What's new
Van's Air Force

The definitive Van's Aircraft support community! Buying, building or flying an RV? Join our exclusive family of mentors and enthusiasts!

Talk to me about airplane “Wraps”

N

Notso

Well Known Member
Patron
I’m contemplating doing a wrap over my existing paint scheme. I bought a beautiful airplane, but the color scheme is not my thing. Kinda of a white and pale yellow.

I’d like to do more of a warbird motif and I thought that might be easier and cheaper to do with a wrap vs an expensive paint job.

What’s the current consensus on wraps? I fly in S NV where it very rarely rains and the RV-8 is always hangared except for the occasional overnight XC.

Thoughts?

And if a wrap is the right idea - who are the best shops to do one?
 
I suggest stripping it anyway and spraying at least a coat of primer or applying alodine for corrosion protection.
Vinyl will add about 10-15lbs depending on the product.
You can design the entire airplane and have the vinyl printed and applied. Sorry, no idea who does it. Basically like a Nascar car. Look for a vinyl print shop capable of big jobs like trucks and vans. They know how to match seam lines. You will need print ready artwork.
One color is not difficult. I wrote an article for Kitplanes. I have the draft if you want to read it. It has all the links for tools and stuff.
I wrapped my Lucy. Black is all paint.

20250303_135616.jpg
 
Vinyl wraps are great if you want to cover up unwanted paint colors. But paint stripe edges (if you have stripes/graphics) may show thru, depending on how smooth those edgers were.
Note you will be adding some additional weight to your already painted plane.
As for the durability of vinyl vs paint, it is more susceptible to damage compared to paint, but easy & quick to repair.
 
Ralph Inkster said:
Vinyl wraps are great if you want to cover up unwanted paint colors. But paint stripe edges (if you have stripes/graphics) may show thru, depending on how smooth those edgers were.
Note you will be adding some additional weight to your already painted plane.
As for the durability of vinyl vs paint, it is more susceptible to damage compared to paint, but easy & quick to repair.
Click to expand...
8 years on our 3M 1080 vinyl and it has held up very well (hangared), and applied to clean bare aluminum. Striping is easy using the fine line tape. 5D9J376(2).jpg
 
I've worked on a couple of wrapped planes. One was poorly done and trapped moisture, had to be removed. Properly done wraps provide artwork that is limited only by your imagination. Weight is close enough to paint to call it a non issue. If the aircraft was previously painted I would strip the old paint before wrapping. Also I've seen poor paint jobs which required stripping. Personally I prefer paint, but old enough to run from dinosaurs
 
sansoneservices said:
I've worked on a couple of wrapped planes. One was poorly done and trapped moisture, had to be removed. Properly done wraps provide artwork that is limited only by your imagination. Weight is close enough to paint to call it a non issue. If the aircraft was previously painted I would strip the old paint before wrapping. Also I've seen poor paint jobs which required stripping. Personally I prefer paint, but old enough to run from dinosaurs
Click to expand...
Yes. DO NOT apply vinyl using the wet method. It will trap moisture.
I did apply this one wet, but it was necessary to get alignment. I also apllied the Screaming Eagle wet, but it is vinyl on top of vinyl.
 
Thanks for the great info. How hard would it be to strip the old paint? Is that something that is a DIY job or better left to a pro?

I'm going to see if there are any stands/vendors at OSH that do wraps to get an idea of quality, cost, etc. Also, I haven't seen a wrapped airplane up close, so I'll walk the parking rows to see what they look like.

Thanks again!
 
Aircraft paint stripper is a chemical applied over the paint to attack the bond and the chemical structure of the paint itself. Paint strippers have undergone some changes in the past decade or so, mostly to reduce toxicity. It's a nasty job to strip paint and after the chemical stripping you need to follow-up with mechanical stripping. Extreme care must be used. Personally I would hire a professional to strip paint and apply vinyl wrap
 
sansoneservices said:
Aircraft paint stripper is a chemical applied over the paint to attack the bond and the chemical structure of the paint itself. Paint strippers have undergone some changes in the past decade or so, mostly to reduce toxicity. It's a nasty job to strip paint and after the chemical stripping you need to follow-up with mechanical stripping. Extreme care must be used. Personally I would hire a professional to strip paint and apply vinyl wrap
Click to expand...
Thanks. That's exactly what I was thinking. Was 100% going to have a pro wrap it - IF I decide to go with a wrap vs paint. But wasn't sure if stripping it myself could save some $$ on the process. Sounds like a pro both ways is the better way to go.
 
