How to - Graphic wrap installation

BigWhite

Test Drive
Location
Calgary, AB
Hey guys

I thought I'd do a writeup on my recent decal work.

Here is a picture for a quick reference to what I am talking about.

attachment.php


As some of you may know there has been some big leaps forward in this type of product making it easier than ever to accomplish this DIY.

I got my package from www.powersportswraps.com Nice people.

I would definetley go through them again. Awsome service, great price, great product. There are tons of patterns to choose from (so dont pick mine wahaha) and plenty of how-to support on thier website.

Disclaimer: Though the side and back of an xterra are by no means flat I would suggest caution in following this guide if your looking to cover more complex shapes. Having said that I am a first timer, was working solo, and I had no serious issues inspite of my two left thumbs.

Tools I used:

Razorblade*
Squeegy - provided with your order
Roller - available through supplier
Masking tape
Tape measure
Pencil
Level
Heat Gun**
Patience***

* I prefer using just the blade of the razor with no handle. It feels more precise and gives you more control and visibility. If you do this be very careful how you use it and where you set it down.
** You may get away with a hair dryer but I would recomend a proper heat gun. This was a life saver on a couple of occasions for me and should not be under estimated.
*** Your best tool, as with all projects, is patience. The first patch I hung I felt like I was racing the "glue timer" and created all sorts of problems for myself. I found this product very forgiving - tac'ing and re-tac'ing was not an issue so don't feel like you need to race through it.

Jargen used: Tac, Tac'd - lightly stuck

The Prep:
As with any project that involves "sticking", your cleaning job before hand is super important.

I hit the carwash on the way home to get the bulk off. Then I used a cloth with water and dish soap to give it a good scrub around all the areas I was going to work on. After that I used Methyl Hydrate and paper towels to remove all the oil and grim that water won't get. I knew I was done when it was hard to pull the paper towel accross the super clean paint (lots of friction).

The graphics came in 2'x4' sheets so I measured and cut out what I needed and did a dry run. I used masking tape to hang the cut peices where they would go and pressed each one into place paying attention to where it would bend with the body and how that affects the rest of the peice. I also found the order you lay your peices to be important ie. vehicle edges / contours, hiding seams and lining up consecutive peices.

Hands - guys don't forget to clean your hands before starting application. I just did the methyl hydrate cleaning with bare hands which removed ALL the oils from my skin but I can't recommend you do that for health reasons. The supplier recommends cotton gloves, I think it was, but I couldn't visualize that working so I didn't get them. However you do it make sure your not getting oils from your hands onto the adheseive of the wrap.

The sticky:

Just peel and stick....... ok maybe a bit more to it than that... heres some tips

This product has some good substance to it so it won't flop around on you and the adhesive surface can be pulled and re-applied several times, so long as it doesn't get dirty (I pulled one corner off 6 times and its still holding strong). I say this because it means the following is not nearly the PITA it sounds like.
An inferior product could absolutley be a nightmare if the above wasn't the case.

1) Only peel off a small section first ie. a 3"x3" triangle in the corner thats most important to get right. Don't stick it yet.
2) Switch the the less important corner, line it up where you want it and use the masking tape to tape it there.
3) Go back to your important side and re-align it exactly where you want it, pull it taught, and stick down the 3"x3" section. You may need to do steps 2 & 3 a couple times to find a good average of where the sheet will go best. If you did this then the small stuck section now knows where you want the whole peice to be... don't fight it through the next sections (learnt the hard way)
4)Peel back the rest of the backing and pull it firmly away from the stuck section without stretching it or biasing it one direction or another. If its misaligned you need to pull it off and go back to steps 2 & 3 instead of trying to correct for it. Once your confident your pulling it straight and your happy with the alignment allow it to touch the vehicle where ever it wants to first. In my case the concaived part of the body touched first as I lowered the wrap. Thats fine. Let it touch and tac up on its own. Noticing a theme yet? Don't fight the wrap.
5)So now you have your most important corner and your highest (most elevated) section tac'd up. Decide where your next most important area or direction is and work from your latest postition towards it in the same manner as step 4.
6) Use the heat gun and the squeegy to settle lifted areas and to work around curves (Our first aid kit buddle on the hatch presents an interesting challenge.) Careful not to use too much heat as the wrap will become too flexable and may distort your image or alignment.
7) By this point you will have run into some wrinkling issues. The biggest tip I can pass along here is think about what forces, in what directions, are causing the wrinkles before you do anything. Do your best to look ahead and prevent them from forming in the first place but you will get some no matter what. The heat gun helps alot but at some point your going to have to press down a wrinkle and hope it doesn't become a crease. when you have to... this is the best way I found to do it...


While using heat, use the Squeegy (represented by the thick line) to chop and drag in the direction of the arrow.
chop.JPG
This is an awsome trick. Good for any kind of sticker application.

This picture is meant to be a wrinkle as veiwed from straight on. As a draftsmen I am so fired if my boss sees this picture.

If you do get a crease dont freak out. Just work it with the roller and heat until you get it down to a hairs thickness and walk away. I was amazed how hard it was to see it at even 1' away from the application. You'll never notice it again.

Air pockets are the reverse. poke a small hole in the centre with your razor and then work the air from the outside in with the squeegy.

8) Rinse and Repeat until you get all the areas down and smooth. Then use a roller of somekind (I used a small paint roller I had laying around) to apply pressure and re-enforce the adhesion of the wrap.
9) For seams I just overlapped about an 1/8" and did my best to line up the patterns where I could. This is a good point to remember when choosing a pattern and laying out your peices ahead of time. Camo patterns are pretty forgiving along seams but other patterns could have very odvious seams.
10) Where I needed to cut holes, like on the hatch handle, I cut the holes after all was said and done. The heat gun allows you to get a nice press fit around what ever your going to cut out so you can still see exactly where your cutting.
11) I painted some clear nail polish over any edges that ended on curves, like in the door jams, to help seal it up and prevent peeling.

Seriously guys If I made this sound like a huge PITA its not. Just go slow. I am usally terrible with this type of work and it took me longer to clean the vehicle (and do the write up) than to do everything else.

Thats it, Thanks for reading.

Feel free PM or reply with questions.
 

Attachments

  • Xterra 028.jpg
    Xterra 028.jpg
    55.8 KB · Views: 138
Last edited by a moderator:

ThePlasticOne

First Fill-Up (of many)
Location
Boston, MA
I can see them as well.

On top of very careful alignment, I can also suggest spraying a mix of dish soap and water onto the panel before applying - this can allow for fine adjustment without having to lift, and once it's squeegied out and dries has no effect on the adhesive.
 

robcarync

Sliders
Location
Raleigh, NC
I had to right click and copy the image url...then paste it into a browser window. It made me log in again, but after I logged in, they all showed up
 

xterror04

Site sponsor
Founding Member
Location
Carlisle, Iowa
I can see them as well.

On top of very careful alignment, I can also suggest spraying a mix of dish soap and water onto the panel before applying - this can allow for fine adjustment without having to lift, and once it's squeegied out and dries has no effect on the adhesive.

This depends on the material though, if it is truly car wrap material I wouldn't spray it because it will take forever to actually stick, the stuff I have creates a air pocket so you can slide it around until it is where you want it then you press it down...
 
Top