Ceramic Coatings and Paint Protection Films are the latest technology in automotive paint protection products. If you are considering investing in long term automotive paint protection, you may be wondering if a Ceramic Coating or Paint Protection Film (PPF) is best for you and your car. In this article we will be listing all of the differences, benefits, and how to decide on your protection solution.

Ceramic Coatings Defined

Ceramic Nano Coatings add powerfully durable protection to your paintwork while also enhancing the gloss and eliminating the need for waxing or sealants. With years of protection from UV damage, swirl mark resistance, chemical repellency, and self cleaning properties. Coatings chemically bond to the surface of your vehicle after an in depth paint cleansing and polishing process.

To be technical, a Ceramic Coating is a resin nano technology that chemically bonds to the paint of your vehicle to form a layer of protection and sealant of the paint system. In plain English, the Ceramic Coating attaches itself to your vehicle’s paint and creates a hardened layer of protection and shine. You can learn more about the specifics of ceramic coatings by clicking here.

What does a Ceramic Coating do?

• Resists chemicals, mud, and general grime
• Prevents UV damage such as fading and oxidation
• Prevents (not completely protects from) swirl marks
• Creates a slick surface with enhanced shine and gloss
• Prevents chemical stains and etching
• Makes cleaning simpler and faster, thanks to the hydrophobic properties the coating heavily resists chemicals, grime, and contaminants
• Eliminates the need for traditional waxes and or paint sealants

How long do Ceramic Coatings last?

With an entire industry behind modern ceramic coatings, there is a massive amount of choices and products on the market. On average, a consumer grade ceramic coating will last 6 months to 1 year. While professional grade ceramic coatings, such as our FEYNLAB Ceramic Coatings, add 3-5+ years of warrantied protection. With proper maintenance and regular details, your coating can last far passed the five year mark and we even offer a Lifetime Coating Membership.

How much do Ceramic Coatings cost?

Consumer grade coatings range from $50-200 when you buy a DYI coating. Professional grade coatings will range from $500-1,000 or more depending on your selection and installer. Our most popular coating is FEYNLAB Ceramic Ultra, which is a 5 Year Warranty Paint Coating. This coating runs at $895 after a proper Paint Correction polishing process has been completed.

Paint Protection Film Defined

Paint Protection FIlm, commonly known as clear-bra or PPF, is a thermoplastic urethane film that is installed to automotive finishes to provide a thick layer of protection that often features self healing abilities from light scratching. Due to the increased thickness of PPF compared to Ceramic Coatings, Paint Protection Film can absorb significant damage such as rock chips, deeper scratching, and swirl marks.

The ultimate benefit of Paint Protection Film is the protection aspect. No other product on the market can protect from rock chips and scratching on this level. Being an actual film, the thickness comapred to a ceramic coating is far greater, resulting in the ability to prevent paint damage.

Outstanding protection against rock chips, scratching, sun damage, and essentially anything the road throws at it -- Paint Protection Film is the ultimate paint protection. With projectile absorption, self healing technology, and chemical resistance, there is no better solution to protecting your vehicle.

How much does Paint Protection Film cost?

Paint Protection Film will be significantly more expensive than any ceramic coating. This is due to a labor intensive process and increased cost of the film itself compared to the liquid resin cost of a ceramic coating. Film Installation requires a highly skilled installer that can properly install the film without causing damage or leaving defects in the film.

Having PPF installed on your entire front end will range from $1,995-2,995 depending on the vehicle. Because of this, Partial Front End installs have become popular, covering the highest at risk areas of the first half of your front end. Partial installs will run in the $1,195-2,000 range, again, depending on the vehicle. Full body film installation will be significantly more expensive, ranging from $6,000-20,000 on average.

Which should I choose?

The great thing about these two protection products is that they work best together. When you combine a full front end or even full body Paint Protection Film with one of our professional grade Ceramic Coatings, you will obtain the highest level of protection and gloss enhancement possible. We generally recommend a full front end PPF install combined with our 5 Year Ceramic Coating on the entire vehicle, including on top of the film. This ensures a uniform gloss and incredibly durable protection on all surfaces of your vehicle.

We would love the chance to earn your business and transform your vehicle with the ultimate automotive protection and cosmetic appearance enhancement products in the world. Start your experience by submitting our contact form here.

Often known as "buffing," paint correction is the process of refining automotive paintwork using a machine polisher to remove scratching, swirls, fading, and other paint damage. Often times we are asked if a new vehicle needs any polishing or paint correction prior to applying a ceramic coating. The answer is: It can absolutely help create a better appearance but isn't necessarily required.

Even new vehicles will have some amount of scratching in the paintwork due to improper washing methods done by auto dealerships and sometimes even from the factory or transport from the factory to the dealership. Because of this, it is generally a good idea to remove any defects you can prior to having a professional grade ceramic coating installed on your new vehicle.

Furthermore, no detailing process creates as much gloss, clarity, and depth as a proper paint correction process, not even ceramic coatings or waxing. With that in mind -- you may want a minor paint correction done on your new vehicle to enhance the finish to the best possible condition, even if the surface doesn't have much or any scratching/swirl marks.

