The Ultimate Guide to Clay Bar Treatment: How to Restore a Smooth, Clean Finish
The clay bar has a love-hate relationship among car care enthusiasts, and for good reason. Used correctly, a clay treatment can transform the look and feel of a car’s paint, and used incorrectly, it can ruin it. From clay bars, to clay mitts, to clay towels, the options are seemingly endless, and nobody seems to know when to use any of them! So, we want to go over the ins-and-outs of clay bar treatment for your car—what it is, when to use it, and how to perform the service. If you’re looking to take your car to the next level, mastering the clay treatment is the way to do it.
Introduction: What Is Clay Bar Treatment?
A clay bar treatment, also known as just a clay treatment, is the process of removing small contaminants from the paint using a clay product. These contaminants are often too small to see, but can be found by rubbing your hand over the paint. If it feels gritty, there are contaminants that need to be removed. The reason why clay is needed is because these contaminants are too trapped in the paint to be removed with a normal car wash, even if done by hand. There are a variety of products that are labeled under the “clay” umbrella, including the clay bar, clay mit, clay towel, and others. The result of a clay treatment is a paint finish that’s smooth to the touch and free of contaminants, both seen and unseen. Once this is the case, you are now able to paint correct, polish, and/or ceramic coat the paint!
What does a Clay Bar do?
The goal of any clay bar treatment is to remove any number of contaminants that riddle the paintwork of any car that sees the road, including brake dust, rail dust, tar, tree sap, iron fallout, overspray, and more. While washing the car will remove a small amount of these contaminants from the surface, even the strongest cleaners won’t remove the more embedded particles unless it is pulled out using a clay bar. A car can look clean, sure, but if it still feels gritty to the touch, it needs a clay bar treatment to unlock a smooth feel, better shine, and factory finish.
This F-350 is a perfect example of a truck that needed a clay bar treatment, the paint didn’t even look white up close before the service!
What’s the difference between clay products?
Clay Towel
Starting with the least abrasive and moving up, a clay towel is easy to use, low-risk, and covers a large surface area at once, making it ideal for more maintenance-type clay treatments on newer/previously-treated vehicles. A clay towel can be washed and reused multiple times, making it also a cost-effective solution for gritty paint in the long-run.
Clay Mitt
A clay mitt is similar, being easy to use and lower-risk, but is designed as a slight step up in abrasiveness compared to a clay towel. It is a little more flexible and wider-covering than a clay towel, while also being reusable and washable. When used properly, a clay mitt can provide amazing results on even more contaminated paint finishes.
Clay Bar
And, for the professionals, a clay bar stands as the most aggressive option, useful for heavily contaminated paint. Using a clay bar takes more time due to a lower surface area, carries more risk when used improperly (we’ll touch on that later), but is much more effective. For small spaces, or spot decontamination in areas such as the front bumper and lower rocker panels, a clay bar is just about the only option. It is used primarily by professionals, but can also be used in D.I.Y. applications. Sadly, a clay bar is also the most expensive option on the list, being more or less a one-time-use product, and needs to be thrown out after use, or if the product is dropped on the ground at all.
When should you give your car a Clay Bar Treatment??
The most common situation where a clay treatment is always performed is before a paint correction and/or ceramic coating application. Before a polisher can touch a car’s paint, is it always best practice to clay bar the entire vehicle to ensure that no contaminants are present in the paint during a polishing or correction, which can quickly ruin the performance and outcome of these services. A paint free of contaminants is much easier for any waxes, sealants, or coatings to stick to, increasing longevity and effectiveness of these products.
Outside of a pre-polish treatment, however, it becomes a lot more tricky to identify when to perform a clay treatment. The reason why most people steer clear of a clay treatment is because of the risk of marring, or light scratching of the paint when using a clay bar. If a clay bar is used, and no polish or correction is performed after, these scratches can hurt the look of the paint, and require one of the aforementioned services to fix. Because of this risk, it is smart to assess the situation and compromise. If the contamination isn't too heavy, using a clay mitt or towel instead of a bar can reduce the chances of marring. Typically, the places that need a clay treatment the most are the front bumper and lower side panels, so only claying those areas can usually do more good than bad, depending on condition. However, if the contamination is very bad, such as on cars that are frequently off-road, near industrial areas, or driven on salty roads in the winter, it may not be wise to clay bar without following up with a polish.
