Ceramic coating a car can be a daunting process if you’ve not done it before. It’s a big job and does take quite a while to make sure you get the application right, but how long exactly do you need to set aside?
In this article I’ll explain how long the preparation, application and curing stages of a ceramic coating take so you know exactly how to plan your time.
How Long Does a Ceramic Coating Take to Apply?
The process of applying a ceramic coating typically takes 2-3 days to perform. The preparation stages required usually take 1-2 days to complete whilst the coating itself should only take approximately 1 hour to apply. The coating must also be left to cure which usually takes 12-24 hours.
Considering applying a ceramic coating at home? Check out my in-depth guide to applying a ceramic coating to learn everything you need to know.
Time Needed for Coating Preparation
Preparing the paintwork for a coating is the most labour intensive aspect of the process. The coating application itself is relatively quick, but the preparation does take a good while.
It’s essential that you properly prepare the surface to make sure the coating bonds to the paintwork properly. This means it needs to be fully decontaminated, polished and panel wiped. Otherwise, the coating will fail and not achieve anywhere close to its maximum durability capability.
Here are all the steps involved and how long they will take on different sized cars.
| Coating Prep Stage | Small Car e.g. Honda Jazz | Mid-Sized Car e.g. Toyota Corolla | Large Car e.g. Audi Q5 |
| Pre-Wash and Contact Wash | 60 minutes | 75 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Chemical Decontamination (Iron Fallout and Tar) | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Physical Decontamination (Clay Bar) | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 30 minutes |
| Wash Again and Dry | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Paintwork Inspection | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
| Machine Polishing | 3-4 hours | 4-5 hours | 5-6 hours |
| Panel Wipe Solution | 10 minutes | 15 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Total | 6-6.5 hours | 7.5-8 hours | 9-9.5 hours |
The wash and decontamination steps are all fairly straightforward and if you have everything packed up and ready, and then work efficiently it should only take 2-3 hours. However, if it’s your first time then you may need an extra hour or so to get to grips with things.
It’s the machine polishing stage where the time required really starts to vary.
If the car only requires a single-stage machine polishing using either a 1-step product or light finishing polish, then most cars will only require around 3 hours of work if you get a good polish and pad combination.
However, if you are going for a two-stage machine polish to remove heavier defects, then it’s likely that the time required will double.
You also need to allow for some extra time if you are struggling to find a good pad and polish combo to suit the paintwork. It’s best to start with your test section, nail the combo and then you can move more quickly around the rest of the car without having to inspect the paint as closely after every section.
If you want to learn more about the preparation process, make sure you check out my complete guide to applying a ceramic coating at home.
Time Needed for Coating Application
On most medium-sized cars, the application of a ceramic coating will take between 30 minutes and 1 hour. The process is pretty straightforward and if you have prepared the paint correctly and follow the coating’s instructions then it should be a pain-free process.
Some coatings take longer to apply than others as they all have different “flash times”. The flash time refers to the amount of time you need to wait between spreading the coating and buffing it.
Coatings with very short flash times e.g. 15-20 seconds will usually require you to work a panel at a time so you’ll need to spread the coating, wait and then buff.
It is possible to spread the product on two small sections at a time and then by the time you have applied the coating to the second, it’ll be time to buff off the first section. This helps to speed things up a bit. However unless you feel confident, it’s a good idea to take a more patient approach especially if its your first time.
Coatings with longer flash times e.g. 1-2 minutes allow you to coat 2-3 sections at once and then buff them off in order after you’ve coated the final section. So, although you may think the process will take longer, it can actually be faster to coat the entire car if you work efficiently with this type of coating.
| Ceramic Coating | Recommended Time to Wait Before Buffing |
| TAC Systems Quartz | Remove Immediately |
| Pyramid Car Care Professional | 5-15 seconds |
| Gyeon Pure Evo | 10-30 seconds |
| Sonax ProfiLine CC36 | 30-60 seconds |
| Gtechniq EXO v4 | 1-2 minutes |
| Carbon Collective Platinum Paint | 1-2 minutes |
| Angelwax Enigma Legacy | 2 minutes |
Top-Coats and Layering
Some ceramic coatings are designed to be used as stand-alone products, whereas others are designed to be layered.
For example, the Pyramid Car Care Premium, Pro and New Era coatings are all designed to be applied in a single layer making the application process very quick.
However, some coatings such as Garage Therapy Cerberus works best when it is “topped” with their Chimera coating 12 hours after application.
Some brands (e.g. Ultracoat) recommend that you apply two layers of all their coatings.
Hence, you need to factor in this additional time if you are applying a topper or multiple layers of the same coating.
Time Needed for Coating to Cure
Once a ceramic coating has been applied, it must be left to cure. This is when the coating fully hardens and it’s vital that it does not get wet during this period otherwise the coating can fail.
On average, a ceramic coating will need to cure for 12-24 hours after it has been applied. The car should not be driven or get wet during this period.
The manufacturers of many coatings state that the car must be kept indoors for this period, however there are some coatings (e.g. Pyramid Car Care and Gyeon Evo) that can be applied and left to cure outside.
However you must keep a close eye on the weather. The ambient temperature also ideally needs to be above 10 degrees Celcius.
Here is a list of some popular coatings and their cure times.
| Ceramic Coating | Initial Curing Time (Before the Coating is Exposed to the Elements) |
| Pyramid Car Care Range | 4 hours |
| Autoglym Ultra High Definition | 4 hours |
| Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light/ C1 | 12 hours |
| Nanolex Si3D HD | 12 hours |
| CarPro Cquartz 3.0 | 12-24 hours |
| Adam’s UV Ceramic | 12-24 hours |
| Liquid Elements Eco Shield | 12-24 hours |
| Gyeon EVO Range | 12-24 hours |
| TAC Systems Quartz Power Plus | 24 hours |
Check out my article on ceramic coating cure times to learn more.
Organising Your Time
On average, the preparation and application process of a ceramic coating will usually span across 2-days. In some cases, you may need an extra day if the machine polishing stage is taking longer than expected.
So how should you organise your time?
You can do the decontamination and machine polishing stage on the first day if possible. Then the following day you can apply the coating in the morning. This will give you the ideal conditions to let the product properly cure, however it risks dust settling on the car overnight which is hard to remove safely without re-washing the vehicle.
Alternatively, you can decontaminate the car on the first day, and then polish and coat it on the second day. This is fine if you are doing a single-stage polish. Otherwise, it’s unlikely you’ll have time to polish and coat the car on a single day.
Looking to learn more? Check out this complete guide to ceramic coatings for more information.
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Thank you so much for talking about how long ceramic coatings can end up taking. Applying something like this could definitely work out for our large family RV but only if we have enough time for it so that it’s applied properly. I’ll focus on that when I take my RV to a local car detailing expert in the area who can help us out with the coatings.