain, or take it to a car wash.
Oh, and if you’re still unsure about how to apply the Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating to your car, check out this video to give you a better idea:
Is A Ceramic Coat Worth It?
In short, yes! I’m more than pleased with the overall result of applying the Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating, adding a smooth, shiny, glossy sheen, and almost mirror-like surface onto the Bentley. With the ceramic coating on top, even touching the paint feels like you’re running your hand over a smooth slab of glass. Plus, it really brings out the depth and richness of the paint. As is, it’s already a fantastic finish, but if you really want or need to, you could top up the ceramic coat and add another layer on top of it with another bottle, maybe a week or two from now. However, as you can see the result of applying Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating, just one layer is more than adequate for long-lasting protection.
According to Cerakote, a single application, if done right, is enough to last you over 500 trips to the car wash. In other words, those two tiny bottles go a long way. In summary, the Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating is an exceptional ceramic coat to add to your regularly scheduled car detailing kit. It has superb water beading and hydrophobic properties, if that’s something you value, as well. Moreover, when you pay very close attention to all that initial prep work and buffing up your car beforehand, the application process is shockingly easy. Taking stock of how well the visual presentation is once it has been applied and cured, and the added peace of mind it offers with protecting your paint, if you’re thinking of getting a ceramic coat for your car, the Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating ought to be in your shopping list. Here are a few more beauty shots, if you’re not yet convinced…
