How To Get Paint Perfectly Clean Before Aplying A Sealant

Ceramic coatings are the best way to protect your vehicle's pigment from UV rays, acrid rain, bird droppings, problems splatter, and a host of other contaminants. They produce a concrete layer on top of the paint, repelling rain and water and preventing dirt and grime from sticking to the surface, producing a sort of self-cleaning effect.

Ane of the major benefits of ceramic coatings is they last a long time - normally a minimum of 12 months for the cheapest and lowest form products.

Only what if you want to remove a ceramic coating? Well, you're in for a conditioning. Ceramic coatings are an absolute chore to remove.

In this article, nosotros'll walk yous through the different methods of removing a ceramic coating from your vehicle.

Allow'due south get started and remove that onetime ceramic coating!

Torque Detail Decontamination Kit

Ceramic Coating Removal Kit

This kit provides all you need to remove almost ceramic coatings as well as harmful contaminants that sit down on your paint'south surface. *For tough ceramic coatings, further work may be needed as described later on in this guide*

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Why Would You Want To Remove A Ceramic Coating?

Then you might be asking yourself: if ceramic coatings are so adept, why would I want to take mine off?

In a perfect world, yous'd bulldoze your automobile to a detailing shop and order a full detailing service and a professional-class ceramic blanket. Such a service is definitely available - however, information technology costs several thousands of dollars, and unless you bulldoze a very expensive vehicle it may not be in your upkeep.

If you bulldoze a regular car like the residue of us, you lot're probably winging your ceramic coating yourself - and that where the bug start.

Do You Always Have To Remove The Ceramic Blanket Completely?

No, not always.

Perhaps there's just one spot where hazing occurs or just a couple of scratches you want to polish off.

If the surface of the torso panels is perfectly clear with great terminate and shine, AND if the ceramic coating nonetheless exhibits all of its qualities, you lot don't need to strip it down completely.

Instead, y'all can just remove it on the spots you want to the address so reapply.

Conversely, there may be no paint issues to correct and the auto all the same looks like a million bucks - information technology'due south just that the coating is no longer working as it once was. Information technology's lost its hydrophobic properties, and you lot discover the motorcar is getting a lot dirtier a lot quicker than it used to.

In this case, yous tin simply utilize a new coat of ceramic later on thoroughly washing and decontaminating the vehicle. Ceramic coatings tin can be applied on peak of each other. The layers are extremely sparse and easily bond to one another, provided the vehicle is carefully prepped.

At that place'due south a caveat, nonetheless: it's only advised to apply a ceramic coating on an existing layer if they are the verbal aforementioned product. Unlike formulations might not bond properly to each other, which will reduce the longevity of your coating, and y'all'll then have to do it all over over again sooner than normal.

Preparing The Car For Ceramic Coating Removal

Now then, if you definitely accept to remove the ceramic blanket, you need to start with a thorough cleaning and preparation session.

No matter how new, clean, or protected your auto is, meticulous cleaning is ever required. You'll exist surprised how much grit, clay, airborne pollutants, and contamination there is on your automobile.

In order to properly remove a ceramic coating and subsequently utilize a new layer, y'all need a surgically-make clean vehicle.

Stage 1: Rinse The Vehicle

Rinse the automobile first to wash abroad all loose dirt and debris. Utilise light pressure to prevent propelling hard mud and debris at high speed toward the surface of your paint.

Phase 2: Decontamination

After rinsing, even if it looks like the car is perfectly make clean, in that location's going to be a number of particles still lodged in the surfaces and pores of the pigment. Nosotros're talking about mineral deposits, salts, iron grit, leftover grease and grime, tar, etc. There's all kinds of contamination picked up from the surrounding environment.

Reminder: Every product y'all need to complete this step is bundled in our Ultimate Decon Kit.

Decon Lather is an all-in-one production that non only acts as a auto shampoo, but likewise a contaminate remover. Information technology'll remove everything from your wax layer, all the way up to brake dust, grime, problems guts, fe, and more. If you did not employ Decon Soap in the previous step, you lot'll take to expect for individual decontamination products. It might even be enough to get your ceramic coating off if it has degraded enough.

