Tree House Studio Clear Acrylic Gloss Coating Reviews

Is ceramic coating worth it? Information technology's certainly popular these days. There are a lot of misconceptions out there though. In today's post, I'm going to share an unbiased look at the reality of ceramic coating and help you lot decide whether it's for you or non. Let's cut through the marketing hype and take a look at the truth.

In many cases, ceramic coating your paint is absolutely worth the price. It provides corking protection confronting contaminants and minor scratches, all while making the vehicle much easier to clean up. Coatings aren't for every machine or possessor though. It really comes down to how you utilise and care for it.

Some blanket manufacturers and installers like to make assuming claims about what these products are capable of. They want y'all to believe that they're a perfect solution to protect your motorcar'south paint. This is one case where the marketing doesn't necessarily line upwardly with reality. There are lots of myths existence spread by people who don't empathize how coatings work or how they need to be maintained.

In order to make an educated decision on whether or non to coat your vehicle, y'all need to balance the views from the people that sell and install them with unbiased, existent world feel. That's what I'1000 hoping to help yous with.

Should you ceramic coat your vehicle?

Ceramic coating is non a 1 size fits all solution to protect your paint. For some vehicles, it's life changing. After a few washes, yous'll wonder how you ever lived without it. For others, you might feel permit down, thinking it was going to make a bigger divergence. So which vehicles volition do good from a ceramic coating and which ones won't?

The vehicle that should be ceramic coated:

• Has pigment that's kept in near-perfect status
• Driven regularly in all atmospheric condition simply isn't neglected
• Washed oftentimes, with proper wash techniques and products
• Tin can benefit from the ability to wash quickly and easily

The vehicle that would be better off with a sealant:

• A daily driver that gets abused
• Gets very dirty, and isn't washed right away
• Likely to be scratched or dented
• Endemic by someone who doesn't desire to spend a lot of money

The vehicle that only needs wax:

• A prove machine that requires very little protection
• Appearance is more than important than longevity
• May have been previously sealed and just needs a slight heave

The benefits of ceramic coating

Anybody loves to talk about the upsides of ceramic coating. It's all over the net. I'yard just going to speak nigh these briefly because a quick search volition reveal tons of positive information that'due south already out there.

Keep in mind that virtually of the people sharing ceramic coating info are trying to earn money from your decision. Are they going to give you the complete story? Maybe…

Ceramic coatings offering better protection than waxes or sealants, easily downward. They as well last much longer – usually multiple years. Many professional grade coatings even offer warranties. They repel dirt and water like nothing else, which makes them easier to clean. Their slickness and deflection helps to prevent swirl marks and marring from washing.

My own personal vehicles – why I coated some of them but non all:

I've applied ceramic coatings to ii of my three vehicles. My Harley Davidson and my Toyota 4runner are both wearing coatings from Gtechniq. You can read my total long term review of those here: My third vehicle, a Toyota MR2, will never exist ceramic coated. Why is that?

After speaking with a company rep I chose to stick with my tried and true pigment sealant. A bit nigh the car: it still has most of the soft, original unmarried stage pigment, it's been buffed so many times that the paint is very thin, it's garage-kept, and it's really only driven in prissy weather condition.

And so why didn't I coat it? It was a combination of reasons.

1. The company told me that although the coating will piece of work on single stage paint, it will be difficult to wipe off the excess product.

two. That combined with the soft and thin pigment meant that it was highly possible I would add new scratches when trying to wipe off the excess coating. Should something go wrong, the just mode to properly remove the coating is to compound information technology off. This car doesn't have enough paint left on it for me to compound again then a mishap would result in a complete paint job. No bueno.

three. I had nil to gain. The coating makes information technology easier to make clean, but the car doesn't become dirty. The blanket protects against UV rays, chemicals, and bird debris. The car is rarely exposed to those.

The coating lasts longer than a sealant or wax, but this machine is garage kept. Sealants and waxes tin can final 3 or four times longer on a vehicle similar this in my experience. The coating protects against swirl marks and wash marring, but once more, it only wasn't worth taking the risk.

I didn't like the fashion the odds were stacked up. Sure, ceramic coatings have many benefits. The MR2 wouldn't have been able to accept advantage of them though. Plus, if something went wrong with the blanket, I'd have to repaint the unabridged car. The selection was pretty uncomplicated at that indicate.

What about the 4runner and Harley?

My 4runner is my daily driver. Information technology has over 200,000 kms on it and sits outside for 365 days a year. I drive it in the worst winter conditions. I take it off roading in the mud. And despite all of that, I similar to keep information technology looking its best.

