Ceramic Coating in Tampa

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 To  better understand ceramic coating prices, it’s important to understand  what is required in order to apply a ceramic coating properly

Before  installing a ceramic coating, and before doing ANYTHING for that  matter, we have to ensure that the paint is not only clean, but  completely stripped bare! This requires a little more than simple car  washing. During the paint stripping and decontaminating phase we walk  through 5 major ceramic coating preparation stages.

Where we remove as much surface dirt from the vehicle as possible without touching the paint.

 Which is exactly what you think! After  surface dirt removal, it’s time for us to wash the paint the way you did  when you were a kid! Well… not exactly, we use better chemicals, better  techniques, and special processes, but you get the idea!
Next is the ‘iron decontamination phase.’  If you’re not from the detailing world, that phrase means nothing to  you. Most people aren’t aware of the tiny contaminants that sit on your  car’s paint that are not removed through the washing process. These  microscopic contaminants are single-handedly responsible for long-term  paint DAMAGE! We’ve got the chemicals to remove them!
Nearing the end we move into ‘clay barring’ the paint. After you wash your car… run your hand across the paint.  What do you feel? Likely not a smooth surface, but rather a surface that  LOOKS CLEAN and yet is bumpy like sandpaper. The clay bar phase of our  ceramic coating preparation process allows us to remove any and all of  the final contaminants that are embedded in the paint leaving a smooth  and glassy surface behind that you’ve likely never felt on your car.
 Last but not least we move into the ‘final wipe down & solvent removal’ stage. This phase is exactly what it sounds like. We use a specific  type of chemical that will remove any last minute oils, residues, waxes,  or any other chemical that is left on the surface of the paint 

 Now that the car paint has been  completely cleaned and stripped in preparation for the ceramic coating  application, it’s time to level out the clear coat and remove some  scratches! Because ceramic coatings are the most durable form of long  term paint protection that exists in the detailing world, any little  imperfection that is in the paint is there to stay as soon as the  coating is applied. Here in Chicago, Illinois… we get rain, snow, ice,  hail, tornadoes, pollen, bugs, and pretty much anything else you can  think of that would damage car paint! For that reason, it’s necessary  for us to go through a paint correction stage prior to the ceramic  coating application in order to remove paint imperfections, and create a  smooth surface with which the ceramic coating can bond. There are 2  major types of paint correction: Paint Enhancement & Paint Correction. 

Here’s  the simple answer: Paint enhancement is a less extreme form of paint  correction. When we perform paint enhancement, we are telling the  customer what paint imperfections WILL be fixed, and what imperfections  WILL NOT be fixed. Paint enhancement is the most common type of  correction we do! Why is that? Well, most customers don’t care about the  tiny imperfections that they really can’t see anyway, and they are  really concerned most with getting that ceramic coating on!

 Paint correction is nothing more than  more aggressive paint enhancement. Can you see the pattern here? When we  are dealing with a vehicle whose paint is REALLY DAMAGED, or a customer  who has a detailed eye, we will perform paint correction in order to  remove the maximum amount of scratches, swirls, etchings, and paint  imperfections as possible. Once again, this is necessary not only for  visual appeal, but to create a smooth surface with which the ceramic  coating can bond to the paint. 

 Do I Have To Get Paint Correction To Get A Ceramic Coating?The  simple answer is: Yes & No. Ok… maybe it’s not so simple. We have  many customers who understand what paint correction is, and who realize  that with it, the ceramic coating will have a longer life span, but they  choose not to get any correction done because they want a lower price.  While there are situations when paint correction is necessary, there are  also situations where it can be optional, and we love talking with our  customers about the difference.
Even  the most surface level of paint enhancement will extend the life of the  ceramic coating, create an amazingly beautiful surface, and maximize  your dollars spent… so we like to say: “It’s your choice… but we are  biased” 🙂

 After all of that work… It’s now time to  install the ceramic coating. You know how a surgeon goes to school for  8-12 years before they ever cut into an actual person? Most of the work  is in the PREP! That is a great way to understand ceramic coatings.  While there is a lot of technical skill included in the ceramic coating  application… most of the time and labor is done in the preparation!  Ceramic coating installations take anywhere from 1 to 5 hours depending  on the size of the vehicle, but the preparation takes ALL of the other  hours. Depending on the amount of paint correction done, a ceramic  coating installation can take somewhere between a single day, and 2 to 3  days to finish.
We hope this  sheds a little more light on why ceramic coatings come with this price  tag… in addition to having a lifetime protection on your vehicle!!!