Why Does Water Bead?

You can control how water interacts with the surface of your vehicle.

There are two main forces to understand when it comes to water behaviour – these are ‘cohesion’ and ‘adhesion’. Cohesion refers to water’s tendency to stick to itself (it is the force that generates surface tension), adhesion refers to water’s tendency to cling to other surfaces. Without chemically altering the water, we can not have an effect on its cohesive properties. So to force water to bead and slide off, we need to reduce its ability to adhere to surfaces – we do this by increasing the hydrophobicity of the surface.

When a surface is made to be hydrophobic, water will bead and slide right off.

What does hydrophobic mean?

Hydrophobicity refers to the ability of a material to shed water. If you’ve ever looked at how water rolls off of a brand new high-quality rain jacket, you get the idea. Hydrophobic surfaces force water to bead up and roll off because they don’t provide anything for the water to stick to. Jackets do this by using a chemical “Durable Water Repellent” (DWR) coating, which wears out over time.

Ceramic coatings accomplish the goal of hydrophobicity by being incredibly smooth. As there is no texture for the water to adhere to, it has nowhere to go but off of your car. Especially when combined with paint protection film (the clear bra), ceramic coatings offer the best possible vehicle protection and aesthetic result.

What good is a hydrophobic coating for cars?

This is pretty simple, but it’s worth talking about. If water can’t stick, neither can dirt. The amount of dirt that your car collects day-to-day will decrease by orders of magnitude, and chemical contaminants like bird droppings can’t adhere nearly as well as they can to untreated vehicles.

Not only will your car stay cleaner for longer, but the washing process itself will be insanely easy. Anything that has managed to collect on your car is easily washed off, and the water will be instantly repelled.

How do I get a Ceramic Coating?

Easy! Check out our services page, and then give us a call. With a serious endeavour, like vehicle ceramic coatings, it’s important to get it done by experienced pros. We’ve been in the business for over 20 years, so you can be confident that we will treat your car right.