Professional Ceramic Coating in Oak Grove, MN
Why a Professional Shop Makes a Difference
Ceramic coating is more than simply applying a product to your vehicle. The quality of the finished result depends heavily on proper paint preparation and careful coating application.
At Sterling Auto Detail, we perform our ceramic coating work inside a fully enclosed, controlled professional facility. This gives us a consistent environment for the detailed preparation and coating process, without the wind, airborne contamination, and changing outdoor conditions you can encounter when working in an open driveway.
Our process includes a thorough decontamination wash, iron removal, clay-bar treatment, paint correction when appropriate, panel preparation, ceramic coating application, and curing.
We've been detailing vehicles since 1997 and have approximately 10 years of experience installing ceramic coatings. We use Gtechniq ceramic coating products and regularly work with sports cars, muscle cars, exotics, new vehicles, and trucks.
The goal isn't simply to put a coating on the vehicle. It's to properly prepare the paint first, correct imperfections when appropriate, and then protect that finish with a professionally applied ceramic coating.
Our Ceramic Coating Process
A quality ceramic coating starts with the preparation. We don't simply wash a vehicle and put coating on the paint. The surface needs to be thoroughly cleaned, decontaminated, evaluated, and properly prepared before the coating is applied.
1. Decontamination Wash
We start with a thorough wash to remove dirt, road grime, and surface contamination from the vehicle.
2. Iron Removal
Next, we address embedded iron contamination that may not come off during a normal wash. Removing this contamination helps prepare the paint for the next stages of the process.
3. Clay Bar Treatment
Even after washing and iron removal, bonded contaminants can remain on the paint. When appropriate, we use a clay bar to remove those contaminants and further smooth the surface.
This leaves the paint cleaner and better prepared for correction and coating.
4. Paint Correction
We inspect the paint to determine its condition and whether correction is appropriate.
If the finish has swirl marks, scratches, oxidation, or other imperfections, paint correction can improve the appearance before the ceramic coating is applied.
This step is especially important because ceramic coating doesn't hide imperfections underneath it. The coating protects the finish that is already there.
5. Panel Preparation
After the paint has been properly cleaned, decontaminated, and corrected, we prepare the panels for the coating.
Proper panel preparation is important because the coating needs a clean surface to bond to.
6. Gtechniq Ceramic Coating Application
We apply Gtechniq ceramic coating to the prepared exterior surfaces.
The coating creates a protective layer over the paint and provides the hydrophobic behavior, gloss, and easier maintenance that ceramic-coating owners are looking for.
7. Curing
After the coating is applied, it needs time to cure properly. We allow the coating to go through the appropriate curing process before returning the vehicle to its owner.
The result is a properly prepared and professionally coated finish designed to provide approximately 3–5 years of protection with proper care.