CREATIVE FREEDOM / CERAKOTE
Color with purpose.
Character that lasts.
A favorite piece deserves more than an ordinary finish. Bring your colors, your inspiration, and the way you use it. Let’s create something you’re proud to call your own.
Start your Cerakote project
01 / THE FINISH
What is Cerakote?
A thin ceramic coating.
A completely different impression.
Cerakote® is a family of ceramic-based coatings developed by NIC Industries. Selected products help resist corrosion, abrasion, chemicals, and everyday exposure while adding a carefully considered color and finish. Different formulas serve different purposes; choosing the right one is part of the work.
For your project, that might mean a clean factory-inspired color, coordinated parts, a distressed finish, or original artwork built through stencils and laser detail. The coating is thin, but it still adds material—preparation, masking, and attention to fit matter.
The goal is simple: a finish that feels intentional every time you see it, with protection appropriate to the item and how you use it.
See Creative Freedom finishes02 / CHOOSE THE RIGHT COATING
Start with the job.
Then choose the color.
Creative Freedom’s core color-coating services use H-Series and C-Series. We’ll consider the material, existing finish, heat exposure, and desired appearance before choosing a product. Specialty treatments such as DFL and Super Grip™ are discussed separately.
AVAILABLE HERE / OVEN CURE
H-Series
Versatile color. Everyday protection.
A ceramic-polymer coating with broad color choices and a balance of wear, corrosion, and chemical resistance. H-Series is a natural starting point for many firearm finishes, knives, accessories, and other suitable items.
From a restrained single color to layered custom artwork, it gives us room to create a look around you. The item must be compatible with the preparation and curing process.
AVAILABLE HERE / AIR CURE
C-Series
A different approach to heat and curing.
C-Series cures without an oven and includes coatings developed for high-temperature environments. It can suit certain heat-exposed metal parts and projects where oven curing is unsuitable.
Heat resistance and color stability depend on the exact product. We’ll match the coating to the application rather than assume every C-Series color has the same rating.
The wider Cerakote family
Cerakote goes well beyond two series. While H-Series and C-Series are my mainstays, I can also work with these specialized coatings when they’re the right fit for your project.
- Elite / E-Series
- Thin-film oven-cure coatings focused on wear resistance and low friction.
- F-Series
- Fast-curing oven-cure coatings developed with manufacturing and production in mind.
- V-Series
- Oven-cure coatings for demanding high-temperature applications.
- MC / Performance Clears
- Clear protective finishes selected for a particular substrate and exposure.
- P-Series & specialty coatings
- Products with specific functions, including friction, thermal, or electrical properties. Gen II is another specialized coating family.
- Cerakote FX
- Effect pigments that introduce metallic, pearl, or shifting visual character in compatible coating systems.
A series name is a starting point. Product-specific data determines suitability, color stability, and service limits.
03 / MORE THAN COLOR
Two different coatings.
Two very different purposes.
Sometimes the question is how a surface feels or works. DFL and Super Grip™ bring specialized properties to the conversation—one is designed for low friction, the other for texture.
SPECIALTY SPOTLIGHT / DFL-200
DFL: less friction.
More purpose.
A dry film lubricant built into the surface.
Cerakote DFL-200 is a ceramic-based, PFAS-free dry film lubricant. It uses solid lubricants to create a low-friction coating designed to reduce sliding wear in demanding environments.
Unlike a decorative color finish, its job is surface interaction. Cerakote identifies applications across automotive, aerospace, and industrial equipment where friction and wear are central concerns.
Have a part that needs a functional coating rather than simply a new color? We’ll review the material, contact surfaces, and intended use before recommending a treatment. DFL is not a blanket replacement for the item manufacturer’s maintenance requirements.
Ask about DFL coating
SPECIALTY SPOTLIGHT / SUPER GRIP™
A finish you can feel.
Make texture part of the design.
Super Grip™ is a polymer-ceramic coating designed to add a tactile, textured surface. It can stand alone or work with compatible Cerakote products to bring texture and appearance together.
The range includes air-cure SG-100 and oven-cure SG-200. The texture can vary with the application, so we’ll discuss the feel you want, the material, and where the coating makes sense.
Think beyond color: a tool handle, sporting accessory, or other suitable contact surface with a more deliberate feel. This is a coating-based texture, with the finish planned around the way you handle the item.
Discuss a Super Grip™ finish04 / THE POSSIBILITIES
Firearms are a focus.
Creativity reaches further.
Much of my work starts with firearms and accessories. The same attention to preparation, color, and detail can extend to plenty of other suitable objects. Bring the item and the idea—we’ll work out whether Cerakote is the right route.
Firearms & accessories
Single-color refinishing, coordinated components, camouflage, distressed finishes, and original designs. Build a personal visual identity around a favorite piece while adding a protective coating suited to its use.
Knives, tools & everyday gear
Bring a cohesive look to suitable knife components, tool bodies, and accessories. A restrained finish can refresh a favorite; a more expressive design can turn a gift or daily-use item into something personal.
Automotive, motorcycle & motorsport
Explore coordinated trim, brackets, covers, and selected heat-exposed components. Material, operating environment, dimensions, and temperature determine what’s possible—not just the color on a screen.
Outdoor, sporting & marine
From selected bicycle and fishing components to outdoor accessories, a coating can unite appearance with protection against exposure. We’ll review the actual parts and their service conditions first.
Home, hardware & creative projects
Suitable handles, fixtures, hardware, and decorative pieces can become part of a coordinated design. Bring a photo of the object and the space or concept you want it to complement.
Brands, dealers & production
Create a recognizable visual identity across a group of parts or a product line. Let’s discuss materials, finish requirements, quantities, and consistency before setting the scope and quote.
Suitability is reviewed by item. Coatings are not damage-proof, and not every material, assembled product, or service environment is appropriate.
Show me what you have in mind
05 / CERTIFIED APPLICATION
The finish starts
before the color.
Factory training. Direct education.
Individual attention to your project.
A great design needs a sound foundation. As a Cerakote Certified Applicator, I bring manufacturer training to the parts of the process you don’t see: evaluating the surface, preparing it properly, selecting the coating, controlling coverage, and following the correct cure.
Cerakote’s hands-on certification program is tailored to the applicator’s needs. Its training covers surface preparation, masking, equipment setup, coating thickness, application, curing, troubleshooting, and advanced decorative techniques.
Creative Freedom is located within six miles of NIC Industries’ facility in White City, Oregon. I continue direct education with the Cerakote team, keeping that connection part of how I learn about products and refine my approach.
For you, that means informed recommendations and a project planned around both the look and the process. You work directly with the person creating the finish—from the first idea to the final details.
LET’S FIND YOUR FINISH
Bring the idea.
Let’s make it worth a closer look.
You don’t need a finished design or the right technical vocabulary. Send a few photos, a color direction, and what you’d like the project to feel like. We’ll talk through the possibilities and a project-specific quote.
Coating information: Cerakote / NIC product guide · Super Grip™ · DFL. Product properties vary by coating and application.