Finally, after chemically removing all possible contaminants, it'due south time for a clay bar pass. Our Dirt Decon Kit includes all you need to consummate this step. Instead of a typical clay bar, nosotros include a dirt pad. It'due south a lot easier to utilise, more durable, and information technology can be used up to 100 times. A clay bar must exist thrown out if you driblet it on the basis. A clay pad tin can simply be washed off with the included clay lube and you're proficient to go!

No matter how many products you lot've used, at that place's ever going to exist some stubborn stuff that has embedded itself within the actual layers of the pigment. The clay bar will pick the majority of these bonded contaminants and leave the surface as close to perfect as tin can practically be achieved.

Remember to use lots of dirt bar lubricant to keep the surface wet at all times while claying. Use light pressure level and fold your clay over frequently to betrayal a fresh surface. Using a clay bar without a dirt bar is like shaving without shaving cream. You demand the lubrication to avert causing damage.

Here's How To Remove A Ceramic Blanket

A high-terminate nano coating (ceramic coating) really bonds to a vehicle's painted surface. This is completely different than wax. The above decontamination procedure works all-time if the blanket has already started deteriorating. Otherwise, the below methods will be required.

Here are some more heavy duty and effective methods for removing the coating.

Testing the coating

The outset step is to examination the properties of the ceramic coating:

Does it yet showroom hydrophobic backdrop?
Is the surface slick and slippery to the touch?
Are yous seeing a modify in the reflectivity and smooth?

Typically, ceramic coatings cannot exist removed through washing and are highly resistant to various chemicals. However, a low-quality or an sometime and deteriorated ceramic coating will exist more susceptible to erosion.

If you went through all the cleaning and preparation steps meticulously, chances are you've already removed a portion of the ceramic coating and most definitely any wax or pigment sealant that may have been applied. As soft as information technology seems, dirt bars are actually abrasive, so in combination with other products, they may be able to strip away the coating.

If the coating is still holding strong, you need to start with the manufacturer'south literature and bank check if there are whatsoever specific instructions for the coating'southward removal procedure. This is important.

Method 1: Chemical removal of ceramic coatings

Nosotros mentioned already that ceramic coatings are very resistant to chemicals. However, that's not entirely true in all cases. Ceramic coatings fare extremely well against acids and salts, which are the bulk of chemicals the vehicle will encounter out in the environment.

Nonetheless, on the opposite side of the pH calibration, alkaline products such as degreasers volition assault the ceramic coating aggressively and pause down its bond with the surface, making it easier to remove. Even so, there'due south a caveat.

Alert: Your clear coat is just as vulnerable to element of group i products (degreasers, brake cleaners, etc.) equally the ceramic coating is. If you lot use too stiff a production or let information technology dwell on the surface, information technology tin can swallow through the blanket and attack the clear coat and underlying pigment layers. If not used advisedly and with utter attention, alkaline products can damage and compromise your paint irreversibly.

With that in mind, y'all can mix a DIY solution of wheel and brake cleaner diluted five:i with ordinary h2o. Mix thoroughly in a spray canteen and spray on the torso panel.

While it's still wet and soapy, pick up a new piece of clay and dirt the surface, agitating the product. Make certain to piece of work apace and use light pressure. When you're washed, rinse thoroughly with a power washer.

In a 5:i solution, the wheel cleaner should be fairly harmless to your paint. Still, yous don't want it on the surface a 2nd longer than information technology needs to be. Information technology's always a skillful idea to test in an inconspicuous place showtime.

When you think you're done, test the ceramic coating again to run into how much you've removed. Watch the video below to see how it's washed.

Chemical removal is constructive for old and degraded ceramic coatings, equally well as for lower quality products that contain a smaller percent of SiO2 particles. Professional-grade products, however, may not give in as hands.

Method 2: Polishing off ceramic coatings

The only universally accepted method to remove ceramic coatings is mechanical chafe. Since the ceramic coating is a physical layer, polishing is the only surefire way to remove it 100% and betrayal the articulate coat underneath.

