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Bad vinyl installation, views please?
saw 2 vans today owned by a large crane company
they run a fleet of vans, so i would imagine they were all done by the same graphics company.
very bad workmanship i think
stu
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16 Replies
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I see this all the time, seems odd to me that I stick oracal calendared into that type of recess and it stays, yet I’ve used various wrap films that have pulled out like that!
those aren’t mine btw!
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Trouble is educating the customer. Many don’t care.
I would always advise and quote on the most suitable material, but I wouldn’t walk away from a couple of grand job because they want cheap vinyl?
Also maybe they have specified the colour and its not available in a more suitable film?
Provided the customer accepts and understands the limitations and what will happen to it, then they have chosen to take that risk. I’ve no issue with that.
They’re not mine BTW! And I’m not saying do a full wrap with 551 rather than Avery supreme. We can only advise a customer, and sometimes we do have to walk away.
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Its not about educating the customer, we are the experts, they put their trust in us, the professionals to choose the right materials for the job.
Even if the customer was happy with what’s in the pictures we shouldn’t be, its our reputation thats at stake!
and anyway theres no reason for that to look like that even using cheap vinyl..
Not my work either btw 😀
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The vans are not even 12 months old.
And i agree it gives us a bad name.
This was on two vans parked side by side,they are a multi national company and own lots of vans.you can bet they are all the same.
stu -
That is bad workmanship nothing to do with the vinyl quality, there is absolutely no reason not to feed the vinyl in to that recess rather than trying to stretch it in, in the hope that it would stay put. In someones defense it looks like it may have had a lot of TFR & jet washing although it could just be the photo.
Kev
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Itn not just that, my local prominent signmaker has fairly poor signage himself, and curns out exterior foamex signage screwed to shop fronts that within 30 mins of the sun hitting them resemble corrugated board…..simple stuff like lettering not straight, overlapping text cut rather than welded…..list goes on……
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..simple stuff like lettering not straight, overlapping text cut rather than welded…..list goes on……
Oooooh, I just HATE that (hot)
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There’s various things it could be…
Wrong Vinyl for the job
Right vinyl, wrong installation procedure.
No post heating done after installation.
recessed area not cleaned properly.
wrong vinyl, wrong installation procedure.
the list goes on…if its a large fleet, i imagine it maybe the wrong vinyl and the company is using an inferior cheaper product to win the job.
I certainly do think it is a case of us needing to educate the customer.
Yes we are the professionals, yes we should know what we are using etc. but i don’t mean just that.
if we quote for a job using a high end product, we must educate the customer
why we have chosen this product and the benefits it has.
why our quote maybe higher than the lads along the street quoting on same.
you are simply outlining some basics of why "you can" use a cheaper film, but its "false economy".
unless you outline simple things like this, the customer will always purchase based on price, because they know no better.
taking 5 minutes more to tell the customer this may win you the job and it will come across as more professional also. -
We also use a 3M primer in the recesses when wrapping. Not sure how much difference it makes but for the low cost we do it anyway…we’re also using 3m wrap so vinyl warranty should be ok.
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3M 1080 isnt warranted in recessed areas mate but their digital wrap film is.
from what i have heard the primer shouldn’t really be used. exactly why it shouldn’t be used im not sure. i actually have it also, used it once but since hearing that i stopped.
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Yes it’s only the wrap film/laminate we use in recessed areas. Interesting about the primer, thanks. Does it potentially contaminate/compromise the adhesive on the vinyl? I must admit it wasn’t mentioned on the 3M/William Smith course, so perhaps there’s a reason they left it off. We came across other sign makers using it and it seemed like a good idea but now we’ll reconsider.
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the 3M digital media is warranted for recessed areas, so there shouldn’t be any need for the primer mate.
because i dont actually know for sure, i dont like state anything, but as a guess, ide say it maybe cause issues when the vinyl comes to being removed. in as much as it might leave allot of adhesive residue, when high end brands should leave minimal or no residue. as i say, uneducated guess. 😀
what i would suggest is buying at least the small 3M pressure wheel.
there are two, large and small. these should be used in recessed areas to promote adhesion. i would advise any wrapper to use these wheels regardless to which media you use.
you can buy them from Wm Smiths, not cheap, but worth it in my opinion.
http://www.williamsmith.co.uk/uploads/d … e_0213.pdf -
Hi Rob
Thanks, we do have the wheels but I’m not sure how often my guys use them, I think they prefer the ‘glove’, personally I’ve always found the wheels, especially the thin one to be of great help.
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I also see that on vehicles all the time, It was just not the right vinyl for the job, no matter how much care you take putting on the wrong vinyl in a recess like that it’s just not gonna work, i wouldnt fully put it down to bad workmanship by the installer as I used to work for a guy that used cheap vinyl for almost every application and no matter how carefull Iwas the job just didnt last. I know some customers always want the cheaper option but as someone already said its up to us the professionals to put them straight, I certainly wouldn’t put my name to a job that was’nt going to last.
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Ill add my name to the list of: I see this all the time.
Prime example being a week ago, saw a friend of mine who had his Vauxhall Vario written. Had the two sides and rear done with a panel fill print and a really dodgy vinyl cut lettering and service list below which wasn’t positioned easy for the eye. But that’s done to design rather than installation.
However I took a look and the paintwork had been cut into badly on infill on corners, corners had not been cut properly, some vinyl on the edge between rear and door weren’t even stuck down correctly.
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quote Jamie Laird:Hi Rob
Thanks, we do have the wheels but I’m not sure how often my guys use them, I think they prefer the ‘glove’, personally I’ve always found the wheels, especially the thin one to be of great help.
putting the vinyl in using your finger is fine mate, but follow it up with heat and a pressure wheel. it promotes the bond/adhesion.
you can of course put the vinyl in directly using the wheels, it does work but is tricky on corners and not easy to to get straight into the corner of the recess first hit.
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