We have had many customers surprised by how much pearl is actually in their vehicle's paintwork that they simply didn't see before paint correction. Paint Correction does create a better than new gloss and clarity that just cannot be beat by any other method.

Paint Correction is definitely our most popular service these days. With the ability to restore defected paint from swirl marks, minor scratching, fading, oxidation, water spots, and more, all in one process. It is easy to see why this service is so popular. 

What Is “Paint Correction?” 

In technical terms, Paint Correction is the process of very slowly and intentionally using a Variable Speed Dual Action Machine Polisher to remove defects from the surface of a vehicle’s clear coat paint, in combination with polishes and compounds to assist in the clearest result possible.

In basic terms, we polish your paint back to a clear and glossy surface using a variety of steps, processes, and products. 

What ISN’T Paint Correction?

There are plenty of common mistakes and misunderstandings when it comes to knowledge of Paint Correction. Let’s break down the most common. 

• Paint Correction is not a painting service

This is a common misunderstanding for us. When you hear the words “Paint” and “Correction” together It can be easy to assume that it has something to do with painting the vehicle, when it actually does not.

Paint Correction does not involve any painting or even any rock chip filling or deep scratch filling. It is simply polishing the surface of the paint to Its best possible condition, without the need for painting.

• Paint Correction is not a magical remedy for destroyed paint

If your paint is in very bad or even horrible condition, likely Paint Correction is not the best answer for your issue. While we can improve the condition of your paint, at a certain level it is just not worth the time and energy for minimal improvement. At that point, we highly recommend getting your vehicle re-painted or even vinyl wrapped.

• Paint Correction is not the same for every vehicle 

Often times we are asked to do “what you did to my buddies truck” for a potential customer. This is a problem because every car has not only a different type of paint but a different condition too.

Every vehicle we correct undergoes a similar but distinctly different process. Some vehicles only need one stage of polishing to correct 90-95% of the paint Issues, while others require two or even three-plus stages to get the same result.

It all comes down to the current condition of your paint and the specific brand of your vehicle and what paint was used at the factory. With technical knowledge and understanding of this, we are able to correct a large variety of vehicles with confidence.

• Paint Correction is not a forever solution

It is vital to understand that Paint Correction is not a permanent preventive for future damage. The issues it fixes are truly fixed, but they will happen again without proper care and paint protection in the future.

Paint Correction solves the issues on the paint, it does not add any surface protection. 

That Is why we always include a 6–12 month lasting premium paint sealant coating for all corrections to ensure a layer of gloss enhancing defense is in place. The best option after a correction is to get the ultimate paint protection, a Ceramic Coating.

How much does It cost?

At Spades, our Paint Corrections start as low as $995 and ranges upwards of $2,495+ for multi-step corrections. As you now understand a bit better, paint correction is a long process of technical and careful work.

In the end, we use a large variety of processes, products, and polishers to achieve the best possible result for each specific vehicle we see.

Ceramic Coatings are without a doubt one of the best solutions to keeping your vehicle looking like new for years to come. It is also without a doubt one of the most misunderstood services and products on the market.

What really is a Ceramic Coating? 

To be technical, a Ceramic Coating is a resin nano technology that chemically bonds to the paint of your vehicle to form a layer of protection and sealant.

In plain English, the Ceramic Coating attaches itself to your vehicle’s paint and creates a hardened layer of protection and shine.

What does a Ceramic Coating do?

• Resists chemicals, mud, and general grime
• Prevents UV damage such as fading and oxidation
• Prevents (not completely protects from) swirl marks
• Creates a slick surface with enhanced shine and gloss
• Prevents chemical stains and etching
• Makes cleaning simpler and faster, thanks to the hydrophobic properties the coating heavily resists chemicals, grime, and contaminants
• Eliminates the need for traditional waxes and or paint sealants

Do all vehicles need a paint correction polishing before application?

Whether your paint is like new or needs some love, we will correct it to the best condition possible using a multi-step machine polishing process that removes swirls, minor scratching, oxidation, and water spots for a near-perfect finish included and required for your coating. This is a vital step on cars new and old alike to ensure the best possible surface before the ceramic is applied.

Remember, you won't be able to fix paint imperfections after the layer of ceramic is applied. It is always important to handle these issues before application.

How much do Ceramic Coatings cost? 

That is without a doubt the most common Ceramic Coating question detailers get. The answer is that it mostly depends on the condition of your paint. 

In general, you can expect to pay a professional anywhere from $500–5,000+ for a full Ceramic Coating.

For our customers here in Las Vegas, our prices start as low as $995 for a Paint Correction and 1 Year Ceramic Coating. Our most common Ceramic sale is in the $1495 range for a multi-step correction and 5 Year Ceramic Coating package. These packages are for the exterior paint only. Expect to pay more for trim, glass, plastic, interior, and or metal coatings.

