what vinyl should I use to wrap a van in red?

[Mark Nihotte]

Hi Tomas

You are on the right track – whilst not so critical on a van we still only use the best CAST vinyl (usually Macfleet, Avery 900 or 3M) – the small extra cost is a far better prospect than having to redo parts of the job six months later because the vinyl let go or shrank.

Definitely apply the vinyl DRY (it takes 12-24 hours for the adhesive to fully cure when applied dry, but up to a week if applied wet – so any conforming, recesses etc have a fair chance of letting go if done wet)

Secrets to the pros job vs amateur are:

Preparation (Clean, Clean, CLEAN properly first and ensure completely dry – especially the window surrounds), Squeegee technique, removing door handles, indicator lenses, badges, wipers etc and if you are going over severe compound corners easier with two (one to help hold and direct the heat gun, the other to hold and squeegee)

We find that covering the squeegee with nylon or polyester (several layers) and keeping the edge wet with "windowlene" or similar allows the squeegee to slide over the vinyl more easily and no scratches.

We usually do the mirrors first to get back into the swing of perfect application and then plan the panels in a methodical way – we centre hinge a lot (vertically) and rarely use application tape (more control and you can see instantly when you need to snap back up and do that bit again.

Remember, with the best cast you can not over heat with the gun and if you stretch a bit much, snap back and heat the vinyl back into shape.

[Martin Pearson]

Tomas, don’t want to sound negative but if you are asking what vinyl you should use for a van wrap then you probably shouldn’t be doing it. Before you start wrapping vans it might be a good idea to buy some wrap vinyl and have a practice with it or book yourself on a wrapping course with one of the suppliers.

[Cameron Steer]

Hi there,

The vinyls mentioned above are not strictly wrap vinyls , while they are all cast and upto the job none has a repositionable adhesive and are all extremely thin, for your first wrap you wont have a chance without a true wrap vinyl , it will also be thicker to allow for easier handling , Oracal 870 and Oracal 890 are 70 and 90 mic cast wrapping vinyls with a repositionable adhesive.

Does Avery 900 series come with easy apply adhesive? that might be another option.