The Rise of Ceramic Coatings

For the past 15 years, the automotive, aviation, and marine detailing industries have seen significant strides in the amount of different products offered for the protection of painted surfaces. During this time, we’ve seen a huge increase in independent detailing business as more customers have become aware how vital it is to protect your vehicle’s painted surfaces. There are more products now than ever before when it comes to protecting your car, aircraft, or boat. From professional-grade coatings, spray waxes, pre-rinse shampoos, tar cleaners, iron removers, and many others, the amount of products can be overwhelming. When it comes to protecting your paint, however, there are a variety of options to choose from. Some coatings offer more durability, others offer hydrophobicity and “extreme” gloss. With the rise of new marketing terms, such as “ceramic”, “nanotechnology”, “graphene”, “glass”, “quartz”, etc., many customers, whether they own a car, aircraft, or boat, are much more aware of the need to protect and maintain their paint.

The Drawbacks of Ceramic Coatings

All of these coatings have become popular marketing terms for paint protection products, particularly in the automotive industry. While they can be an effective form of protection, they come with significant drawbacks and can be incredibly difficult to apply correctly. Ceramic coatings’ durability also leaves a lot to be desired. They are not capable of bonding to a painted surface due to its chemical structure. Thus, it is applied as a layer over clearcoat. This also makes it incredibly difficult to remove it as it is to apply it because the line between when you’re removing the ceramic coating versus removing clearcoat is very thin. That being said, many consumers of ceramic coating products have had poor experiences when they opted for this form of paint protection, due to their overall fragility.

Permagard: A Better Alternative to Ceramic Coatings

That’s where Permagard should be offered as a better alternative to ceramic coatings for your business and customers, therefore, increasing the revenue stream for existing automotive detailing businesses. Permagard is not difficult to apply, and it also bonds to your asset’s painted surfaces due to its chemical structure and the utilization of “cross-linking” technology. Permagard is also the most effective and durable way to protect any painted surface. When Permagard is applied to a painted surface with a dual-action polisher or with a vigorous hand motion, the action generates fiction. This friction, in association with the humidity in the air, enables the cross-linking to result in a strongly linked chain of ionic bonds on the paint’s molecular structure.

Permagard vs. Ceramic Coatings

Ceramic coatings also generally need an additional coat or top coat to produce slickness on the treated surface. The slickness generated from the product is usually called “hydrophobic” or “self-cleaning properties”. In reality, the slickness is what allows water to sheet off the surface faster to ensure it doesn’t rest on the paint to incur water spots. Permagard doesn’t require a top coat or a second coat. Only one initial application is needed to achieve the maximum efficiency. The chemical structure of Permagard allows water to tightly bead up on the surface or sheet quickly when it is flooded to prevent hard water spotting.

The Science Behind Permagard

Gloss is another factor that consumers take into consideration when choosing a protective paint coating. While ceramic coatings do provide a slight increase in gloss meter readings, the high gloss on ceramic coated assets is generally due to the paint correction done beforehand. All ceramic coatings require paint correction before applying them due to their chemical structure. When ceramic coatings are fully cured, they lock in any contaminants to the surface whenever the coating was applied. Unless the coating is applied in a sterile environment, such as a paint booth, you most likely will have debris locked into your painted surfaces from the application. The only way to repair this issue is to remove the coating with a cutting pad and aggressive compound fluid. This process is what thins the clearcoat and damages your paint.

One of the best benefits about Permagard is that paint correction has never been required to apply it correctly. What gives Permagard its signature “wet look” effect is paint’s depth in combination with the product. The depth of shine that Permagard gives cannot be replicated by ceramic coatings because all ceramic coatings require you to shave clearcoat off of the surface to apply them. As the clearcoat gets thinner and thinner, the depth of shine becomes much shallower.

Simplifying Maintenance with Permagard

Ceramic coating maintenance is also something to take into consideration when you opt to have one applied to your car, aircraft, or boat. For cars, second coats or top coats need to be applied every 6 months to maintain the durability, hydrophobicity, and high gloss. This is after having to wash the vehicle with a PH-neutral shampoo and fully decontaminate the surface with a clay bar and other chemicals. Maintaining a ceramic coating can be an expensive and extensive process. For aircraft and boats, this process must be done every 3 months at the very least. Aircraft and boats encounter much harsher environments than a car does, which is why the coating must be maintained more frequently or it will fail. This process can be much more expensive than maintaining a car as aircraft and boats are much larger vehicles.

Trusted by Leading Manufacturers

Permagard has been approved for use by world-renowned aircraft manufacturers, such as Dassault Aviation, Embraer, Gulfstream, and Textron Aviation. This is because Permagard is easy to apply, easy to maintain, and it gives the best paint protection coating performance available on the market, while also maintaining the aircraft’s original paint specifications. We simply advise all of our customers to use our Service Treatment to maintain and clean the coating every 12-18 months to fill in any micro-scratches and keep the treated asset looking its best.

Permagard is the only paint protection coating available that protects 100% of your original paint’s specifications. Whether it’s a Porsche 911, Cessna Skyhawk, or Boston Whaler, Permagard can protect any painted surface, regardless of the age or size. Permagard can help revolutionize your business model and bring terrific results for your customers. Where every minute counts, it’s the ease of the application. Where harsh environments are encountered, it’s the tough durability. When you need it looking its best for many more years to come, it’s the ease of maintenance. That’s how Permagard can shine brighter than all others for over 25 years. Choose something greater for your paint protection needs. Choose Permagard to protect your shining asset.

If you would like to learn more about how Permagard is a great alternative for your automotive paint protection, boat paint protection, or aircraft paint protection needs, give our Permagard Headquarters a call today at 305-662-5070! It’s time to shine and see yourself in your brand!