Notso said:
Thanks. That's exactly what I was thinking. Was 100% going to have a pro wrap it - IF I decide to go with a wrap vs paint. But wasn't sure if stripping it myself could save some $$ on the process. Sounds like a pro both ways is the better way to go.
Click to expand...
I agree as far as stripping. Let the pros do it.
Applying a single color of vinyl and some accents is not difficult. Curves like the spinner, tips and pants, not so much but can be done. That's why I painted the curvy parts. :ROFLMAO:
 
My RV10 is fully vinyl wrapped. After about 100 hours of flying, the vinyl started to lift in a few small spots, so I had to touch it up. Overall, I’m happy with the results. It’s much cheaper than paint, and from 10 feet away, you can hardly tell it’s a wrap.


IMG_1760.jpeg
 
Notso said:
Thanks for the great info. How hard would it be to strip the old paint? Is that something that is a DIY job or better left to a pro?

I'm going to see if there are any stands/vendors at OSH that do wraps to get an idea of quality, cost, etc. Also, I haven't seen a wrapped airplane up close, so I'll walk the parking rows to see what they look like.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...
I’m in the process of stripping a -7 now. I have all the flight controls off and stripped, the wings off and stripped. The fuselage is next. I am in process of taping up all the lightning holes. I will bag the engine, wheels, gear legs, rear window (tip-up), and cockpit.

I purchased 10 gallons of Sunset Strip from webberteck. Sunset Strip is a non-toxic, non-hazardous, hydrogen peroxide activated paint stripper designed for removing polyurethane, epoxy and other paint systems, and safe for fiberglass.

Lately I have been using Citri-strip from home depot. Half the cost of Sunset Strip and uses the same hydrogen peroxide. I won’t use it on fiberglass but it seems to be same-same. I used 7 gallons of Sunset Strip stripping the engine cowling and wheel pants and another 4 gallons of Citri-strip stripping the wings.

I have been spraying it on with a $40 harbor freight sprayer for acoustic ceilings, and leaving it on for 24 hours. Forget about using a plastic scrapper, rent yourself the biggest baddest pressure washer. 4,000 PSI really takes it off! My project has taken at least 2 strips to get everything off. I found that the first layer with either product melts it off. I stood both halves of the cowling on end when I sprayed them. 24 hours later the first layer had fallen off entirely.

Yeah it’s work. As an aircraft mechanic I’d seen commercial airliners stripped and wasn’t in a big hurry to do it myself. Now that I’m almost done, it’s messy, but not that bad with these 2 less toxic strippers.

I will be happier when the painter takes over and starts shooting everything white on white on white. I plan on doing all the color in vinyl. I’m thinking the military star and a couple simple stripes out by the wingtips. I’m still looking for the right design for the vertical stab/rudder. I’ll probably make a completely irreverent logo for a chemtrail Geoengineering dispersal unit.
 
vinzer said:
My RV10 is fully vinyl wrapped. After about 100 hours of flying, the vinyl started to lift in a few small spots, so I had to touch it up. Overall, I’m happy with the results. It’s much cheaper than paint, and from 10 feet away, you can hardly tell it’s a wrap.


View attachment 91683
Click to expand...
That looks really good!! Did you apply it yourself or have a shop do it?
 
sansoneservices said:
I've worked on a couple of wrapped planes. One was poorly done and trapped moisture, had to be removed. Properly done wraps provide artwork that is limited only by your imagination. Weight is close enough to paint to call it a non issue. If the aircraft was previously painted I would strip the old paint before wrapping. Also I've seen poor paint jobs which required stripping. Personally I prefer paint, but old enough to run from dinosaurs
Click to expand...
I think there is a significant weight difference between primer/paint vs. vinyl. My guess at least 25 lbs.
 
rv6ator said:
I think there is a significant weight difference between primer/paint vs. vinyl. My guess at least 25 lbs.
Click to expand...
I know how much vinyl weighs by ft². If you know the square footage of the airplane exterior, I can tell you how much the vinyl will weigh. That's one advantage. The vinyl weight won't change from one skin to another. Paint varies depending on products, coats, design, who sprays it, etc. I know my paint weights by ft² too. Problem is I have no accurate airplane square footage to determine weight per ft². I have a swag from measurements I made. Based on them, I estimated 15lbs of vinyl on Lucy. Had I painted it using my products (2K epoxy primer & SS Urethane) and methods, it would have been about the same as vinyl. However, I can change colors without stripper. That's why all the fiberglass is painted black. I expect to reskin every five years or so. I can change color or design.
YMMV. Happy to answer questions.
 