I chose to ceramic coat this vehicle because I wanted the best protection possible. Information technology volition go for weeks at a time without existence washed, all the while sitting in the hot summertime dominicus. Knowing that I neglect it from fourth dimension to time, I wanted to make certain that it was protected. And then was the ceramic blanket the best pick? Yes and no.

The industry led me to believe that having the all-time available protection meant that it could handle the most abuse and negligence. That's not the case. This is ane of the ceramic coating myths that I'll share down below.

I volition say that I'm happy overall with the coating on the 4runner. Once I learned what kind of care it requires, I've institute the protection it offers is worth the price. Keep in heed that I apply coatings myself, then I just had to pay for the product. Had I paid over $1,000 in labor to take this washed, perhaps I'd feel differently in terms of value.

Equally for the Harley, the determination was pretty easy. The only painted surfaces on it are the gas tank and fenders. I was able to utilise the leftover product from the 4runner to do the bike at no price.

Harley Davidson'south Vivid Blackness pigment is notorious for being soft and easy to scratch. I figured the ceramic blanket would aid this, and information technology did! Information technology didn't completely solve the problem though, leading me to Ceramic Coating Myth Number i:

Ceramic Coating Myths:

1. Your vehicle will be scratch proof.

Some companies will even go as far every bit showing their coating existence keyed or scratched with a lighter. The truth is, ceramic coatings are scratch resistant, Not scratch proof. There'southward a big deviation. A fancy water resistant watch will work fine if you accidentally leave it on in the shower. Point a force per unit area washer at it for hours notwithstanding, and y'all're likely to run into some issues.

The same logic applies to your ceramic coating. If you lot follow proper rubber washing procedures, you'll see a huge reject in swirl marks and wash marring. If you wash your car with steel wool though, it's not going to save y'all.

When the crazy guy you cut off on the highway keys your car in the parking lot, you'll be heading to the torso shop no matter what. Yous'll as well be paying to supplant your coating too.

Cheque out this commodity for a more than in-depth look at whether ceramic coatings prevent scratches:

2. Coatings provide more gloss than sealants and waxes.

If y'all park a ceramic coated vehicle next to an uncoated vehicle, it's possible that it will appear to have more shine and gloss. Is the gloss coming from the coating itself? The manufacturers would dearest for you to believe that information technology is. That's probably not the case though.

You see, one very important requirement for applying a coating is to brand sure the pigment is perfectly polished and defect-costless. Any scratches, contaminants, haze or swirl marks will be locked under the coating if they're not removed offset. Those defects will affect the fashion the light bounces off your paint, making it expect less glossy.

Polishing your pigment first isn't a requirement for waxes and sealants. If you lot do choose to polish it before sealing information technology, your paint will look as good or better than a ceramic coated car. The coating isn't providing much gloss – information technology's the prep work done underneath that matters.

Don't believe me? The photos of my MR2 in this post speak for themselves. You lot'll be surprised to know that it's wearing paint sealant from an viii year quondam canteen! (Water beading is corking as well and actually comes very shut to my coated vehicles.)

3. Ceramic coatings are meant for people who don't take care of their cars.

The truth is the exact opposite. Despite their loftier levels of protection, the reality is that ceramic coatings just don't similar getting overly dirty. In my experience, leaving dirt and grime on a coating for a long menstruation of time makes it harder to make clean. The contaminants will stick to it and your PH-neutral soap volition take a hard time getting them off.

In the case of my 4runner, it seems to demand at least 2 washes for the water beading properties to come back after I've left it dingy for too long. The all-time fashion to care for your coating is to wash it advisedly, and often. Stay on summit of maintenance. The benefits of a coating are much more than apparent when information technology'south kept clean.

4. Your vehicle volition be protected from rock chips.

Ceramic coatings are not thick or flexible enough to absorb the impact of a rock hitting your paint at highway speed. The merely way to protect your pigment from stone chips is with a high quality paint protection picture show. These films tend to be much more expensive than ceramic coatings.

5. You can skip straight to applying a coating if your vehicle is brand new.

You'd think this i would be true, simply it's non. Unfortunately, most new vehicles volition be delivered to their owners with defects in the paint. Sanding marks and holograms from improper buffing are the about common.

Sometimes repairs are needed due to issues with the painting procedure or harm done to the vehicle after information technology leaves the manufactory. Car companies don't spend the time or money to repair them properly, so these "fixes" volition show up nether certain lighting conditions.

