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If you want to restyle your car's door and give it a fresh new look, car door wraps are some of the best options you can choose. At Rvinyl, we carry only the best wrap brands available today, ensuring you receive durable vinyl wraps designed to last many years. You can always trust us to supply you with the perfect wrap for your creative vision. And if you're looking for some tips, we got you covered. We asked Justin Pate of The Wrap Institute to create a video that covers the process from start to finish. You will want to assemble the following tools before beginning:
The first step is to remove the door handle. It makes the door much easier to wrap. After cleaning, be sure to section the panel for the door to save material. Keep in mind that the material for the door can be taken out of the back fender piece.
Once this section has been cut out from the main piece, set it aside, then place masking tape on the upper molding, as well as open the door to get full coverage in the gap. Always double check the liner to see if the logo is going in the right direction, then place it on the vehicle using magnets that can be purchased from our Rvinyl. Cutaway excess film near the wheel.
Now it's time to release the liner. Be careful and release the liner in increments. This will keep it from wrinkling during this process. Now, fold the material back on itself and crease it. This will create a nice gap from the surface and the adhesive. Now, hook the upper corner by hooking the corner first. This will create minimal tension. Once that corner's hooked squeegee, the material onto the main surface just above the backing paper crease, then squeegee from right to left in this case. Pick the material up to even out any tension and then hook it on the body. Once it has adhered to the door right to left, then squeegee in even strokes towards the upper molding.
Now, with the top section locked in place, release the liner, but not all the way, just half. Pull down with even tension and see if there's 100 percent glass or no wrinkles, if not, pull a little bit to the outside. So once it's 100 percent even and smooth, then release the rest of the liner. This will help dramatically in terms of workflow. Once the entire liner is released, be sure to leave it under the car for safety. Hook the next body line from the section that was applied at the top. And once this is set, start from the top and squeegee left to right. Note that the squeegee angle is 45 degrees, and this particular squeegee from Rvinyl is soft, so it conforms easily to the surface. And the buffer on it, a monkey strip is brand new, so it doesn't scratch the vinyl.
If wrinkles do build up, slice them away with a 45 degree angle of the squeegee and shift them evenly towards the outside edge by slicing them, then at the outside edge, pick the material up and tuck it stress-free to the outside edge. Once the material is tucked in evenly on all sides it's time to pick it up and make sure it's fully sealed in any type gaps. Some vehicles have rubber molding on the side and also rubber molding on the bottom. So the materials picked up and using a tucking tool, it is tucked tight into the gap and then cuts safely away with a knife. Make sure to click the blade before cutting, so it's extra sharp. And use a light touch. The blade should hold a gap if done properly, so it doesn't jump out. And once all the material is safely cut away, then the excess film can be pulled away from the surface low and flat. Once the material is pulled low and flat away from the surface, come back in with the tucking tool and seal the edge.
Now we move on to this section by the door. Now, keep in mind that this section has a steep drop off at a 90 degree angle. This means the material needs to be picked up and fed into the resistor before it's taken to the outside edge. Once they're relaxed, the film with heat then cut the material away. The blades should run alongside the body while the free hand pulls with even tension away. And now we move to the top molding. Here it's tucked in just like it was at the bottom and cuts safely away with a sharp light touch. Once the excess film has been removed from the top, always come in and seal the deal.
And now we move on to the outside edge where it meets the back fender. Cut on the back fender side, which will give about a quarter inch of extra material that can then be wrapped around the edge. This is for extra coverage and for long term durability. To seal this edge, open the door. Run a finger on the top edge so it curves around. Then add heat to relax the film and focus on the body lines, in this case, using a harder squeegee so you get a tight seal. And once this edge is done now, we move on to the door handle cup.
And this is actually the funnest part. Using the application glove, heat the film, then form it in and you can either work left to right or right to left. By doing this, it allows the air to escape through one of the holes where the door handle goes. Once the material has formed into the cup, finish the outside edge again, working evenly with the application gloves and then cut everything safely away.Give your finished piece a good wipe down and you're ready to go!