Often companies look at their old car, truck, or utility service vehicle and decide it’s time for a makeover. Usually it’s because the graphics on the current vehicle are fading, peeling and need replacing, or the vehicle is starting to show some wear and tear.  When approaching a project like this keep in mind that the installation of any new graphics will only be as good as the surface given to work on.   It takes enough skill and experience to apply vinyl to surfaces bubble and wrinkle free as it is, but working on a surface where the paint is chipping, existing graphics aren’t removed or adhesives aren’t cleaned off makes for a tough installation and decreased product life.

Vehicle paint conditions are everything with vinyl installation.  Applying vinyl has similar requirements as if you were painting on surfaces; the better the preparation and cleanliness, the better the job comes out.  Of course, you need installers who can put down the graphics professionally, but it’s much easier for them on properly prepared surfaces.  Vinyl, much like paint, will show imperfections in any surface.  If you have paint with chips in it, the vinyl will conform to those blemishes, and show it.  If you have a poorly painted surface and the paint is chipping and begins to lift from the vehicle, nothing is keeping the vinyl secured anymore.  This is even more so on vehicles, because of the contours and crevices that vehicles have.

In extreme scenarios, we recommend to our clients that if your vehicle surface is too inadequate and damaged to accept a vinyl application that you have it re-painted.  We would rather see you not apply the graphics to the current surface in the state it is in than spend your hard earned money on graphics that have no guarantee of proper adhesion and lifetime.  

It may be more money upfront and push you past your initial budget, but in the long run, you will have done it right. In the future when the graphics need to be changed out, or the vehicle is going up for resale it will be in better condition, and the vehicle has better value in the end. Remember to allow for at least a 2 week cure time for freshly painted surfaces; the bonding agents in paint need time to settle and cure to the surface of the vehicle before any vinyl graphics are applied. 

Contact 12-Point SignWorks for a free consultation on the condition of your vehicle if looking for a wrap or graphics. If professional removal of existing graphics is needed, we offer those services as well; proper removal is just as important as professional installation.