Aircraft Ceramic Coating

A ceramic coating is a liquid applied protective layer that chemically bonds to your aircraft's paint and cures into a hard, slick surface. It does not wash off, it does not wear away in a few weeks like a wax, and it changes how your aircraft handles everything that lands on it.

We correct the paint first, then coat it. The two are one job, and the reason why is below.

What a ceramic coating actually does

Contamination releases instead of sticking. Bug strike, exhaust deposits, brake dust, and industrial fallout sit on top of the coating rather than bonding to the paint. That means they come off during a normal wash instead of requiring aggressive work.

Washes get faster and safer. This matters more than people expect. Most paint damage on business aircraft comes from washing, not from flying. When contamination releases easily, there is far less mechanical work on the surface, which means far fewer wash marks going into the finish over the years.

UV and oxidation slow down. The coating takes the environmental hit instead of the paint. Oxidation is paint failing, and slowing it down pushes out a repaint, which is the most expensive cosmetic event in an aircraft's life.

Gloss holds. A waxed aircraft looks excellent for a few weeks. A coated aircraft holds its gloss for [CONFIRM: duration from your product data sheet], which is the entire economic argument for doing it.

Chemical resistance improves. Deicing fluid, hydraulic residue, and cleaning agents are less able to attack the finish directly.

Why correction has to come first

This is the part most people misunderstand, so it is worth being direct about it.

A ceramic coating locks in the condition of the paint underneath it. It does not fix anything. If your finish has oxidation, swirl marks, or wash marring and you coat over it, you have sealed those defects under a hard layer that is designed to stay there for years. You now have permanent looking flaws and the only way to correct them is to remove the coating first.

So the sequence is not optional. Decontaminate, correct the paint to the standard you want to live with, then coat. Anyone offering to coat your aircraft without assessing and correcting the paint first is selling you a problem with a long warranty on it.

For most aircraft this means paint correction and coating are quoted and performed as a single job. It is more work upfront and it is the only version that makes sense.

Our process

Assessment. Paint condition, paint history, and finish type. We confirm the coating is compatible with your specific finish before anything is applied.

Wash and chemical decontamination. Everything bonded to the surface has to come off. Coating over contamination bonds it in place permanently.

Paint correction. Machine polishing in stages to remove oxidation, swirl, and marring. Scope depends on the condition of the paint.

Surface preparation. A dedicated prep step to strip every trace of polishing oil off the paint. Coatings will not bond correctly to a surface with residue on it, and this step is where most failed coating jobs actually fail.

Application. Panel by panel, controlled environment, with attention to leading edges and high wear areas.

Cure. The coating needs a defined cure window before the aircraft flies or gets wet. We will tell you exactly what that window is when we schedule, because it has to fit around your operation rather than the other way around.

Handover. You get instructions on how to wash a coated aircraft, because washing it the wrong way undoes part of what you paid for.

What it costs and what you get back

Ceramic coating is a larger investment than any other exterior service, because most of the cost is the correction work underneath it rather than the coating itself.

The return shows up in three places. Wash costs go down because washes get easier and faster. Correction costs go down because the coating absorbs the wear that would otherwise go into the paint. And the aircraft holds its appearance through the period when an uncoated aircraft is visibly declining, which matters at resale, at lease return, and in front of charter passengers.

For an aircraft you plan to keep for several years, the math works. For an aircraft you are selling in three months, paint correction alone is usually the better spend and we will tell you that.

Maintaining a coated aircraft

A coating is not maintenance free. It is maintenance easier.

You still wash the aircraft. You wash it with the right technique and without aggressive chemicals, and it takes less time and less effort than it used to. A periodic maintenance service keeps the top layer performing, and we can build that into a recurring program.

The failure mode we see most is an aircraft that gets coated and then washed hard by someone who does not know it is coated. Tell your line crew and your wash vendor. It matters.

Where we work

We are mobile and based at Teterboro, covering the tri state region including Morristown, Essex County, Linden, Trenton Mercer, Somerset, Monmouth Executive, and Westchester County. See our airports served page.

Ceramic coating requires hangar space, controlled temperature and humidity, and enough scheduled downtime for correction plus cure. This is not a service that fits into a quick turn. We plan it with your flight department around a maintenance window or a slow period in the schedule.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an aircraft ceramic coating last? Real world life depends on how the aircraft is stored, how often it flies, and most of all how it gets washed. A hangared aircraft washed correctly holds up considerably longer than one parked outside and scrubbed with the wrong chemicals.

Is ceramic coating safe for aircraft paint? When the product is appropriate for the finish, yes. Aircraft paint systems vary and compatibility is something we verify before application rather than assume. If there is any question about your paint history, we check before we coat.

Do I need paint correction first? In almost every case, yes. A coating locks in whatever condition the paint is in. Coating over oxidation or swirl marks preserves those defects under a hard layer that is difficult to remove.

How long does the job take? It depends almost entirely on how much correction the paint needs. Expect several days for a light or midsize aircraft and up to a week or more for a large cabin aircraft with heavily oxidized paint, plus the cure window.

Can the aircraft fly right after? No. The coating requires a cure period before flight or exposure to moisture. We will give you the exact window when we schedule so it fits your operation.

Does it replace washing? No. It makes washing faster, easier, and much less damaging to the paint. You still wash the aircraft.

Can you coat brightwork or bare polished aluminum? Bare polished aluminum uses a metal sealant rather than a paint coating. Different surface, different product. See our brightwork page.

What product do you use? [PRODUCT]. Happy to send you the technical data sheet before you commit.

Can you do this on a fleet? Yes. Coating a fleet gives you a consistent appearance standard across every aircraft and it makes your recurring wash program cheaper to run. Tell us how many aircraft and what types.