How to ensure you don't miss spots when using ceramic coatings?

[benny3]

I'll soon be applying 2 x coats of CQuartz 3.0 to a white car.

Given you need to work in 50cm x 50cm sections before buffing off, is there any tricks to ensuring I don't miss anywhere? Especially on big flat panels with no reference/guide lines.

Cheers

[Tasmania]

Have a good work light because it's a white car and do
cross hatch. Back and forth up and down.

[benny3]

Thanks - what about knowing where you've been and where you haven't, once you buff it off?

[Bruno Soares]

Unless it’s super hot and humid where you are, you have several minutes before UK gets tacky so you can do an entire panel or two before going back to wipe off. Just be careful with hood and roof as those are usually very large panels and may need to be split.

Bright but diffused light works best for spotting excess coating left behind. A bright flashlight is likely to blind you at the spot you’re trying to see. If it’s a cloudy day, pull the car outside as soon as you’re done and that makes it easy to see them.

[opie]

On big a hood or roof, i will lay microfiber towel down and that towel will mark the edge of the section.
There is also usually always some type of trim piece,door handle, or something that you can pick out and use that as your indicator of edge of that section.

Personally i dont do crosshatch pattern all at the same time for two layer coatings. I will do the entire vehicle one way, then usually by the time i have finished that 1st coat an hour has passed, i will then do 2nd coat the opposite way.

Yes get a handheld light. I use the scangrip knockoff from harbor freight.

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[vobro]

Thanks - what about knowing where you've been and where you haven't, once you buff it off?

It’s not that hard, just pay attention and start at one point and move around the car in one direction. On large panels I’ll put a piece of tape on the glass or the floor relative to the panel to give me a rough estimate on where I left off and simply overlap where I left off. This isn’t the large issue with UK, you should do a test spot to get an estimate on removal time especially if it’s cool out

[Desertnate]

Most of my normal tips have already been covered, good advice.

With UK I will do whole panels like doors, trunk lids, fender's etc to avoid the problem. If a roof is featureless, I'll place one of my MF buffing towels as a marker for the area I just applied the coating. For hoods and roofs, creases, other design features like vents, or even a piece of the roof rack or windshield wiper arm, can serve as a visual reference and a "marker" to indicate where your work area.

Even though white is very difficult, using really diffused lighting will help. You'll see a hint of flashing and there should be a slight appearance of wetness compared to the uncoated area for a couple minutes.

My Advice would be to start small and go slow for your first couple of panels. Be hyper observant to what you see and you'll quickly develop your own tricks to being able to see your work.

[The Guz]

Don't over think it. Once you are physically doing it, you will not be worried about it. Just have good lighting while you are wiping off the coating.

[C5Longhorn]

I've coated 4 - 5 cars and never have been able to end up without a high spot. Thankfully, they are no too bad to deal with and I'm extremely picky.

Rick

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[Shane731]

When you’re working on your 50 cm by 50 cm square, imagine it is a picture frame. First “frame out” your square, and then cross-hatch inside your frame. Also make sure to slightly overlap into adjacent previously coated areas to avoid gaps between “squares.”