The short answer to the title of this article is simple: always hire a professional for a full wrap. However, if you’re only adding a few decals, you might be able to handle it yourself. Let’s explore the reasons behind this recommendation so you can decide whether tackling the project on your own is the right choice.
Ten Years:
Why the “ten years” in the subheading, you ask? Because becoming truly skilled at professional wrapping a vehicle takes about a decade to master. Most experienced wrappers are in their 30’s or older, reflecting the time and dedication required.Even learning the basics takes significant effort. Our car wrapping specialist, for example, trained at 3M, the company that supplies our vinyl. The program was intensive, including a week-long, 50-hour course with a challenging 20-hour final test.
16 Hours:
Our professional wrapper, as skilled as he is, takes about 16 hours over two days to complete a full wrap of a commercial van. When discussing his craft, he explained that tackling the job yourself would likely take 45 hours or more. Quite the undertaking, wouldn’t you agree?
600 Dollars:
Vinyl is readily available online, but here’s something to keep in mind: wrapping a full van will cost you around $600 or more for the vinyl and supplies. And that’s just the starting point. Expect that cost to rise as mistakes are likely, meaning you’ll need more vinyl than planned. As for the additional supplies required to wrap a vehicle, here’s what you’ll need:
- A Heat Gun or Torch
- A Special Wrapping Squeegee
- Exacto Knife
- High-Powered Magnets
- Cleaning Agents
- Solvents
- Tools for Vehicle Part Disassembly
Expectations:
Here’s the reality: wrapping a car is challenging, time-consuming, and costly. Frustration, fatigue, and irritation are almost guaranteed. No matter how many tutorial videos you watch, the process won’t go as smoothly as you hope. That’s why we’re being upfront—applying vinyl to a car is nothing like wrapping a sandwich in plastic wrap.
Reach out to us at (800) 614-8040 or (813) 447-4770 for any questions you may have as you deliberate your new vehicle wrapping project.
