Wondering how to maintain ceramic coatings, and make ceramic coatings last longer? Good! Coatings require active maintenance to last as long as possible, so it’s important to know how to practice the right kind of upkeep.
There are 5 factors in maintaining a coating and making it last as long as possible:
- Durable bonding
- Bi-weekly maintenance washes
- As-needed spot cleaning
- Quarterly reinforcement treatment
- Annual ceramic coating inspection
In this article, we’ll cover all of the factors listed above so you can know how to maintain ceramic coatings, and how to make ceramic coatings last longer.
1. Durable Bonding
Ceramic coatings are able to last long because they bond with the clear coat, essentially becoming part of the paintwork itself. To do this, however, coatings need a perfectly clean surface free of silicone oils, waxes and other organic contaminants.
Because these contaminants are often introduced by polishes, the best way to avoid them is to use correction solutions formulated without these ingredients, like Dr. Beasley’s Nano Surface Primers. They contain no silicone oils and protect the surface against contamination before coating.
In addition to this, Nano Surface Primers also lay a foundation with anchor points for the coating to bond with. This, paired with a perfectly cleaned paint surface, creates the most optimal paint surface for bonding possible.
Planning to use polish instead? That’s okay — just be sure to use Panel Prime after. That will remove the residual silicone oils and waxes with better efficiency than standard IPA wipes, plus they have the same anchor points as NSPs for bonding.
2. Bi-Weekly Maintenance Washes
Another way to maintain ceramic coatings and make ceramic coatings last longer is to handwash them at least twice monthly using a premium soap formulated for ceramic coatings. Soaps like these are formulated to work with the coating in breaking down contamination, since coatings already do so much to resist soiling!
By removing contaminants through washing regularly, you’re extending the longevity of the coating’s hydrophobic effect, or its ability to repel water and self-clean. Self-cleaning is one of, if not the most important benefit of a coating, so it’s important to maintain.
3. As-Needed Spot Cleaning
To maintain a ceramic coating, you need to be spot cleaning more stubborn contaminants as you notice them. So if you see a water spot, bird dropping, or insect splatter, clean it up as soon as you are able with a high quality detailing spray. These contaminants can become caustic and affect the coating, so it’s crucial you remove them quickly to ensure a long lasting coating.
4. Quarterly Reinforcement Treatments
The hydrophobic properties of a ceramic coating do require maintenance to keep up performance, as do their protective abilities. Thankfully, using a ceramic reinforcement treatment every few months or so will both restore hydrophobicity AND reinforce the coating’s protection.
These ceramic reinforcement treatments use a concentrated nanocoating formula to reinforce the existing coating with additional nano protection. This added protection also carries the hydrophobic properties associated with coatings, thereby rejuvenating the effect on coatings it’s applied to.
5. Annual Inspections
Annual inspections are the last major part of how to maintain ceramic coatings and make ceramic coatings last longer. During an annual inspection, yourself or the ceramic coating installer will evaluate the coating to determine its condition. Based on that evaluation, you or the installer can make a recommendation on whether to simply reinforce the coating or re-apply.
These inspections are important in knowing how durable your coating is and what is needed to ensure that durability is maintained. It’s essentially the checkpoint for coating longevity, so make sure you’re not neglecting this important evaluation.
Wrapping Up
Let’s re-cap. The keys to good coating maintenance, and therefore a long-lasting coating, are:
- Ensuring a durable bond during installation (Use NSPs or Panel Prime)
- Wash bi-weekly (Use Ceramic Body Wash)
- Spot clean as-needed (Use The Final Finish)
- Apply reinforcement quarterly (Use AdvanceCoat: Gloss)
- Inspect coating annually
Follow all of these recommendations and you’ll be on your way to a coating that protects for years and years on end!
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