How to apply a ceramic coating to fresh paint?

Apply ceramic coating to fresh paint

A frequently asked question with us, but also on the internet: How long do I have to wait to get a ceramic coating to apply to my car paint after it has been repainted or freshly sprayed?

Freshly sprayed paint

What should you pay attention to with freshly sprayed paint? First of all, it is important that the paint is sprayed correctly. All defects that are in the paint after the spraying, such as dirt, fish eyes, ..., will remain in it when it is coated. You can go to the painter or a professional detailer for this: he will sand the paint again with the appropriate sandpaper and the right one polishing paste en polishing pads† We will elaborate on this in our future blog posts. 

But other defects can also appear during spraying, such as a color difference, runners in the color layer, paint sprayed too thin, and so on. Unfortunately, a detailer cannot always solve these defects. That is why it is crucial to carefully go over these aspects of the paint before you think about a coating. Would you like to be absolutely sure? Then you can also contact us for a paint inspection.

How do you prepare fresh paint for a ceramic coating?

Proper car paint preparation is necessary for any ceramic coating. Paint sprayed well? Then it's time to put it in perfect condition. As already known, all defects under the ceramic coating are permanent until the coating is removed again and the paintwork is corrected.

First of all, we ensure that the paint is clean and free of any contamination. We do this by thoroughly washing the car with the 2-bucket method. A chemical deep cleaning with iron particles en tar removers is the next step. Then the paint gets another clay job. For example, we clean the paint again and there are no more chemicals, oils or other contaminants on the paint. 

Paint completely clean? Check! Then we can remove imperfections such as small wax scratches, marring, pigtails, .... We do that with the most suitable polishing agents en polishing pads† However, you can't always use just any one for polishing fresh paint polishing paste use: not all polishes and compounds are suitable for freshly sprayed paint! We use the 3DACA 500 for deeper paint defects and the 3DACA 520 as a finishing polish and for minor paint defects. These 2 polishing agents have been specially developed for use on fresh paint. Are you using a polishing paste that has not been developed for this purpose? Then you can damage your new coating. The polishing pad does not affect the fresh paint, so you can choose it yourself. 

Degreasing fresh paint

Before you start ceramic coating, the car paint must also be completely free of grease, oils, silicones, etc. Are they present? Then the ceramic coating cannot adhere properly and the lifespan will be considerably reduced. But can you do any degreaser use on fresh paint? No, not every degreaser is suitable for fresh paint. Many are too aggressive for a fresh coat of paint, which will damage the paint.

We always recommend the Gtechniq Panel Wipe for fresh paint. This degreaser works great and is safe. This way you apply the perfect ceramic coating without any paint damage!

Applying a ceramic coating to fresh paint?

And finally we come to the frequently asked question: How long should you wait to apply a ceramic coating when your car has just been repainted? On the internet, the answer is almost always "2-3 weeks". But is that true? Well, yes and no. People often ask this question due to the presence of certain solvents in a ceramic coating. These ensure that the coating is spreadable, but can also cause paint damage on freshly sprayed paint. In addition, freshly sprayed paint must gas out.

In general, it is not recommended to give a freshly sprayed car paint a ceramic coating within 72 hours. Since the car must first be washed and then be prepared again with a necessary paint correction, this does not happen quickly within 72 hours. Does that mean that you can give your paint a coating after 72 hours? No, it depends on the coating that you use.

Lacquer should outgas for 14 to 24 weeks. This means that the solvents and gases present in the paint must slowly "gas" or evaporate from the paint after spraying over the next few weeks. In order to guarantee the quality of the paint, it is important that we do not disrupt this process. Then you might already be asking yourself the question: "Does that mean that I have to wait six months to be able to coat my paint? No, not that either.

As indicated earlier, the type of coating is very important. Almost all coatings on the market require waiting at least 2 weeks between spraying fresh paint and applying a ceramic coating. This is because the coating does not allow the gases to dissipate when the coating is applied.

But, you just said it took the paint 14 to 24 weeks to gas out. Why are we allowed to work with these coatings after only 2 weeks? That is a question that is often overlooked, but at the same time it is also a question that we ourselves have no problem with.

We recommend everyone with freshly sprayed car paint to use the ceramic coatings of Gtechniq to use. The ceramic coatings from Gtechniq such as the Gtechniq CSL Crystal Serum Light and the Gtechniq EXOv4 can be used perfectly on freshly sprayed paint from 72 hours!

The coatings of Gtechniq cause the paint to still gas out, even after the coating has been applied. That is a huge first and a very exclusive advantage in the detailing world! You don't have to wait 2 weeks as is the case with other detailing brands. And then you should also hope that there are no adverse effects from the "limited" outgassing of the paint.

With the ceramic coatings from Gtechniq  you enjoy a huge time advantage: you only have to wait 3 days to apply it and the preparation will take less time. Because the car paint can often be coated before the car leaves the workshop!

Conclusion

Follow the checklist below to apply a ceramic coating.

• Make sure the paint has been sprayed without mistakes.
• Make the paint clean and free from any contamination.
• Remove all paint defects.
• Use a polishing compound that is safe for fresh paint such as 3D ACA 500 & 520
• Use a safe degreaser as Gtechniq Panel Wipe
• Wait at least 72 hours after the paint has been sprayed before applying a ceramic coating.
• After 72 hours you can Gtechniq apply ceramic coating.
• PAY ATTENTION! Other brands usually ask to wait at least 2-3 weeks! Don't you use Gtechniq† Please check with the distributor just to be sure!