In fact, many of the loftier-course professional ceramic coatings claim the just mode to remove them is through machine polishing.

If y'all're removing the coating considering of bad application, clarify the coating for high spots and aberrant thickness. If such are present, yous want to moisture sand them by hand before taking out the big gun.

Use fine sandpaper and a fair amount of lubricant on the surface. Start with 3000 grit and, if necessary, move downwards to more ambitious grit until you lot see the ceramic coating wearing off. Just be careful to non eat into the clear glaze.

Later all the loftier spots are addressed, the rest of the process is the same as polishing an uncoated vehicle.

Take hold of your random-orbit machine polisher and equip information technology with a medium cutting pad and a medium to light polishing compound.
Apply an appropriate amount of compound to the pad, post-obit the production's clarification.
Dab the surface several times to spread the paste, and start the car on the lowest setting to evenly apply information technology across the body panel.
Then, switch to a higher setting and begin polishing. Move the machine approximately i inch per second. Don't let it sit in the aforementioned spot to prevent overheating the area and marring the surface.
Buff out the panel and audit the result. Test the coating to come across if information technology was completely removed.
If y'all don't like the consequence, you can step downward to a more aggressive polishing compound. Still, you will virtually likely need to perform a 2nd laissez passer with a lighter product to remove the scratches left past the previous operation.
Polish the clear coat until you're satisfied with the surface quality.

After polishing the vehicle, it should be 100% free of any ceramic coating.

Final prep before re-applying the new coating

You're nearly done.

Polishing tin leave fine dust and other particles on the trunk panel. You'll get most of this out when buffing the surface, but the nooks and crannies, especially on a more edgy car, will retain some amount.

Wash the car with regular lather one more time and dry thoroughly. Every bit a final mensurate, do a final wipe-down with IPA - a 50/50 mix of isopropyl booze and water.

Alert: Don't apply any waterless wash products before applying your new ceramic coating! Those tin comprise polymer sealants, synthetic waxes, and even some per centum of SiO2. While they work bully for maintaining your automobile on a daily ground, they'll forbid the ceramic coating from properly adhering to the surface of the clear coat, compromising its longevity and protective properties.

Summary

Okay, allow's quickly recap what we've learned.

You lot need to remove ceramic coatings when they:

Have deteriorated and no longer showroom hydrophobic or self-cleaning backdrop
Were poorly installed and resulted in a bad finish
Were low-quality to brainstorm with and don't perform every bit expected

Before removing a ceramic coating, you need to properly make clean and prep the vehicle, which includes:

Washing cycle using regular car soap and the two-saucepan method
Decontamination cycle using iron, tar, and mineral deposit removers as well as a clay bar

You can remove a ceramic coating past:

Using the chemical method with a diluted alkaline metal solution and a clay bar - works effectively on lower grade or deteriorated coatings
Using car polishing to abrade the blanket abroad - works finer on all coatings

Alright, that's certainly been a hassle. Removing ceramic coatings is a lot of piece of work - and the meliorate they are, the harder it is to have them off.

If y'all're interested in an easier to utilize ceramic coating, why not try Ceramic Spray by TorqueDetail ?

This is an easy-to-use spray ceramic coating that you can install in just a few minutes, and which provides a great level of protection against UV and chemicals. The easiest way to ceramic coat your vehicle and protect paintwork. Furthermore, Ceramic Spray gives your paint hydrophobic and self-cleaning backdrop. Finally, you get to savour an amazing shine and beautiful reflections.

And as an added benefit, if yous ever desire to remove it, it's many times easier compared to a traditional ceramic coating.

Hither'south to extending the life of our car's pigment!

Written by Dan Sweeney

COO of Torque Particular & Certified Car Detailer

I help run the day to day for America's Number #1 Auto Wax Mirror Shine by Torque Detail. Every bit a Certified Detailer past the International Detailing Association, I utilize that knowledge to help create products that go professional grade results with super elementary awarding techniques.