Macro of a dark car paint panel in a detailing bay crossed by one hard horizontal LED light bar

Paint protection studio / Kyiv

We measure the paint before we touch it.

Paint protection film and ceramic coating applied in a controlled bay. Film thickness, coat hardness and cure hours are logged with a manufacturer datasheet for every vehicle.

Results vary with paint condition. A ceramic coating does not prevent scratches. PPF reduces risk but is not indestructible.

What We Measure

Every vehicle leaves the bay with a recorded number, not a promise.

Film thickness is read with a calibrated gauge. Coat hardness is scored against a pencil set. Cure hours are taken from the manufacturer datasheet, not from the day the car was collected. Gloss is read on a 20° glossmeter under fixed bay lighting, so readings stay comparable between visits.

  • Micron gauge
  • Pencil hardness set
  • 20° glossmeter
  • Goniometer

Results vary with paint condition, vehicle age and storage. A ceramic coating does not prevent scratches, and paint protection film reduces the risk of stone damage but is not indestructible.

Measured at handover, Kyiv studio
Metric Value Source
Film thickness, front end 200 µm Certified film datasheet
Film thickness, full body 180 µm Certified film datasheet
Coat hardness 9H pencil scale Coating manufacturer TDS
Cure time to full hardness 168 h Coating manufacturer TDS
Gloss reading at 20° 92 GU In-bay glossmeter log
Water contact angle 105 ° Goniometer reading
Coating warranty term 5–10 years Studio warranty policy
03

Film vs ceramic

Comparison matrix. Arrow keys move between rows.
CriterionCertified filmCeramic coatingNote
Impact and stone chipsPassNoFilm absorbs the hit.
Wash swirlsPartialNoCoating adds slip, not armour.
UV and chemical resistancePassPassBoth resist sap and droppings.
Depth of glossPassPassJudged in gloss units, not opinion.
Water beadingPartialPassCoating sheds water longer.
Self-healing of light marksPassNoWarmth closes film micro-marks.
Service life8-10 years3-5 yearsDepends on parking and washing.
Price fromUAH 42,000UAH 18,000Range set after inspection.

04 — Process

Five steps from intake to cure

Bay time and cure time are listed separately because they behave differently. Bay time is labour in the studio. Cure time is chemistry that keeps going after you drive away.

  1. 01

    Intake inspection

    Paint depth readings on every panel, swirl mapping under a fixed 5000K rig, and a written note of existing damage before any machine touches the car.

    Bay
    45min
    Cure
    none
  2. 02

    Decontamination and correction

    Two-stage wash, iron and tar removal, clay, then machine polish to a measured gloss target on each panel. Single-stage or multi-stage depends on the reading.

    Bay
    6–14h
    Cure
    none
  3. 03

    Pattern cut and panel prep

    Certified film patterns are cut per vehicle, edge wrapping is confirmed against the panel shape, and every surface is wiped with isopropyl before application.

    Bay
    2–3h
    Cure
    none
  4. 04

    Film or coating application

    Film is laid wet or dry depending on the panel. Coatings are applied in a filtered bay at controlled temperature, then levelled and left to flash.

    Bay
    8–16h
    Cure
    24h no water
  5. 05

    Cure and quality check

    Re-inspection under the same lighting rig, gloss and film thickness re-measured against the intake sheet, and a care sheet handed over with the wash guidance.

    Bay
    2h
    Cure
    7days to full hardness

Bays are ranges from typical bookings, not fixed quotes. Final bay time is set after inspection. Results vary by paint condition, and neither film nor coating prevents scratches or stone chips entirely.

Controlled before / after

The same panel, the same bay lamp, one locked exposure. What changes between the two halves is the finish, not the lighting.

  • Aperture f/8
  • Shutter 1/60 s
  • Colour temp 5600 K
  • Lamp angle 45°
Dark navy bonnet after correction and coating under a single studio LED bar The same bonnet before correction under the identical lamp angle

Fixed rig, unchanged between passes. Drag the divider or use the arrow keys. Results vary with paint condition and are confirmed at inspection.

Owner reports, dated

  1. Two bays, one day, and they walked me through the cut lines before anything was applied.

    Andrii MelnykVolkswagen Tiguan, front-end filmJanuary 2026
  2. The paint had swirl marks from a previous machine polish. They corrected first, then coated, and said so up front.

    Iryna BondarSkoda Octavia, polish and 2-layer coatingNovember 2024
  3. Cure time was explained in hours, not vague promises, and I got the panel list for the warranty file.

    Serhii TkachenkoBMW 3 Series, full-body filmOctober 2024
  4. Parked under trees for two years. The coating still beads, though I still hand wash it every month.

    Natalia HrytsenkoMazda CX-5, ceramic coatingJune 2024

Results vary with existing paint condition and how the car is washed. A ceramic coating does not prevent scratches, and paint protection film lowers the risk of stone chips on covered panels but is not indestructible. Book an inspection bay to see the readings on your own car.

08

Contacts

Bring the car as it is. We measure paint depth, film thickness and gloss units in the bay before any quote is written, so the number you get matches the panel you own.

Studio

Business Center 'Leonardo',
15 Bohdana Khmelnytskoho Street,
Kyiv, 01030, Ukraine

Bay hours

Mon–Fri 09:00–19:00
Sat 10:00–16:00
Sun closed

Registration

EDRPOU 70585770