can anyone give me advice on applying reflective vinyl?

[Hugh Potter]

hi mark,

ideally you hinge the vinyl, if it’s all going n=on flat surfaces then simply position the panel, tape across one edge, fold back, peel the backing away, and squeegee down, be sure not to let it touch the paint until YOU put it there, once down, it’s down!

with long stripes, tape it into position, then using masking tape mark top and bottom edges all along it, hinge (mask tape) across the tape at 90 degrees, around 2ft from the end, this will ensure a straight application on that end, i would then peel off a coulple of feet max at a time, then carefully apply the reflective stripe down in small sections, using the mask tape as a guid,

hope that makes sense.

Hugh

[Mark Strathie]

Hi hugh
Thank you very much for your help and quick reply ,one last thing should reflective always be applied dry or can it sometimes be done with a wet application ?
regards mark

[Mike Robson]

Mark,
In my (admittedly limited) experience of fitting reflective, it makes no difference if wet or dry.
You have to get it right first time. The only advantage of applying vinyl wet is so that you can remove and reposition if necessary. It doesn’t work with reflective! Try and remove it after it’s touched the surface, whether wet or dry, and it wrecks the finish of the vinyl.

[Mark Strathie]

hi mike
thanks for you advice i was not sure if it would make any difference if wet or not but you have set my mind at rest.
thanks again
mark

[Jill Marie Welsh]

I know that some manufacturers won’t warranty reflective vinyl if it is applied wet.
But I do it as needed!
I only buy the very best reflective, which in my opinion is Scotchlite by 3m.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e … ND79F0LPgl
It is the easiest for me to cut and weed and is not brittle or easily torn like the cheap stuff. I have tried Oralite engineer grade (tears easily and gets under your fingernails) and the dreaded Avery which failed after two weeks. Scotchlite is worth the extra money.

When applying wet, I use Rapid Tac 2 application fluid.
It sets up faster than regular Rapid Tac.
http://www.rapidtac.com/

When using reflective, I try to layer it over regular high-performance vinyl so that if I have to remove it later, it’s easier to do.
Good luck!
Love….Jill

[Dorian Marks]

we made the mistake once of applying it wet, within 24hrs it was full of bubbles. not sure about the particular brand of material you are using but we found reflective easy enough to apply.

[Hugh Potter]

the problem with reflective, is that it’s generally made up of various layers, these layers do not breathe, and therefore, moisture trapped under the vinyl, stays under the vinyl,

personally, i always apply dry, i don’t recall ever applying wet.

now… the makes yer choice and takes yer chance bit…

i was told the same thing goes for chrome films, but, i have had chrome on one particular vehicle, which i did wet for various reasons, and it’s still there two years or so on.

Hugh

[Mark Strathie]

Hi guys and galls
I have now fitted the reflective dry and about 95 % is ok but on one or 2 small bits it touched the surface before i had time to sqeegee and it left a couple of marks so i will probably replace these bits , what i do know is that i wont be fitting long strips around curves etc until i practice a bit more.
]once again thank you all for your help
regards mark

[Lynn Normington]

I don’t think I would want to apply reflective wet as Hugh say’s no escape route

Lynn