If there’s one universal truth about applying a ceramic coat onto your car, it is that it’s a pretty tedious and rather time-consuming process. I was just reminded of this when I applied Cerakote’s finest Professional Ceramic Paint Coating onto our 2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed project car. Of course, it certainly looks really nice with that glossy layer of ceramic coat on the Bentley’s now-gleaming paint. Now, to be clear, the aforementioned Cerakote professional-grade ceramic coat is among the easier ones that I’ve ever applied, which only took 1 hour to do.
However, just like any other ceramic coat product, it’s the prep work prior to adding the ceramic coat on top that took the most amount of time. As such, this soon inflated the total application time to over 6 hours. Whether or not it’s worthwhile is up to you, but I’m 100% happy with the result. I’m sure you’ll agree that everyone wants a nice ceramic coat on their cars, and more so given that they’re very effective at protecting your car paint’s clear coat from nasty, damaging things like UV rays, corrosive and acidic residues, as well as build-up of brake dust, and more.
Plus, ceramic coats aren’t nearly as expensive as they used to be, and off-the-shelf products, like that Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating kit, are comparatively cheap for what they offer. But, few folks ever have the time or patience to spend a day just adding a singular coat. Luckily, there are some pray-on ceramic coating kits that can give your car that gloss, while also consuming a fraction of the time and effort to apply it, while also being more beginner-friendly. Cerakote themselves have a pretty excellent solution for that too.
The Best Beginner-Friendly Ceramic Coating Kit?
Cerakote’s Rapid Ceramic Paint Sealant has everything that a professional ceramic coating kit offers, but as a spray-on solution, instead. As mentioned, I’ve found it far more convenient and easier to apply, so it’s ideal for anyone who needs to quickly add a ceramic coat, but without the commitment in time, skill, and energy. To give it an in-depth test and put it through the wringer, instead of our aforementioned Bentley project car, I instead tried it out on a Jaguar I-PACE, which needed a good clean anyway.
With that in mind, to get the optimum effect of having a ceramic coat on your car, there is still all the prep work that you’ll have to do beforehand, even with this spray-on solution. On the bright side, compared to the Cerakote Professional Ceramic Paint Coating, this spray-on Rapid Ceramic Paint Sealant doesn’t require that you be as meticulous. At the very least, you’ll have to wash your car thoroughly, and especially give it adequate time to properly dry. This is what Cerakote themselves recommend, so check out their tutorial video further down below.
However, while a deep wash is, according to Cerakote, adequate as prep work goes, for even better results, you could also add a clay bar on top, and then polish it, too. Once that’s done, you can finally spray that ceramic coat. When it comes to the application process, it’s no doubt easier than the Professional Ceramic Paint Coating kit, so there are some time savers there. All you really need to do is gently shake the bottle, and then spray it onto your car’s paint surface, and then wipe it down with the included microfibre cloths.
A Quick Spray-On vs A Professional Ceramic Coating Kit
One good technique that you can use is working on small areas of your car at a time, panel by panel. One other pro tip that you ought to practice is to make good use of those two microfibre towels. After all, Cerakote includes two for a reason! So, that’s one towel for applying the ceramic coat, moving in a cross-hatch pattern as you add the ceramic coat. After that, you can use the other towel to buff it down, giving it that nice shine. Finally, after you’re done adding a layer of ceramic coat through your car, make sure you give it around 2 hours or so to cure, before driving.
Going back to Cerakote’s Professional Ceramic Paint Coating that I tried out last time, this spray-on kit also feels more idiot-proof, too. When trying to apply the former, I was much more anxious during the entire process, be it fearful of leaving behind spongy marks on the paint after adding ceramic coat, or accidentally putting too much ceramic coat in some areas compared to others, as well as not being patient enough to give it 5 minutes per body panel to cure it. I was definitely a tad bit more concerned about making any mistakes along the way.
On the other hand, with Cerakote’s Rapid Ceramic Paint Sealant, it was way easier and more straightforward. In addition, should you make any oopsies while applying it, like an accidental overspray on an adjacent body panel, fixing this is as easy as buffing it off with the microfibre towel. While I might make it sound like it’s super simple, the spray-on kit still requires a bit of patience and following the right steps to get it done right. Therefore, if you aren’t 100% sure of how this process goes from start to finish, check out Cerakote’s tutorial video here:
Was A Ceramic Coat Worth All That Prep Work?
Last but not least… How does Cerakote’s Rapid Ceramic Paint Sealant look on my car? Well, once I’ve given this some time to cure and bond to the paint, the result of spraying on Cerakote’s Rapid Ceramic Paint Sealant is, no doubt, a feast for the eyes. As you might’ve noticed in these snapshots, there’s a beautiful mirror-like glossiness, bringing in a lot more depth and richness from the I-PACE’s paintwork. If anything, the final, cured paint surface looks more like glass than the rough, worn down, scuffed-up paint that was there previously. Suffice it to say, I’m very pleased with it.
Overall, for just £24.95, which includes the spray-on ceramic coating bottle and two microfibre towels, it’s quite an appealing price given the results. Moreover, each bottle should be enough for at least two to three coats per vehicle, depending on the size of your car, or you could apply multiple coats to one car. Best of all, though it’s way cheaper and easier to apply than the Professional Ceramic Paint Coating kit that I previously used, also from Cerakote, this Rapid Ceramic Paint Sealant looks just as good once it’s cured, at least to my eyes. So, if you want to add that glossy, shiny, mirror-like ceramic coat to your car, and you want to do it in a jiffy, look no further.
