Originally Posted by chaadster

The baking required Cerakote was confusingly entered into the discussion upthread, and is a different type of ceramic than the OP is talking about. Generally speaking, Cerakote is a ceramic finish, whereas the OP is talking about a ceramic coating (designed to go over a finish).

Ceramic coatings do not need baked.

Applying a non-matte coating over a matte finish will level the finish somewhat and make it more reflective, not necessarily glossy (since the ceramic is so thin), but more satin. Do multiple coats, though, and it’ll get glossy.

Relatedly, I’ve used Gyeon Can Coat ceramic coating on one of my painted bikes, and while it’s great, it’s more a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist than anything else. Add in the cost, and it’s pretty stupid. I do my cars in ceramic coatings, so I have leftovers for the bikes making cost a non-issue, but as the OP said, bikes just don’t see the same type of exposure as cars, so it’s largely unnecessary.