Getting The Most From Lavish Ceramic Foam

Our ultra-hydrophobic Lavish Ceramic Foam is not only one of our most popular protection products ever… but it’s probably the easiest to apply ceramic product in the history of detailing.

Specifically developed to be the easy way to install (or top up) a ceramic coating in the wash stage, this innovation in detailing is capable of giving every exterior surface - from paintwork and vinyl wraps to glass, trim and wheels - up to 6-months of protection along with almost unbelievable water behaviour.

Supreme water beading and sheeting comes as standard with this advanced ceramic protection product and, like all of our detailing products that are designed to install long-lasting ceramic protection, the fact that the water and grime can’t stick means that your car will not only stay cleaner for longer, but will be far easier to clean, too.

But we’re often asked how Lavish works, and how to get the best performance. So here’s the full lowdown and our step-by-step guide on how you can take your hydrophobic performance from this…

To this...

How does Lavish work?

Lavish Ceramic Foam is a ceramic coating that lasts for up to 6-months. Like all ceramic coatings that we use in detailing it’s designed to leave a super-hard, shiny layer of protection that chemically bonds to surfaces on a molecular level. This layer is not only impermeable to water and grime - which is what makes it repel and bead water and stops contamination from sticking – but it’s super resistant to chemicals and abrasion, making it extremely difficult to remove.

The chemical bonding process is what gives a coating it’s longevity and performance. Unlike a wax or paint sealant which will physically bond (or hold on) to the surface to create a protection layer on top, a ceramic coating bonds and essentially becomes part of the top layer itself. The reason why it’s so difficult to remove during day-to-day driving and how it can offer such long-lasting protection.

The main ingredient in all ceramic coatings is Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) which is also known and silica and the main ingredient in glass. This ‘ceramic’ compound is where ‘ceramic’ coatings get their name and, once bonded to any surface, will form a glass-like layer of tight-knit silica molecules that’s super-smooth, and non-reactive giving other molecules (like water) nothing to react with or physically cling to.

This smoothness is also extremely important because it’s why ceramic coatings like Lavish appear so shiny. The surface of bare paintwork and clearcoat, even when they’re polished, won't be smooth on a microscopic level, they contain all sorts of ruts and recesses which reflect light in different directions. Applying a ceramic coating essentially fills and smooths out the rough surface to reflect light back to the eye more uniformly giving the appearance of more depth and gloss. In detailing we call this levelling the optical finish.

How do I apply Lavish Ceramic Foam?

What makes Lavish unique is the application method, it’s applied with your Snow Foam Lance just after you’ve rinsed away the suds from your contact wash, and while your car is still wet. Unlike other ceramic coatings there’s no need to dry your car first, and the coating can be used over every surface.

While Lavish is not a cleaner, and should only be applied to vehicle that’s been thoroughly washed, the physical attributes and application are identical to your pre wash snow foam. In the same way as when you’re using Avalanche Snow Foam in the pre wash stage, the Foam Lance dilutes the product and pushes it through a special metal gauze which whips it up into a lingering foam. The only difference that you’ll notice is that the foam created with Lavish is slightly less viscous than a product that’s designed to clean surfaces. This is because, rather than linger for a long time to break down grime, it needs far less time to bond to the surface and form the ceramic protection layer. In fact, Lavish bonds almost instantly, meaning that there’s no dwell time – just apply and rinse. The foam is also a little thinner because it’s designed to quickly spread itself over the surface and into the panel gaps, protecting those, too.

In other words, Lavish is quick, easy and there’s no need to target your application to specific areas like your paint or wrap while avoiding trim, wheels or glass – just get it on there all over and it will protect every surface with an ultra-hydrophobic ceramic coating.

Application:

First add around an inch of Lavish concentrate to your Foam Lance Bottle and top up with water. A top pro trick here is to immerse your bottle in a bucket of clean water rather than use your tap, this can help stop the concentrate from foaming up prematurely.

Once you’ve attached your Foam Lance To your pressure washer, you can apply your Lavish from the top of the vehicle down, just like your regular snow foam. In terms of application, that’s about it.

Get Even Crazier Results…

Now your Lavish is applied over the whole vehicle you can choose to rinse from top to bottom immediately and then dry your car as normal, and you’ll get the jaw-dropping water performance we all hanker after… but there is a way to get even crazier results.

You see, while Lavish is designed as a contactless, ‘apply and rinse’ ceramic coating, you can also 'wash in' the foam using any soft wash mitt or a Plush Wash Pad. This process gives and even stronger bond and essentially thickens the ceramic layer for even better performance.

Simply dip your mitt in a bucket of clean water and agitate the Lavish in straight lines over the entire vehicle.

Once you’ve made contact with all exterior surfaces, rinse the vehicle from the top down. You’ll immediately notice the difference in how your rinse water behaves as it sheets off the paintwork and glass. This means that the coating has already bonded to the surfaces.

Once all the ceramic foam has been rinsed away, the final step is to grab your drying towel and dry the vehicle as normal for a super-shiny finish. It really is as simple as that.

The Best Hydrophobic Performance

Yes, it looks all shiny and amazing but what about the hydrophobic performance? Well, you’ll either need to wait until it rains, or spray on a little water as we have here, but the results are immediately obvious.

It’s plain to see what this specialist ceramic coating offers – the water runs off or simply beads up and sits on the top of the coating, never making contact with the paint underneath. This is how Lavish stops not only water from sticking, but any grime, too.

It will also pay dividends the next time you maintenance wash your car, it means you’ll need less water and less (or even milder) car cleaning products to do the job effectively. That’s the magic of Lavish Ceramic Foam!