If your car saturday on the dealer's lot for some fourth dimension, it'due south too very possible that it'south been done incorrectly. That ways it'll already be covered with swirl marks. Unfortunately, this applies to every car company, from Hyundai to Ferrari. Your paint will demand to be properly inspected and corrected before information technology'due south ready for a coating, regardless of whether information technology's new or not.

6. Ceramic coatings volition last for years considering they accept warranties.

It's hard to say for sure how long any blanket will last. Certain variables volition affect this such as the way the vehicle is done and the climate it lives in. Many businesses will offer warranties on their coatings to give you peace of mind, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they'll last as long as they say they will.

They unremarkably take requirements to keep the warranty valid. Y'all need to have proof that yous washed the vehicle correctly and every bit often every bit they recommend. Sometimes they'll even make yous reapply the coating over time to qualify for the warranty.

They take these loopholes to protect themselves if the coating fails prematurely. Much like any other warranty, they're not expecting anybody to follow the rules perfectly and that's an easy way out.

It'southward best to call back of your coating as a sacrificial bulwark of protection. Information technology may last many years, or it may have to sacrifice itself early to protect your paint. It doesn't buy you a guaranteed corporeality of time and there is no such thing as a "lifetime coating". Don't autumn for that.

For more on how long a ceramic coating will final in the real globe, click here:

7. Anyone can apply a ceramic coating themselves.

The coatings that offering the about protection for the longest corporeality of time are for professionals only. The reason for this is that the coating is so strong that in the outcome something goes incorrect it can simply exist removed by moisture sanding. The companies don't want the liability of yous messing upwardly your pigment, and then they only offering these to their accredited detailing businesses.

There's usually a process required to go an accredited detailer. It involves proving to the company that they are experienced and know what they're doing. Finding 1 of these detailers will give you lot peace of heed knowing that they have the correct skills for the job.

Most ceramic blanket companies have a milder "prosumer" version of their flagship coating that they offer to DIY detailers. It might seem like anyone can apply these themselves without problems, merely that'south not always the greatest idea.

The awarding can all the same be tricky, and you demand to take a very clean environment with correct lighting to do a proper chore. In my stance, unless you have plenty of feel with pigment correction, these coatings are too best left to the professionals to apply.

These don't need to be wet sanded to be removed, but if you accept whatsoever leftover loftier spots it volition certainly require compounding and polishing to ready. It's non always as like shooting fish in a barrel as the guys in the videos brand it look.

8. Ceramic coated vehicles tin can be washed with h2o only.

Perhaps if your auto is but slightly dusty, you might be able to get away with rinsing it off and blow drying information technology. If you're going to touch your paint though, h2o is never plenty lubrication on its own.

Any company that claims yous tin can use simply h2o and a towel to launder your vehicle should be avoided. That will surely cause scratches. You need to utilize a soap that'south recommended for ceramic coatings. That brings me to the next point I'd similar to discuss:

Washing your car with PH Neutral Soap

Most blanket companies recommend that you only employ PH neutral soaps to launder your coated vehicle. At that place's aught wrong with that in itself. These soaps are the safest to use because they're and so mild. Nosotros originally started using them considering they won't strip the wax or sealant from our paint.

The problem arises when you're dealing with a very dirty vehicle. If your lather isn't stiff enough to strip a wax or sealant, that ways it's also not strong enough to remove road grime, oils, and even problems splatter. So if you choose to stick with these mild soaps, y'all need to wash your vehicle ofttimes to keep it from getting to the signal of beingness "dirty".

Scott from Dallas Paint Correction and Auto Detailing has touched on this quite a fleck on his Youtube channel. If this concept interests you, I highly advise you bank check him out.

The other option is to use stronger chemicals and cleaners but then you could be risking the longevity of your coating. You run into, the base coating is more stiff enough to withstand this treatment, but most coatings are done in 2 split layers.

The base of operations coating is tough and needs to be sanded or compounded to exist removed. But the peak blanket that adds the actress gloss and hydrophobic properties (the fancy h2o beading) is much easier to remove.

How like shooting fish in a barrel it comes off will vary depending on the make of coating and the historic period of information technology. Yours might hold up to the employ of stronger chemicals. But with the toll of ceramic blanket, practise you really want to take the run a risk to notice out?

I learned this the hard way with my 4runner. I used a diluted all purpose cleaner to aid break down excessive dirt and after a few washes, it stripped the coating'due south top layer.

