Anybody have advice for vinyl application?

"Trunk Impaired 318" (matteocscaptura)
08/25/2016 at 21:48 • Filed to: None

Gonna try my hand at applying some of my vinyls for the MINI tomorrow. I’ve got a pair of stripes for the hood and a black jack for the sunroof that I’m looking to get on the car. With that said I really have no idea what I’m doing and am more or less winging it. Therefore any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

DISCUSSION (25)

OPPOsaurus WRX > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 21:53

try not to fuck it up, cuz that would suck

Toby F., Manager > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 21:54

Cleaning supplies (soap, water, clay bar)

Felt edge squeegee, trim removal tool, and blade

Patience

A clean and cool area to work in

Remove the vinyl backing only when you’re ready to squeegee the area (in other words, remove backing little by little)

Helped wrap my sibling’s roof about a month ago.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 21:57

I’m terrible at putting on vinyl stickers. I’m a big fan of the soapy water approach. Spray bottle with soapy water, take the backing off the sticker to expose the sticky part, and go to town with the water. Put on car. You can now work the bubbles out and make sure it’s in place. I use a credit card as a squeegee. Let dry very well, I try and leave it in the sun. Then take off the transfer paper front if there is one.

Trunk Impaired 318 > Toby F., Manager
08/25/2016 at 21:58

New the first 4, good thing to know about doing the backing little by little, thanks!

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 21:58

clean it first

dry it second

apply a shit ton of patience

have a heat gun

have a squeegee

a second pair of hands does help

Trunk Impaired 318 > OPPOsaurus WRX
08/25/2016 at 21:58

Classic oppo right there

Trunk Impaired 318 > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
08/25/2016 at 21:59

I’ve got a felt tipped squeegee for added legitimacy, otherwise I’m a complete hack

Trunk Impaired 318 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
08/25/2016 at 22:02

Good everywhere but the heat gun, gonna try a hair dryer and hope for the best

OPPOsaurus WRX > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 22:02

this has good advice but probably an extra couple steps

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 22:02

I wrap building and do graphics for shows. If you have any questions. Ilovecars is right, it is a good idea to wash the car and dry it if you want them to last, the best 3M materials are rated for 5 years outside. That roof there is perforated, little holes, they can catch an edge and rip, so be careful, but you don’t have to worry about bubbles. Just peel one inch and crease the backing, line it up and stick it, make sure it’s even and not bunched up because it will continue that tension all the way down. Just hold the material out with tension and peel and squeegee it down slowly and evenly with side to side swooshes. If you chip away at it downward you can cause tension, better to gently wipe it down without steering it left or right, vinyl can be steered around and you just want it to be flat and straight.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
08/25/2016 at 22:05

Well dry it but then let the car cool in the shade and apply in the shade. I wrap buildings for shows. A hot surface will make the material melty and a noob will fuck it up a lot easier, much better in the shade. That pic he has is perforated so no bubbles, but they can rip on an edge.

Trunk Impaired 318 > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/25/2016 at 22:08

Washed the car tonight but am planning on re-washing and going over with alcohol in the areas where the vinyl is actually going. I envision the stripes being the hard part because of the complex curves on the hood but they were $12 so I can afford to mess them up. The sunroof flag not so much but that should be straightforward, or so I’ve been led to believe.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 22:13

Nah, stripes are strips so they are easy to peel and stick as you go. Wrapping the whole hood as a large sheet is where you need a torch and some skill.

Trunk Impaired 318 > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/25/2016 at 22:16

That’s good to hear

E92M3 > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 22:16

Lots of good advice here. I want to add you need to use a lint free cloth to dry the car with, and work fast. Any lint or dust on the paint will show in the vinyl. A lot of people make the mistake of wiping it down with a paper towel, and a solution to remove any wax, only to end up with a lot of lint.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 22:23

Kinja'd!!!

It’s more fun hanging off the side of a building in the dark!

Trunk Impaired 318 > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/25/2016 at 22:25

That does actually seem like a good time

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 22:29

Yeah we have music and the city is like a show down below some nights. Nobody bothers us, we do our thing and the union high time pay is 10% more because most people won’t go up in the air.

Trunk Impaired 318 > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/25/2016 at 22:33

That’s awesome

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 22:34

when i did black tints for my tail lights on my TL (puts on a flame suit), a hair dryer on high did work too

Trunk Impaired 318 > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
08/25/2016 at 22:36

I’ve pondered getting a heat gun more than a few times, but realistically I’m just not going to use it enough to justify it

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 23:03

R50/R53? Let me know how it goes and what difference it makes to the amount of light getting through the sunroof. I might be tempted to put a blackjack on the sunroof of my R50.

Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition > Trunk Impaired 318
08/25/2016 at 23:06

If you can get to a harbor freight they are only like $15. It does get much hotter than a hair dryer and mine has lasted for almost six years now.

Trunk Impaired 318 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
08/25/2016 at 23:27

R53, Im hoping that the vinyl combined with the sunshade makes it at least bearable to get in on a sunny day

Trunk Impaired 318 > Junkrat aka Rick Sanchez: Fury Road Edition
08/25/2016 at 23:30

No harbor freight anywhere near me that Im aware of. The walmart by me has a $22 one but I just figured it wouldn’t be that much better than a hair dryer