If you just got your car freshly painted with a clear coat and want to take it for a drive, you’ll have to wait till the clear coat dries and cure. The car paint job includes several individual coats and treatments. Combined together, all these coats enhance a vehicle’s appearance.
We have compiled a list of factors affecting the clear coat drying time on cars and details on how soon a vehicle can be washed after the clear coat is applied.
What is a Clear Coat
A vehicle’s paint process includes three basic layers:
- The first layer is known as the primer. It prepares the bare metal surface with a smooth, uniform base for paint application.
- There are different types of car paints. The second layer is the pigmented paint. A translucent and thin layer is applied to this paint for a seamless finish
- The final layer is the clear coat. This is a colourless top coat that is applied to the coloured paint on the vehicle. Usually, 2 to 3 clear coats are applied to a vehicle to protect the paint from UV rays and other environmental factors, including rain and wind-carried abrasives, among others.
The clear coat rejuvenates the paint giving it a natural sheen, protecting it from harmful environmental factors that cause wear and tear and saves the paint from scratches. The clear coat drying time on cars is about 12 to 48 hours. That said the paint takes around 30 days to get fully cured.
Difference Between Clear Coat Drying and Curing
Clear coat drying and curing are different processes. Let’s go through them in detail.
What is Car Clear Coat Drying
Car paint is considered dry when it is dry to the touch. This is when the paint doesn’t feel sticky or tacky. Usually, for a clear coat, it takes around 24-48 hours to dry fully, depending on environmental conditions. At this point, it is safe to drive the vehicle.
That said, one should keep in mind that the paint at this point is dry, but is still soft. To put it simply, if you press your fingernail on the clear coat even after it’s dried it will leave an imprint. This is because there are solvents in the clear coat that need to fully evaporate before the paint hardens completely.
What is Car Clear Coat Curing
Clear coat curing takes place when all the solvent evaporates and the paint reaches optimum hardness. As mentioned above, it takes about 20 days for a clear coat to cure fully. However, it could also take 90 days, depending on various factors. Proper curing is necessary to make sure the clear coat lasts longer and looks its best.
Ideally, the vehicle should be stored indoors while the clear coat and paint are curing. After application, sun exposure for prolonged durations should be avoided. Avoid parking a freshly painted car under a tree. Bird wastes, tree leaves and other factors can damage the vehicle paint.
How Long Does It Take for Clear Coat to Dry
Usually, the clear coat drying time on cars is about 12 to 48 hours after application. After this duration, the car’s clear coat is at no risk of flaking or chipping prematurely, and it will also resist smearing. That said, this depends on different conditions.
Though the vehicle can be driven after the clear coat dries, the vehicle should be driven carefully to avoid scratches and scuffs. Avoid driving near construction vehicles or on gravel roads that could fling debris on your car.
How Long Does It Take for Clear Coat to Cure
It can take up to 30-days for the clear coat to fully cure. This time window can increase or decrease depending on certain environmental factors. Ideally, some types of clear coats cure and harden in less than a week.
If you plan to apply a car wrap, vinyl decals, PPF (paint protection film), or even Plasti Dip, apply it after the clear coat cures fully you experience problems down the road.
Factors That Affect Drying and Curing Time
As mentioned earlier, the clear coat drying and curing time depends on a number of factors. Let’s go through the most common factors affecting the drying and curing time of a clear coat.
Temperature
Temperature affects the drying and curing time of clear coats on cars. Generally, the colder the temperature the longer it takes for a clear coat to dry. On the other hand, a warm and dry environment is ideal for quick clear coat drying time on cars.
Humidity
Another factor that increases the clear coat drying time on cars is the high level of humidity. This is why many body shops use climate-controlled paint stalls that remove many uncontrollable variables including humidity. Ideally, a painter hopes for moderate temperatures and low levels of humidity when applying a clear coat for it to dry quickly.
Surface Prep
The condition of the surface that has to be clear coated also affects the drying time. The more skillfully a vehicle’s base coat of paint has been laid, the more adhesion the applied clear coat will have. To put it simply, a clear coat applied on a vehicle that has been painted skillfully dries and cures faster.
How Soon Can I Wash My Car After Clear Coat Application
A car should be washed 30-days after the clear coat application. Most clear coats are curing and hardening during this duration. Washing a car before this time duration may have an adverse effect on the vehicle’s paint.
After 30 days the clear coat is usually cured and the solvents evaporate. This is when it is fine to wash the car.
How Soon can I Wax My Car After Clear Coat Application
Avoid waxing uncured clear coats. Most paint manufacturers suggest motorists to not wax their vehicle before 60-90 days of the clear coat application. Again, this time duration is necessary for the clear coat to fully cure and harden before being disturbed by foreign agents, including those found within automotive body wax.
Those were all the details pertaining to clear coat drying times on cars and the factors affecting the clear coat drying and curing process.
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