Ceramic Coating Top Tips - dailycarblog
Ceramic Coating 101: Everything You Need to Know
Features

Some people like to say that cars are nothing less than the extensions of their owners. We can’t help but agree with this opinion. A well-maintained and shiny ride speaks about the meticulous and clean-cut owner. On the other hand, it should be clear that people coming out of messy four-wheel junks can’t be taken seriously. But how to get that polished shine that elevates the vehicle to a whole new level? Well, there are many ways to do that, and as you might expect, some of them are more efficient than others. In this article, we are going to take a quick glance at one of the best: applying a high-quality ceramic coating.

What is the ceramic coating and how does it work?

So, let us start with the main question we have to address before we move to the benefits of this treatment – what is the ceramic coating, to begin with?

Ceramic Coating Blue Bottle  - dailycarblog

The simplest way to describe it would be as a liquid polymer coating that is applied to a car’s exterior. The other ingredients that can be found in these formulas are silica (silicon dioxide), quartz, and sand. Of course, different brands roll out products with different ingredient percentages, so the quality of the products can vary, but in all these cases, some basic principles remain the same.

Namely, the liquid polymer and other ingredients you can find in the coating create a chemical bond with the paint on the car surface. Because of that, they don’t act as a protective treatment as much as a hard candy-shell that is permanently attached to the hull of your ride.

Of course, you need to be aware that even this treatment is susceptible to damage and attrition, but the average durability still far outperforms the popular alternatives like wax.

What are the effects of a ceramic coating?

Ceramic Coating Top Tips - Washing -dailycarblog

Ok, we have established by now that ceramic coating acts as a very powerful and efficient auto paint sealant. But, what exactly are you getting by choosing this specific type of treatment? To figure this out, we will need to quickly cover a couple of the most important benefits.

Long-lasting shine

Ceramic Coating Top Tips - Polishing - dailycarblog

One of the main perks of ceramic coating is its endurance. Unlike other products, like wax, the chemicals that can be found in this formula bond with the surface of the vehicle and form the glass-like layer that, if successfully applied, can last for a couple of years.

Higher resistance to bonded particles

Ceramic Coating Top Tips - Buffing - dailycarblog

No matter how thorough we are when it comes to maintenance, the cars we drive inevitably pick up a lot of dirt and debris along the way. This comes especially true when it comes to company vehicles that, on average, stack more mileage than the regular cars and vans. These problems can be successfully mitigated by a ceramic overlay that creates a strong tension barrier and provides the car with high resistance to bug guts, grime, road salt, and pollen that often end up embedded in the vehicle’s hull.

Water-proofing the vehicle

Ceramic coating that is applied to the vehicles has great hydrophobic properties. In other words, this protective layer makes sure that water won’t stick and accumulate on the surface of the vehicle.

Ceramic Coating - Waterproof - dailycarblog

Why is that so important? Well, the lingering water encourages the development of rust and makes cleaning far more complicated. If you use a ceramic coating, the eventual water residue that remains on the car after driving can be easily removed with nothing more than a swipe of a towel.

The types of ceramic coating

In one of the previous sections, we mentioned that, depending on the percentage of the ingredients, the ceramic coating can produce varying effects of hardness. So, based on this property (namely, the SiO2 percentage), the ceramic coating can be split into three groups.

  • Entry-level ceramic coating – This group usually consists of cheap knockoffs or a watered-down version of some more premium products. They are marked with the inscriptions 9B through B (lower numbers, better hardness) and provide only basic protection.
  • High quality ceramic coating – This is the group you will most likely find in the store nearby. The high-quality coatings are sitting on a scale between H and 7H (this time, you are aiming for higher numbers). This group is also considerably lighter than the entry-level products.
  • Professional-grade ceramic coating – This group features the highest percentage of SiO2 and is used by professional car detailing services. Premium coatings are marked by 8H and 9H inscriptions and produce light, glass-like effects.

We hope this short article helped you learn a bit or two about the ceramic coating and how this protective treatment can benefit a vehicle. Keeping your ride in top shape is not important only for aesthetic purposes – vehicles guarded by some form of the protective layer are also far easier and cheaper to maintain. With that in mind, the ceramic coating is probably the best option currently available on the market.


Ceramic Coating Top Tips - dailycarblog
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap