Opti-Coating in the winter

**Richard Grasa** · 11-12-2012, 07:06 PM

Does the cold affect the curing of OC? Are there any reasons you should not OC a car in the winter time?

**IHA Mark** · 11-12-2012, 07:47 PM

Haven`t personally experienced any problems, but maybe some of the more experienced opti-coaters can chime in on this one.

**hamza7** · 11-12-2012, 08:49 PM

Best curing range is between 50~90 F. It can be applied it a little bit colder environment but it takes longer to flash. Compressed air can be used to make it cure faster, I suggest investing in a infrared heater if you would like to apply OG/OC in the winter.

**Scottwax** · 11-14-2012, 03:16 PM

Seems to be easier to apply (in that it doesn`t cure too quickly) in cooler temperatures vs warmer. Haven`t tried to apply it when its close to the freezing mark though.

**C. Charles Hahn** · 11-14-2012, 07:19 PM

Being that you`re mobile it`s probably harder to get a heated working environment, but it definitely helps. It was in the upper 30s outside today, but I got it up into the mid 70s inside my garage to work.

**pwaug** · 11-15-2012, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by C. Charles Hahn

Being that you`re mobile it`s probably harder to get a heated working environment, but it definitely helps. It was in the upper 30s outside today, but I got it up into the mid 70s inside my garage to work.

If I may ask, what are you using for a heater in the garage??

**C. Charles Hahn** · 11-15-2012, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by pwaug

If I may ask, what are you using for a heater in the garage??

I`ve got one of these units mounted on my wall:

Garage / Workshop Heater Dimplex DGWH4031 13648 BTU`s Electric

Perfect for my single bay; they have larger/higher output models if you have a larger garage to heat.

**pwaug** · 11-16-2012, 08:22 AM

Thanks Charlie!!! Seems about right for my space. How is the impact on your electric bill??

**RaskyR1** · 11-16-2012, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by hamza7

Best curing range is between 50~90 F. It can be applied it a little bit colder environment but it takes longer to flash. Compressed air can be used to make it cure faster, I suggest investing in a infrared heater if you would like to apply OG/OC in the winter.

^^^^This!

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Seems to be easier to apply (in that it doesn`t cure too quickly) in cooler temperatures vs warmer. Haven`t tried to apply it when its close to the freezing mark though.

^^^^and this!

I actually like applying OG when it`s 55-70 degrees as it is easier to apply. I try to keep my shop around 60 in the winter time.

I picked up a IR lamp to accelerate curing in the winter.

**C. Charles Hahn** · 11-16-2012, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by pwaug

Thanks Charlie!!! Seems about right for my space. How is the impact on your electric bill??

It`s not bad at all; doesn`t take much power to run (note that it is a 220v unit, much more efficient than 110v), and I don`t usually run it more than a couple hours at a time anyway. I have insulation blown in to the attic above the garage, an insulated door, and the exterior walls are brick so generally once I get it up to temp, I`m fine for most of the day. I do use a regular fan mounted on the wall to circulate the air though (pointed toward the ceiling to push heat back at the ground).

**pwaug** · 11-16-2012, 05:54 PM

Thanks again!! Sounds like this might work out well for me--3 sides of my garage are insulated and not exposed to the outside and I have 9" of loose fill in the attic. The door is insulated as well and sealed on all sides with weather stripping. Even during extreme cold snaps I`ve never seen it lower than 42 in the garage, but if I want to polish or wax it`s a little too cold.