Vinyl Wrapping – What It Is and Why It Could Be For You

Do you want to return your used car to its shiny showroom glory, or are you hoping for a more unique, custom look? Are you good with your hands and looking for a weekend project you can show off around town, or do you prefer to leave it up to the professionals? Are you a business looking for a way to reach out to new customers? If you answered “yes” to any of the above, vinyl wraps may be just what you’re looking for. We’re here to answer all of your burning questions – from what vinyl wraps are, to the different types available, to why you can benefit from their use. And, hopefully, we will give you a little inspiration along the way.

What is Vinyl Wrapping?

Vinyl wraps have become increasingly popular within the last several years, especially with car enthusiasts who love the idea of a customized look. Vinyl wrapping is a process that involves applying large sheets of vinyl film to individual panels of a vehicle. Vinyl is available in countless colors, finishes, and textures, giving you the ability to personalize your vehicle in ways you may have only dreamed of.

I’m a business owner – is this an effective way to advertise?

The short answer to that question is absolutely. The longer version is this. Vinyl graphics are custom designed and they use the same advertising principles used by the most effective billboard ads. Designers will help to create an eye-catching graphic, such as your company logo, that will help to bring attention to your message. Think of it this way. Every time you are driving to work, going to the grocery store, picking your kids up from school, on your way to meet clients, or even if you’re stuck in traffic, you could possibly reach up to 40,000 potential customers in a single day. A single day! A bold and unique graphic displayed on your company vehicle could stick in those peoples’ minds for days, weeks, or even months to come. The more attention that the vehicle wrap gets, the broader the audience becomes. Most advertising techniques are time-consuming and can cost a pretty penny. With vinyl wraps, you will receive an affordable, quick, and effective form of advertising for your business that is guaranteed to last for years.

Now that we’ve talked about the benefits, what are some of the different types of wraps available to me?

The wraps we offer include the MightyWraps truck wraps, car wraps, van wraps, trailer wraps, boat wraps, food truck wraps, bus wraps, tractor wraps, motorcycle wraps, and outside the box wraps (Click to see some the other stuff we wrap…), MightyWraps offers carbon fiber vinyl wraps, wood vinyl wraps, brushed metal wraps and chrome wrap vinyl. If camouflage is your style, we’ve got just the thing for you. If you’re looking for something to really make your vehicle stand out amongst the crowd, try out our vinyl accents or some stock or custom rally stripes.

All of our wraps are designed and engineered to both customize and protect the interior and exterior of your car. While these are designed with motor vehicles in mind, vinyl wraps can be applied to just about any hard, non-porous surface.

The 3M™ 1080 Series Wrap’s striking finishes and bold colors are what set them apart from the competition. The 3M™ 1080 Series is available in more than 80 different finishes. Yes, you heard that right. More than 80 different finishes you can choose from. The finishes available to you include shade-shifting films, flaked gloss, matte metallic, matte chrome, brushed or carbon fiber, and so much more. The years of research and technology put into this series of wrap have really proved its worth. The 3M™ brand promises quality, reliability, service and warranty.

What are the ways in which I can apply a wrap to my vehicle?

If you’re working with a slightly larger budget, are looking for complete paint coverage, or you’re just looking for a drastic change, we would recommend a full wrap. The full wrap provides you with vinyl coverage from bumper to bumper. This option gives you maximum design potential.

Your next choice is a partial wrap. This type is ideal for those who are concerned with protecting a certain part of their vehicle from road debris, such as the hood or front bumper. If this is the case, we offer clear vinyl wraps to help give your vehicle’s paint some added protection. Partial wraps are also ideal for those working with a limited budget. Just because you have a limited budget doesn’t mean your car can’t make an impact. Partial wraps still give you the ability to choose from all of the finishes and colors options available as if you were doing a full wrap.

Along the same lines of a partial wrap, you also have the options of choosing a roof only style, a hood only style, or a cockpit style. The roof and hood only styles allow you to create contrasting color combinations to help break up the standard manufactured vehicle paint jobs. However, you don’t have to simply stick to a solid color. With vinyl wraps, you have the option available to you to create a custom design of your choice for the hood or roof. Real carbon fiber hoods are commonly found on race cars. Now you can get the same sporty look without paying the high cost for an actual carbon fiber hood.

The cockpit style allows you to wrap the entire canopy of the car, including the pillars around the windows, in a contrasting color. This style has become increasingly popular in the world of supercars.

