Post-heating vinyl film on recessed areas | TeckWrap

Post-heating is vital for most vinyl film installations, especially in recessed areas. It enhances the wrap’s performance and ensures its durability. But this only works when your post-heat is effective because you are never heating for heating but for the overall quality of the finish.

To post-heat well, you need to prepare everything right from the prep phase for the vinyl wrap film application. Here is a step-by-step guide for you to shoot for a perfect post-heating result:

Don’t prep the surface only for the wrap, prep for heat, too

When wrapping a recessed area with a car wrap, you should consider preparing for post-heating rather just for the material itself. Thus, apart from cleaning the surface, you should use a scratchless sponge to run over the entire area.

No surface is 100% smooth

Every surface has peaks and valleys if you put it under a microscope. Thus, the material is like floating on the surface right after you apply it. Post-heating is to help the adhesive flow into those concaves and stick better.

However, you should never post-heat immediately after the car wrap is put on the surface, as there is air in those valleys. There is a risk of it bursting and damaging the vinyl film.

If you go over the surface with a scratchless sponge during the prep phase, some micro scraps can create extra surface energy within those cracks, and bring the film’s durability to the next level.

(Doing this does not mean you can post-heat the vehicle wrap immediately, though. TeckWrap recommends you always wait at least half an hour to minimize the chance of the material popping and bursting. Also, don’t forget to finish up the cleaning process when you are done with the sponge.)

Speed up the process

Typically, it takes around 24 hours for the adhesive to completely settle on the surface. If you want to speed up the post-install process, you can take a roller with a handle and rubber, and simply run it on the area to manually get the adhesive flowing. (You can use light heat to help with this process. But note that this is not post-heating yet.)

Some other tips…

When you form the vinyl wrap film into a recessed area, be aware that you should better apply heat to the material part around six inches from the recessed spot. Doing this can keep the adhesive well for the area and ensure durability.