Ceramic coating is a coin-maker

I believe businesses should ever be profitable. There's nil wrong with making coin. The name of the game for a business is to sell as much of your product to every bit many people as possible. I don't think what the coating companies are doing here is incorrect. But I do think you need to understand what's going on equally a potential customer.

A quick look at your coating company's product line volition usually reveal more than just coatings. They'll have a bunch of other products that are designed to work with your coating. The use of fancy branding and clever names makes them wait like a desirable "matching set."

What's the deal?

The fact is, ceramic coatings do require special care. These companies would love for yous to throw away your current detailing products and purchase all of theirs. Again, I don't necessarily call up in that location's annihilation incorrect with that. If you like their products, purchase as much equally you want. Continue this in mind though:

The clear glaze on your paint is in that location to protect information technology. That's its task. Now we add together a ceramic coating on meridian to protect the articulate coat. Next, you need to protect your long term ceramic coating with a shorter term "topcoat". This topcoat needs to exist protected with the utilize of a blanket specific detail spray.

In order to protect all of this protection, it's recommended that you apply the company'southward special blanket specific soap. Now you're at a bespeak where yous're concerned almost protecting the protection of your protection. See how quickly this tin can get out of manus?

It's important for you lot to know that the initial buy of your blanket might not be your simply expense. If you lot don't follow the recommended maintenance, there's no guarantee how long your coating will terminal or how well it will perform. It costs money to await after your coating properly. And the coating companies are making millions from it.

How exercise paint sealants compare to ceramic coatings?

Now that we know what it takes to treat a ceramic coating, let's talk about how waxes and paint sealants compare. There's something to exist said about the simplicity of a wax or sealant.

Outset, the toll of having them applied is at least x times less than a ceramic blanket. Is the protection yous get from a blanket 10 times better than a sealant? That'southward a tough telephone call. The beauty of a pigment sealant is that information technology offers some protection while existence easy to remove, and inexpensive to replace. For example:

You observe a few light scratches on your driver's door. A mobile detailer can come up and buff these out, and so re-seal the area in a thing of minutes. He can even do it outside in your driveway. Good luck doing that with a ceramic coated vehicle.

First, the coating needs to be removed from the whole panel, then the harm can be fixed, then information technology needs to exist re-coated. You cannot spot treat scratches on a coated vehicle.

Has your vehicle been neglected to the signal where it's covered with traffic film and clay? No problem. Hit it with a potent car lather (stripping the sealant) and re-seal it. You avoid potentially spending hundreds of dollars on coating specific intendance products.

For these reasons alone, I believe paint sealants will never die. They offer decent (although shorter lasting) protection and are much easier and cheaper to both apply and maintain. Bank check out this post for ways to get the near out of your paint sealant.

What almost wax? Is it expressionless?

Absolutely not. I don't retrieve there'southward whatsoever production out there that offers more than clarity and shine than a high quality carnuba wax. Waxes are still incredibly pop with show machine owners and car collectors.

All they care most is the appearance of their pigment. Their cars don't demand a ton of protection because they're and then well cared for and rarely run into anything just sunny weather condition. Some of them don't even get outside. These cars take nil to gain from a ceramic coating.

Paint sealants tend to give your pigment more of a synthetic look (as do some ceramic coatings). It's kind of hard to explain if you haven't seen it for yourself. It isn't wearisome or hazy, just a flake "muted". This is easily remedied by adding a thin layer of wax on top.

While this technique is now considered sometime school, information technology'due south even so very effective. The wax volition boost the longevity of the sealant, and when applied to properly polished paint, it looks fantastic. Waxing your machine is also therapeutic for many people.

Then the comparison between the wax/sealant philharmonic and ceramic coatings is quite elementary. Permit's presume in both cases that the vehicle has had a proper pigment correction before either option is practical.

It comes down to this: Paint sealants are cheaper, offering less protection and are easier utilise. Ceramic coatings offer much better protection, but are expensive and crave more than care.

That'due south the reality of ceramic coatings, folks. I don't want you to think I'one thousand completely against them because I'm not. Keep in mind that 2 of my 3 vehicles are coated. It's a keen pick if you tin can afford it and care for it properly!

But the truth is, no product on the market place will put a bulletproof strength field of protection effectually your car. The best mode to protect your vehicle is to take proper care of information technology. In that location's no magic product that will allow you to avoid this. I hope y'all've found this post helpful in making your decision.

Brand sure to cheque out my Recommended Products page for all of my favorite waxes, sealants, and ceramic coatings. Have y'all decided that ceramic coating is for you? Read on to find out how to tell the difference between a cheap ceramic coating and a high-quality one.

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