Finally, we also offer the use of spot graphics, which are a great option for businesses. Spot graphics allow you to place your company logo, contact information, or even your business license in small sections of the hood, door, tailgate, or back doors of a van, cargo, or bus.

Can I apply a vinyl wrap myself or should I leave it up to the professionals?

Applying a seamless vinyl wrap, while not impossible for non-professionals, does require a certain set of skills and quite a bit of patience. If you feel like you are up for the challenge of applying a wrap yourself, here is a list of the types of tools you will need to get the project started. You won’t need much in terms of supplies, but what you will need is a heat gun, a utility knife, and some taping supplies. It definitely wouldn’t hurt to enlist the help of a friend either. Before you start: scrub, scrub, scrub your car. If you think you’ve got it as clean as it’s ever been, you probably haven’t. So wash it again. If any wax or residue is left on your vehicle, the vinyl’s adhesive will not cling to the surface as it should. This also means that any rust spots or imperfections (such as dents) must be removed from all of the body panels so that the film can adhere to all of the contours of your car flawlessly. Unfortunately, vinyl wraps won’t hide flaws to the your car’s body, so if this step is skipped, those imperfections will show through. Once the prep work is done, now you can get started on your new exciting project. If you make a mistake or two along the way, don’t worry. Luckily for you, vinyl is inexpensive enough that a few mistakes won’t break the bank. Instead, unroll another sheet and keep on going. If you have decided to tackle this project yourself, here is a short video demonstrating a vinyl wrap installation on a 2017 Chevy Truck for Keller Williams – Kirk Short – Wichita Home Team Truck Wrap.

If you don’t have the time, or just plain don’t want to take the chance, our professionals are here to take care of the job for you. MightyWraps™ professionals attend trade show instructional classes, technical workshops, and keep up with the latest educational videos and training sessions. They have all of the tools and expertise necessary to guarantee that you go home with a top-quality job with little wait time and well worth the price paid. In addition, our products are all backed by excellent warranties and customer service.

This all sounds pretty intriguing. What are the types of vinyl out there and how do I choose which one is right for me?

Vinyl comes in two different forms: digitally printed and pre-cured. The type that’s chosen is determined based on your desired outcome. If you are hoping for a pattern or design for your vehicle, digitally printed would be the option for you. Digitally printed vinyl begins as a base white, and is then run through a large-format printer in which your design is applied. Our professionals are equipped with high-quality printers and the expertise needed to help create a unique design just for you.
Pre-cured vinyl comes in various finishes, but unlike digitally printed vinyl, is only available in solid colors. The colors themselves are set during the curing process, which involves the mixing of the base material in order to create uniformity. So, if you want a textured finish in a solid color, pre-cured vinyl is going to be what you want to choose.

Now, there are two different categories of wrap films: calendared and cast. Calendared vinyl is created by extruding a malleable form of the vinyl compound through a series of rollers, which then flatten out the product to reach the desired thickness. The finished product is rather thick and inflexible. Calendared vinyl also retains a memory, meaning if it is stored in flat sheets, it will always tend to flatten out, no matter the surface. Because this type of vinyl is more rigid, it is not an ideal choice for most panels of a passenger car. However, if you’re a business owner and have commercial vehicles you are interested in wrapping, this could be a viable option for you. The lifespan of calendared vinyl can range anywhere from 1 to 7 years.

Cast vinyl, on the other hand, is created by producing a liquid form of the vinyl product and after which is then spread out in very thin sheets before curing it. In the end, this creates a more flexible finished product. Cast vinyl is also more durable than the calendared vinyl. The average lifespan of cast vinyl ranges from 5 to 12 years, depending on the quality of the product. Because of its intense production process and the quality of materials used, this vinyl is slightly pricier than its calendared counterpart. Cast vinyl is best suited for passenger vehicles, due to its ability to adjust to the different curves of the car.

So, what do I do now?

Now that we’ve provided you with some of the ins and outs of vinyl wraps, we hope you feel confident in choosing which type of wrap is the right fit for you. Whether you’re looking to update your own personal vehicle, or you’re a business looking for a distinctive and effective way to advertise, MightyWraps™ has got you covered. Our staff is willing and ready to answer any and all questions, get you with an estimate of your job, and aid you throughout the design process.
If you would like even more information, inspiration, or pricing check out our MightyWraps™ page to see what all we have to offer.