Notso said:
That looks really good!! Did you apply it yourself or have a shop do it?
Click to expand...
It was me and two helpers. They had done it before, but for me it was a learning experience. You can always go with a professional shop that does vehicle wraps and the quality will probably be better that way.
 
vinzer said:
My RV10 is fully vinyl wrapped. After about 100 hours of flying, the vinyl started to lift in a few small spots, so I had to touch it up. Overall, I’m happy with the results. It’s much cheaper than paint, and from 10 feet away, you can hardly tell it’s a wrap.


View attachment 91683
Click to expand...
the entire plane even the wheel pants are wrapped? if so thats amazing i didnt know you could wrap around compound curves like this. Are there seams? or is it all one piece
 
johnpaul44 said:
the entire plane even the wheel pants are wrapped? if so thats amazing i didnt know you could wrap around compound curves like this. Are there seams? or is it all one piece
Click to expand...
Yes, the wheel pants and even prop cone and antennas are wrapped too. You use a heat gun to shape the vinyl around the curves. There are a few seams, but from a few feet away you won’t really notice them.
 
rockyfatcat said:
I’m in the process of stripping a -7 now. I have all the flight controls off and stripped, the wings off and stripped. The fuselage is next. I am in process of taping up all the lightning holes. I will bag the engine, wheels, gear legs, rear window (tip-up), and cockpit.

I purchased 10 gallons of Sunset Strip from webberteck. Sunset Strip is a non-toxic, non-hazardous, hydrogen peroxide activated paint stripper designed for removing polyurethane, epoxy and other paint systems, and safe for fiberglass.

Lately I have been using Citri-strip from home depot. Half the cost of Sunset Strip and uses the same hydrogen peroxide. I won’t use it on fiberglass but it seems to be same-same. I used 7 gallons of Sunset Strip stripping the engine cowling and wheel pants and another 4 gallons of Citri-strip stripping the wings.

I have been spraying it on with a $40 harbor freight sprayer for acoustic ceilings, and leaving it on for 24 hours. Forget about using a plastic scrapper, rent yourself the biggest baddest pressure washer. 4,000 PSI really takes it off! My project has taken at least 2 strips to get everything off. I found that the first layer with either product melts it off. I stood both halves of the cowling on end when I sprayed them. 24 hours later the first layer had fallen off entirely.

Yeah it’s work. As an aircraft mechanic I’d seen commercial airliners stripped and wasn’t in a big hurry to do it myself. Now that I’m almost done, it’s messy, but not that bad with these 2 less toxic strippers.

I will be happier when the painter takes over and starts shooting everything white on white on white. I plan on doing all the color in vinyl. I’m thinking the military star and a couple simple stripes out by the wingtips. I’m still looking for the right design for the vertical stab/rudder. I’ll probably make a completely irreverent logo for a chemtrail Geoengineering dispersal unit.
Click to expand...
10 hours taping and 5 gallons of stripperIMG_7997.jpegIMG_7996.jpegIMG_7995.jpeg
 
Notso said:
Thank you, cool stuff. Do you have a drainage system for all the water/paint that strips off when you're pressure washing it? I think that's my main issue is where to do the pressure washing trick?
Click to expand...
IMG_8006.jpeg
I am spraying inside over plastic. Outside I am using a 4000 psi pressure washer to use the water as a blade to patiently peel it off the paint it one inch wide strips. 5 gallons to do the fuselage the first try. 4 gallons for the second go.

I have a grass/gravel area next to my hangar and I’ve been washing all the debris onto this area. The strippers I’m using are environmentally friendly, or at least aren.’t environmentally ugly. The active ingredient is hydrogen peroxide.

After I do some cleaning of the area, I’ll bring in a little more dirt and put down some grass seed. Hopefully, afterwards it’ll look less ugly than it does right now.

Seriously, some of the paint I peeled off is thick enough to measure with a caliper.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8007.jpeg
    IMG_8007.jpeg
    1.3 MB · Views: 9
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top