We often work with clients who try to save money by attempting to apply vinyl wraps or vehicle graphics to their own vehicles. Unfortunately, many learn the hard way that applying vinyl to a vehicle’s surface is no easy feat. Here are reasons why the do-it-yourself approach to vehicle wrapping is just not a good idea!

Experience & Training Matter

When applying a custom advertising wrap, it's very tricky to get the wording and images lined up correctly. This is one of the many reasons a professional installation is important!

If you’ve ever watched a vehicle wrap being applied, you will quickly realize that it takes skill and experience to ensure it looks great, is lined up precisely and is correctly applied. Our installers are professionals with an eye for detail who wrap vehicles on a daily basis. They’re well-trained in using the vinyl in our shop and understand how it works.

Check out the detail work required to cut around the lights on this vehicle wrap!

Our technicians also know how to properly cut the vinyl pieces prior to and during installation. If the vinyl is not cut to the correct size and properly applied, the vehicle wrap could experience shrinkage, peeling or tearing. To repair, you would likely need to call a professional. Cuts that are made too deep can also cause damage to the paint underneath the vinyl. No one wants that!

This is an example of a bad vinyl installation. It looks like the vinyl may have been stretched too far. Photo Credit: signindustry.com

What About the Design?

Proofs like this are a great representation of what the final vehicle wrap will look like after installation.

The overall design of your custom vinyl wrap is very important. If you’re vehicle is going to be representative of your company, wouldn’t you want it to have a professional look? Our graphic designer has been designing vehicle wraps for years. He understands how a design will look against the unique contours of a vehicle. He uses templates to layout the vehicle wrap designs and then provides customers with a detailed proof, which is very helpful in visualizing the final product. He also creates some really eye-catching designs that definitely get noticed!

Want to know more about how we design vehicle wraps? Read this article: A Guide to Understanding our Vehicle Wrap Design Process.

Stay Away from “Budget” Vinyl!

One of the most important pieces of advice we can offer our clients is to stay away from low-priced vinyl! We only use high performance wrap vinyl and protective UV laminates in our shop for vehicle advertising wraps. Although these premium materials are more expensive, they will give long-lasting, beautiful results and will not damage the paint on your vehicle if they’re applied correctly and removed within the recommended time frame.

Cheaper vinyls may not adhere to your car, truck, van or other vehicle properly. They might not stick well or can peel prematurely. Or the vinyl might stick too well and cause damage to the factory pain underneath. Any of these issues can become very costly to repair!

Prepping is Important!

Another consideration when applying vinyl to a vehicle is how the painted surface is prepped. We ask our clients to clean their vehicles before bringing them to our shop. However, we always reclean each surface again prior to installing vinyl. Vinyl wraps are often tucked around the edges of doors, the hood, trunk and mirrors to completely cover the paint and this also creates proper tension. Neglecting to clean every portion of the vehicle could possibly cause the vinyl wrap to fail.

Some home wrap installers also try to wrap their vehicles to "fix" a problem that should be professionally painted. That’s also not a good idea! To learn why vinyl won’t fix a bad paint job, read our blog article: The Worst Paint Conditions for the Perfect Vehicle Wrap.

So now you can understand why the do-it-yourself approach to applying vinyl wraps or vehicle graphics can ultimately cost you more in the long run. So let us do it right the first time!

We have an experienced team of professional designers and installers, as well as quality wide format printers to print the vinyl and a new lamination machine to apply UV protective laminate. Our temperature controlled shop is clean and large enough for bigger vehicles such as small buses and box trucks.

Vehicle advertising is one of the smartest ways to spend your advertising budget. To learn more about vehicle wraps, read our blog article: Top 5 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Vehicle Wraps.

To get your project started, give us a call at (615) 595-6564 or click on the button below.

In addition to vinyl wraps, we also offer custom signage, wall murals, window graphics, environmental branding, architectural displays and custom projects. We’re located in Franklin, but we serve all of Middle Tennessee, including Mt. Juliet, Lebanon, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Spring Hill, and Brentwood.