Vinyl wrapping tips. How to Cut Under Window Molding

Often time, it is a challenge for installers to wrap areas under window molding in terms of the cutting, because it is very tempting for us to cut in the wrong place, which might lead to failure.

Thus, we are going to show a breakdown of the exact process today, where we will learn to cut the excess from window molding on vehicles in a way that we will not cut too high so to leave the vinyl wrapping material over the rubber or damage the molding – in the case of not taking the molding off, because it is very easy to get bend.

This is a technique that worth mastering for not only intermediate installers but also the advanced, as it keeps us from troubles, as well as bring out the quality.

For demonstration, we are using a color change vinyl wrapping film this time. When prepping, we are going to put masking tape on the chrome molding first to lower the surface energy there. Then, we put the material right to the base of the molding. Pick it up and tuck it in. Usually, installers would do this tuck-and-cut twice. But when they cut, they often cut at the wrong side.

To demonstrate, here we are doing the cutting with a very sharp blade at a 10-degree angle, which is the standard right angle towards the surface. We go through the material with a very light touch. These are all well done. But the problem here is that we are now actually cutting on the chrome side.

By doing this, we are cutting a bit too high from the area. So even though we cut it straight, and everything is well done, the chances of scratching the molding or material lifting are very high, because the material is actually bridging from the body of the car onto the rubber in this case, which is going to lead to failure overtimes, as the surface energy of the rubber is low. Thus, cutting on the chrome side is a no-go.

Let’s check out a diagram before we get to the right method. It is essential to understand what are there before we wrap. The layers go like this: The molding, then black rubber underneath, and comes the body of the vehicle. If you have a clear head about this, you will see why cutting on the chrome side is too high. So when we do tuck-and-cut, make sure we have our tip of the blade right at the base of the rubber and finish the cutting.

So the right way to do it is this: Do the same process for prepping (set up the material with masking tape on the chrome side), and we pick the material up once, tuck it in underneath. Then we pick up the piece one more time, use a squeegee as a tucking tool, tuck it in with very light stroke. Now the material is right into the rubber. And it is firmly secured.

Next, make sure we click out the blade and make it sharp enough. We are doing the cutting at a ten-degree angle again. Remember, the tip of our blade has to be right at the base of the rubber – instead of the chrome! And by doing it, the blade goes very steadily, as the material is tucked in very tight and the blade is sharp enough to hold it. We can use our middle finger to go along with the cutting on the base to cut more firmly as well.

After the cutting is done, we can pull the excess material away. But do not forget to come back again, and use your squeegee to seal the deal. In this case, the material is no longer bridging and touching the rubber. It is tucked right into the base of the rubber with a hundred percent full cover. No lifting, no chrome scratching or rubber damaging.

As long as we can master this technique, it will speed up the install process and save us a lot of time, but more importantly, it saves us from costly failure and lots of problems. We will earn efficiency, durability, and the best, quality at once.