Make sure to wash your vehicle before doing a clay treatment!
How to Do a Clay Bar Treatment: Step-by-Step Guide
What you’ll need
A clay product (bar, towel, or mitt)
A clay lubricant (either a dedicated clay lubricant product, or rinseless car wash soap and distilled water)
Microfiber towels
A cleaned, cool paint surface
Step-by-step process
First, it’s always important to wash and dry the car before any claying can be done, just to remove any surface contaminants that come off with a thorough wash. Next, focus on a specific section, typically around 2x2ft. Spray a generous amount of clay lubricant in that area, and gently rub the clay back and forth on that area until the surface feels smooth, and doesn’t get caught on the paint. After every small area, wipe the paint dry with the microfiber towel, and inspect the clay product. If using a mitt or towel, make sure it doesn’t need to be washed, and when using a clay bar, make sure to fold the clay in on itself over the contaminated side to bury the contaminants in the paint and reveal a new, clean side to use. Continue this process throughout the entire vehicle, and be sure to inspect at the end and feel around on the paint to find any spots you might have missed.
Essential safety tips
There are a few key things to remember when completing a clay bar treatment to keep the paint as safe and scratch-free as possible. The first of these is using enough lubricant while performing the treatment. If the clay runs into a dry spot on the paint, it will begin to scratch the paint in a process called marring, which will require a polish to remove. Also, if you drop your clay bar, it needs to be thrown out. Unlike clay towels and mitts that can be washed, clay bars cannot, and once they hit the ground, they are simply too contaminated to use on the paint safely. Finally, work in a shaded, cool area. Working in direct sunlight will dramatically increase how quickly any clay lubricant will dry up, increasing the risk of doing a clay treatment.
Aftercare: What to Do After a Clay Bar Treatment
Apply protection
A clay treatment will remove any waxes, sealants, or coatings that were previously on the paint, so apply a new layer of protection to shield the paint from the sun, dirt, and debris! Now that the paint is decontaminated, the longevity and appearance of the protection will be improved dramatically. So, toss on your favorite spray sealant, hand wax, or ceramic coating, and drive off in a car that looks like new!
Paint enhancement
Now that the car is clay treated, performing a paint correction and/or polish can help bring out more life in the paintwork by removing scratches, swirls, oxidation, and more. If you’re looking for the best results possible, we always recommend at least some paint correction and polishing work be done.
FAQs: Clay Bar Treatment Explained
Does a clay bar remove scratches?
No, it does not. A clay treatment will only remove contaminants on and in the paint, not scratches. Scratches come from a small dip in the clear coat, and thus can only be removed through a paint correction or polish.
Can I clay bar my car myself?
Of course, as long as you do it correctly. There are many kits that are readily available for doing a clay treatment, so pick one up and follow the steps we gave above. Just make sure to use enough lubricant, and use only a light amount of pressure when performing the treatment.
Is clay barring safe for all paint types?
Different paint types can scratch more easily, but when performed properly, any paint with a clear coat can be clay treated. On softer, easier-to-scratch paintworks, exercise more caution, and you’ll be just alright.
What happens if I skip it?
Skipping a clay treatment will dramatically reduce the ability for sealants to bond to the paint, meaning that sealants and coatings will simply not last as long. If you plan on polishing the paint and don't treat the paint first, you run the risk of, ironically, scratching up the paint more as you polish it. While clay treating the paint isn’t necessarily a requirement if you aren’t polishing, it’s always recommended to get it done 1-2 times a year to keep the paint looking fresh.
Final thoughts: Is a clay bar treatment right for me?
If it’s been more than 1-2 years since the paint has been clay treated, it's likely that your vehicle’s paint is in need of a clay bar treatment. If you’re unsure, give the paint a quick feel, and you’ll realize that you may be more in need of a clay bar than you initially thought. Whether you plan on doing it yourself, or getting it done professionally, a clay bar treatment is always a smart idea.
And, if you live on the South Shore or Cape Cod in MA, and want a clay bar treatment done for your vehicle, contact us today!
