Car is my DD & no garage. Can I ceramic coat?

[DangerDane2008]

Gonna be doing my first paint correction soon. And I would like to ceramic coat it. But everything I’ve seen says I would have to keep the car in a garage for a couple days before I can drive it. But I don’t have a garage, and my car is my only driver. On top of that l be doing the correction at a friend’s house an hour away. Is it kind of impossible for me?

 

[JerseyDrew77]

When applying a true ceramic coat, and not the spray stuff that you buy at Autozone, you will need to apply it in a garage and let it sit for at least 24 hours so it can harden over time. Heat lamps will speed up that process.

 

[DangerDane2008]

When applying a true ceramic coat, and not the spray stuff that you buy at Autozone, you will need to apply it in a garage and let it sit for at least 24 hours so it can harden over time. Heat lamps will speed up that process.

Well… shit.

 

[the]

Well… shit.

I have seen these built outside, may be an option.

 

[Finglonga]

I applied mine outside over three years ago and it is still holding up incredibly well. Paint correction took a couple of days and doing the ceramic coat was done slow and steady to get it right.

 

[Maiden69]

You can do it as long as it will be on a day that you are sure that it will not rain. I would do the paint correction the day before, then the next day paint prep as soon as you get up and apply the coating. That way you are not applying the coating later in the afternoon/evening and have the humidity change create moisture on it that could create stains.

Heat lamps will speed up that process

Yes and no... it depends on the coating, most SiO2 or SiC it will not cure through heat. This is the first thing they tell you when you get certified with OptiCoat Pro. There are a few coatings that need to be applied with IR lamps, and they are mostly sold to Pro installers only. I saw a few recent videos from Jim White and he is using one of those coatings now.

Also, IR lamps big enough for this purpose cost is stupid... Amazon cheap ones are around $200, with decent ones being over $1k.

All coatings flash dry in around 24 hrs, and they shouldn't be touched/washed in the first seven days. OptiCoat recommends applying OptiSeal after 1 hr of application of the coating to act as a sacrificial layer for those seven days. Full cure time take around 30 days and up to 60 days on the cheap stuff out there.

 

[scrllock]

Also you want to avoid direct sunlight while it's curing. But I'd avoid treeshade since you also want to avoid bird crap getting on it until it's fully cured.

 

[JerseyDrew77]

I applied mine outside over three years ago and it is still holding up incredibly well. Paint correction took a couple of days and doing the ceramic coat was done slow and steady to get it right.

Sure, you can do it outside but you are taking a huge risk of it not curing correctly and without any kind of debris, dust, dirt, etc... I know me, personally, would not apply it outside, out in the open.