Plus, all of our coatings are backed by the coating manufacturer warranty, our Craftsmanship Satisfaction Guarantee, and our Ceramic Coating Warranty. We will always do whatever it takes to ensure you are happy with your purchase and that your coating is performing as expected.

Common Myths and Misconceptions About Ceramic Coatings

• Myth: Ceramic Coatings stop all scratches and swirls from happening

While Ceramic Coatings certainly will resist many minor scratches and swirl marks, they simply don’t have the strength to stop all of them. The only true protection from scratching is a Clear Bra wrap.

• Myth: Ceramic Coatings don’t require any maintenance 

Ceramic Coated vehicles absolutely still require cleaning and maintenance. Luckily, this process does become significantly faster and easier with a coating. Proper washing and care will extend the life of your coating and keep it looking amazing.

We recommend hand washing for best results. Adding Adam’s Polishes Ceramic Boost Spray every 4–5 washes before drying and after washing, will increase the shine and durability of any ceramic coating and is highly recommended but not required by any means.

• Myth: Ceramic Coatings are completely permanent and cannot be removed

All Ceramic Coatings can be removed, albeit, not always easily. Depending on the strength of a coating, it can be removed by a machine polisher or for heavier duty coatings, via wet sanding.

• Myth: Ceramic Coatings are very easy to apply

While the actual application process for most ceramic coating products is relatively simple, the preparation process and product knowledge that comes into play can be far more complicated and make it quite easy to make a mistake.

Like much in the automotive world, most of the work Is In the preparation process. The more time, focus, and knowledge used in the prep work will make all of the difference in the results of your coating.

• Myth: Ceramic Coatings provide more gloss/shine than glazes, waxes, or paint sealants

This is not necessarily true. While Ceramic Coatings can add a significant amount of gloss and shine, that is not to say you can't reach a similar or even higher level of shine with traditional products. The advantage is, however, that you won't need to re-apply every few weeks — months with a ceramic coating, the way you do with traditional waxes, glazes, and sealants.

In the end, Ceramic Coatings are the best option for keeping your entire vehicle’s finish looking like new. With Paint, Metal, Plastic, Interior, and even Glass Ceramic Coatings available, you can have your car looking like new for years to come with a Ceramic Coating.

Protecting your vehicle from the harsh Las Vegas sun, elements of the road, and general wear has never been more streamlined or professional than it is today. With modern Ceramic Coating technology, highly trained detailers, and world class products -- we can achieve the best possible protection for all of your vehicle's surfaces, inside and out.

Our specialized products are specifically developed to semi-permanently bond to the specific surface we are coating. Such as paint, glass, plastic, leather, and even glass. This coatings create a crystal clear layer of protection and immense appearance enhancement that does not wash off and lasts for years, not weeks. Below is a break down of the protection you can expect for some of your surfaces.

Paint
Ceramic Paint Coatings are by far our most popular coating and for good reason. The paintwork of your vehicle is what everyone notices first and its what makes up the entire appearance of your ride. Ensuring proper protection and gloss for your paint shows that you care for your vehicle, keeps the paintwork protection, and results in a stunning appearance. Blocking UV rays, chemicals, and resisting scratching.

Leather
Your leather takes a lot of wear over the years. From clothing dye to abrasion from getting in and out of the vehicle, you want to ensure your leather is properly hydrated and protected. We achieve this with a specialized leather coating formula that adds a layer of OEM appearance protection to your leather surfaces. Preventing staining, resisting chemicals, and leaving a like new finish.

These professional grade coatings offer extreme durability and incredible enhancement, all installed by our automotive experts. You can view our full service list and browse all of the surfaces we can perfect and protect for you by clicking here.

Ensure you are driving with all of your vehicle's surfaces perfected and protected with ceramic coating protection.

Professional Grade Ceramic Coatings are not only one of the most convenient ways to protect your vehicle, they are also the most durable form of ceramic protection for your vehicle. Professional Coatings contain a thicker formula of premium ingredients that result in higher gloss, stronger protection, and longer durability and ceramic coating life over time.

We offer a full lineup of professional only ceramic coatings that do exactly that in our Las Vegas studio. When compared to store brand or even online brand coatings -- nothing has the benefits of a truly professional grade ceramic coating. CarPro cQuartz is the finest example of a professional grade coating that requires an in-depth training and certification process to install and offer to customers, these coatings cannot be purchased by consumers and can only be installed by an accredited professional who took the time to invest in training, experience, and premium products.

Consumer grade coatings are great for quick and easy basic protection. You can buy these coatings online or at your local automotive store. However, it is important to note that this "coatings" are often heavily diluted and not anywhere near as powerful as a professional coating.

Beyond the level of protection you receive with a pro grade coating over a consumer coating, you also get a much longer life time out of your coating. Consumer coating last anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months depending on the product you are using. Sometimes even 2-3 years out of a high end consumer coating. Meanwhile, pro grades last upwards of 5-10+ years and are fully covered by warranties from the coating manufacturer and the detailer who installed your coating, giving you peace of mind if any coating failures or issues arise over the years.

When you want perfection and protection that lasts, you go with a Spades professional grade ceramic coating.