A ceramic coating can be a great choice for minimizing serious maintenance tasks for your car, preserving the finish, and overall, keeping your ride looking its best.
However, unless you’ve had it done before, you probably have a lot of questions. One of the questions we get most is how long it takes to apply it from the time you show up to the shop to when you get to ride off with a beautifully sealed car.
Well, there are a number of variables to consider, and today, we’re going to go over each of them.
1. Whether You DIY the Job or Hire Pros
First, you can technically get your car coated in 12 to 24 hours if you do it yourself. However, you’re not likely to get great results, and the reason for it being faster is because you can focus on just your car with no working hours getting in your way. However, you can technically speed through it on your own.
We highly recommend skipping that idea and going with a professional service, though. It might take slightly longer than what you can do focusing solely on the car for 24 hours straight, but the results and peace of mind are completely worth it.
When you take your car to a proper specialist, you should expect it to take between 1 and 3 days depending on the other factors we discuss in this guide. So, it’s definitely not something that you can expect to drop off your car during your lunch break and get it back by the end of the day. You’ll need to plan on being without your car for a short bit.
2. How Busy the Specialist is
Any professional service is going to prioritize efficiency and try to get your car out of the shop as fast as possible. It’s not just good for business to satisfy you and get your car back to you quickly. It’s also crucial to ensure they can keep customers coming in and out smoothly. So, they’re incentivized to work quickly.
However, that’s not always possible. If you go during peak season, the service is going to have more cars to work on, and it’s going to take a little longer to go through each step of the coating process. This can easily take a 1 or 2 day job and add another day to it. On the flipside, if you happen to catch the shop when business is a little slower, they can focus on your car specifically and get it done a lot faster. It will still take at least a day, because a professional job takes time. However, it won’t take more time just to get past delays or find time to move on between steps.
You can figure out how this will affect your estimated time just by asking when you call. A good shop is going to be more than happy to give you an accurate time estimate, and they’ll know how much they have on their plate when figuring that out.
3. The Products Used for the Coating
Ceramic coatings generally do the same thing, but different products do perform differently. That includes how easily they go on and finish up before your car is ready to drive again.
Unfortunately, shops use different products depending on what they prefer, can get ahold of, and of course, how much they’re willing to pay.
This isn’t something that will change the timing dramatically, and the timing should still stay in the 1 to 3 day range we gave you earlier. However, it does impact how long each step takes, and depending on how busy the shop is on top of it, it can prolong the process a little bit to push your estimated time toward the latter end of that range.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. If a higher quality product takes more time to apply, you might get better results for a slightly longer wait. That isn’t always the case, but it is a possibility.
Also read: Can a Ceramic Coating Be Applied to Any Vehicle?
4. The Team Doing the Work
This is probably the biggest determining factor. Who is applying the coating?
All the other factors we mentioned matter, but the people applying your ceramic coating impact it the most. This is due to three factors.
First, how professional are they? We like to think that anyone with a shop is prioritizing customers and trying to get them out of the shop as quick as possible without sacrificing results, but we all know that’s not always the case. If you go somewhere that doesn’t treat it with a sense of urgency, it will take longer. It’ll probably lead to more problems than a longer wait, too.
Then, there’s the team’s skill level. A seasoned professional in any industry can get better results in a better timeframe than an inexperienced beginner who still has to master their craft. The more experienced the team is, the faster your car is going to get done without sacrificing results.
The last bit is how many people are doing it. A team that works like a well-oiled machine is going to finish your ceramic coating a lot faster than someone trying to do it solo.
5. Delays and Unexpected Issues
Finally, you always have to expect the unexpected and make room in your expected timeframe to accommodate it.
There are a lot of things that can happen. There might be an accident that requires the team to spend extra time correcting a mistake, a crucial team member might end up unable to come in for a day, or the state of your car before you get the coating might even require extra prep work.
These things aren’t likely. Especially mistakes if you work with an experienced professional. However, they can happen, and it’s important to remember that.
Get Your Car Ceramic Coated in Record Time with Great Results
Ceramic coating isn’t a quick DIY fix—it’s an investment in long-term protection and shine.
At Finetactic Detailing, we specialize in high-quality ceramic coating, expert detailing, and precise paint correction to ensure your vehicle gets the attention it deserves. Our experienced team uses top-tier products and proven techniques to deliver results that are both stunning and long-lasting.
Don’t settle for shortcuts or rushed service.
Book your ceramic coating today and enjoy professional results that protect your ride for the long haul.