Vinyl wrapping an airplane

[BHunt]

Originally Posted by BHunt

October issue? I'm searching right now.

Found it...

[DanH]

Originally Posted by YellowJacket RV9

The writer of the Experimenter article estimated his final total cost at under $1,500. For somebody like myself, spending close to $10,000 on a paint job just isn't a financially sound decision, even if it may look a little better or last a little longer.

You can paint an RV for $1500. As noted, wrapping becomes a alternative when the situation doesn't allow painting at home.

[YellowJacket RV9]

Originally Posted by DanH

You can paint an RV for $1500. As noted, wrapping becomes a alternative when the situation doesn't allow painting at home.

Perhaps but I doubt that with my skill set (none, when it comes to painting), I could have better results with a $1500 paint job as opposed to vinyl. Not perfect, by any means, but it's also easier to fix vinyl screw ups. I screw up a lot.

Could I learn to paint, sneak a paint booth into my hangar, and eventually do a passable job painting my RV? Sure. But if vinyl would give the same or better results, without the huge learning curve and setup, it may be worth a shot. And if I ever sold or got rich, the vinyl could come right off for painting.

I'd still prefer to have a painted RV, and as I've said before, if any painter in the southeast can give me even a basic, quality single color paint job for under $4-5k, I will make an appointment, but I have yet to find one that will quote me much less than $10k.

Chris

[Bevan]

Originally Posted by DanH

Feedback please. Could our DIY wrappers share the dollar figure they estimate for a full wrap at home, and what specific product is being used?

$2000 US for 3M1080 with lots left over. This doesnt include the pro paint job on the fiberglass parts which were painted later and color matched to the vinyl (engine cowl, wing tips and wheel pants.) All the aluminum parts are covered in vinyl only.

The pro-paint portion was about $2500US. So the total cost of paint and self-applied vinyl was about $4500US.

I would definately do it this way again.

Bevan

[YellowJacket RV9]

Originally Posted by Bevan

$2000 US for 3M1080 with lots left over. This doesnt include the pro paint job on the fiberglass parts which were painted later and color matched to the vinyl (engine cowl, wing tips and wheel pants.) All the aluminum parts are covered in vinyl only.

The pro-paint portion was about $2500US. So the total cost of paint and self-applied vinyl was about $4500US.

I would definately do it this way again.

Bevan

This is exactly the route I was considering, thanks for the numbers! Do you have any pictures?
Chris

[scrollF4]

Originally Posted by DanH

Well said...although I am surprised to hear you equate vinyl with poorly applied cheap paint

Silly Dan, I don't simply equate vinyl with poorly applied cheap paint. I equate a poorly done vinyl job to a poorly done paint job. In each method of aircraft covering, good is great, and bad...ain't.

[scrollF4]

Originally Posted by Gusmax

The Vinyl wrapping sure seems like an interesting alternative to paint, but what about corrosion protection? We have all seen pictures of Alclad aluminum corroding under the blue plastic coating.

The blue coating is a different covering with a much lighter adhesive. The 3M airline-grade vinyl covering Scott Farnsworth (AircraftWraps.com) applied to KELLI GIRL works extremely well. My initial concerns involved water intrusion between the wrap and aircraft aluminum at wrap panel seams.

It's a total and complete non-issue.

[BruceEicher]

HulaGirl has 350 hours now and I am still happy with my DIY wrap...

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ad.php?t=98932

I too would not have liked my DIY paint job...skill set, lack of proper paint booth, tools and air systems...

[rvbuilder2002]

There are definitely +'s and -'s to paint and vinyl.

To get a good result, either one requires a level of learning / skill development.

Factoring the effort involved vs the longevity and overall cost, my preference is painting.

Paint (PPG Delfleet Essential single stage polyurethane) and materials cost of $1200

Time start to finish - 10 days (all fiberglass prep completed ahead of time)

[DanH]

Originally Posted by BruceEicher

HulaGirl has 350 hours now and I am still happy with my DIY wrap...
http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ad.php?t=98932
I too would not have liked my DIY paint job...skill set, lack of proper paint booth, tools and air systems...

An excellent write-up Bruce, thanks.

Your airplane illustrates one interesting use of vinyl...a true bright chrome finish. We've all seen plenty of polished RVs with painted intersection fairings, tips, and cowls because there is no real good chrome paint, at least none I've seen. Silver doesn't match polished aluminum for sure.

You mentioned some increased difficulty with compound curves when using the Avery chrome film. However, it looks like you successfully covered the upper gear leg intersections. Being critical, do they look good up close?

Wrap vinyl also comes in clear, I believe sold as "paint protection film". Has anyone applied it over polished aluminum?