Properly maintaining and caring for a ceramic coating is the best way to ensure you get the maximum performance and durability that the protection offers. Many enthusiasts wonder if they can wax over a ceramic coating, so here’s everything you need to know.
If you’re in a rush, here’s the quick answer…
Waxes should not be applied over ceramic coatings because they will inhibit the performance, offer very little durabilty and in some cases can degrade the coating itself. Instead, a ceramic-based top up spray should be used such as Gyeon Wet Coat or CarPro Reload.
Problems With Applying a Wax Over a Coating
Inhibits the Coating’s Performance
Ceramic coatings provide the best surface characteristics to keep the car cleaner between washes, and make it easier to actually clean. This is because they feel very slick and are very hydrophobic so repel water very aggressively.
Although waxes do still offer a lot of hydrophobicity and slickness (depending on the exact wax in question), the performance typically is not as good as a ceramic coating.
Whenever you layer products on top of each other, in this case, when layering a wax over a coating, you will only get the surface characteristics of that top layer, hence the wax in this example.
So if you do layer a wax over a coating, you’re really hindering the performance of the coating by layering it with something that doesn’t perform as well. In order to get the maximum level of performance from your coating, you should only layer it with compatible ceramic-based products (more examples of these later).
Poor Durability
Ceramic coatings have “self-cleaning” characteristics to help repel dirt between washes. These self-cleaning characteristics also mean that the coating tends to “shed” waxes if applied over the top. The result is that the durability of the wax applied on top of the coating is likely to be poor.
There are much better options to top-up the ceramic protection for a longer period of time, and which offer a better level of protection.
Can Degrade the Coating
This isn’t the case for every wax/ ceramic combination and heavily depends on the products in question, but it is actually possible for waxes to degrade coatings if applied over the top.
Waxes contain solvents and in some cases, these solvents can actually start to eat away at the coating and permanently hinder the performance, even if the wax is stripped off later down the line.
Although this won’t happen with every wax and coating, I personally do not advise applying a wax over the top of a coating.
The only exception is if the brand itself advises it, and makes a compatible combination.
For example, Pyramid Car Care in the UK make 3 ceramic coatings and a ceramic wax. The ceramic wax they offer can be used stand-alone, or layered on top of their coatings to boost the performance and maximise durability. Since these products are produced by the same brand, and recommended to be used in combination, there’s not any real issue here.
However, what I wouldn’t advise doing, is using the Pyramid Ceramic Wax over another brand’s coating such as CarPro or Gyeon, as you don’t know for sure how they’re react together.
Best Options for Topping Up a Coating
There are many ceramic top-up sprays on the market which are specifically designed to boost the protection of ceramic coatings and do not pose any of the issues mentioned in the section above.
These usually come in three forms:
- Spray and rinse top-up sealants (applied to wet paint)
- Spray ceramic sealants (applied to dry paint)
- Ceramic-infused shampoos
Spray and Rinse Sealants
Spray and rinse sealants are the easiest and quickest to apply, but typically do not last as long as the alternative option which is applied to dry paintwork.
They are applied when the car has been freshly washed and rinsed, but not dried yet. The process typically involves spraying a few times onto a panel and immediately rinsing off. This leaves additional hydrophobic protection which is compatible with the coating. The car can then be dried off as normal.
You can also get “foaming spray and rinse sealants” which are usually applied through a foam lance to a wet car and then rinsed immediately. These tend to be a bit quicker to apply as you can coat the whole car in the product very quickly.
It’s important to avoid using these types of products on hot panels or in direct sunlight as they must never be allowed to dry on the surface otherwise they will cause spotting and streaks.
Examples of this kind of product include:
- Gyeon Wet Coat
- Infinity Wax Synergy Boost
- Carbon Collective Hybrid Coating
- CarPro Hydro2
- Gtechniq Easy Coat
Ceramic Spray Sealants
Ceramic spray sealants are instead applied to dry paintwork, when the car has been freshly washed.
The steps usually involve spraying the product onto a microfiber towel and spreading it onto the panel, waiting for the recommended period of time (usually 20-60 seconds) and then removing the residue with a second microfiber towel.
These types of products are a bit slower to apply but usually last a bit longer.
Examples of this kind of product include:
- Gtechniq C2 Liquid Crystal
- CarPro Reload
- SiRamid SC Mist
- Garage Therapy Ceramic Sealant
- Feynlab Ceramic Spray Sealant
Ceramic-Infused Shampoos
The final type of product worth mentioning is the ceramic-infused shampoo. These are used like a normal shampoo but have the added benefit of topping up protection as well as contact-cleaning the car, hence they really speed up the process.
The only drawbacks here are that the cleaning ability is usually not as good as a traditional shampoo, and the suds are not as stable in the bucket.
Examples of this kind of product include:
- Gyeon Bathe+
- Angelwax Enigma
- Gtechniq Ceramic GWash
Check out the best products for washing and maintaining a ceramic coating
Choose Compatible Products
Although there are a tonne of different ceramic top-up protection options on the market that perform well with different coatings, I personally would advise sticking to the same brand as your coating when choosing a maintenance protection product. This ensures the products are compatible and is likely to yield the best performance.
Here is a list of some very popular ceramic coatings and the top-up protection options which are recommended by the brand.
| Ceramic Coating | Compatible Top-Up Options |
| CarPro | CarPro Reload/ HydrO2 |
| Gyeon Evo | Gyeon Wet Coat/ Bathe+/ Ceramic Detailer |
| Gtechniq Crystal Serum/ C1 | Gtechniq Easy Coat/ C2 Ceramic Sealant |
| Carbon Collective | Carbon Collective Speciale SiO2 Detailer/ Rapide |
| Garage Therapy Cerberus | Garage Therapy Chimera/ Ceramic Sealant/ Sigma |
| Infinity Wax Synergy | Infinity Wax Synergy Vitality/ Synergy Boost |
Check out my complete guide to washing and maintaining a ceramic coating for more essential information.
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