Squeegeeing might seem like a super simple thing, especially to those installers who have already had specific experience. But when looking back to how long it took them to figure out how to squeegee, the answer might surprise you.
Today we will be sharing some tricks and tips to squeegee with you, so that it can help more people save time and avoid redos – especially when you squeegee wrong and damage that film where you have to replace it. And you know, this is usually quite pricy.
Basically, what we have to do is to figure out what type of squeegee we will be using, whether a buffer is needed, as well as which type of hardness (soft, medium or hard) we should use, and which angle we should apply during the install (45 degrees, 60 degrees or 90 degrees).
Different types of installs have different kinds of applications.
For vehicle wrapping, we use standard squeegee mostly, which is generally around four inches wide. And the extent of hardness is various (soft, medium and hard). But most of the time we will be using medium to a soft type of squeegee. And besides choosing the right extent of hardness, do bear in mind that you have the right buffer as well, which should usually be thin and has no dirt at all. Just make sure you replace it on a regular bases, in other words, before every install.
So we have known what type of squeegee to use and the extent of hardness to apply now, but what should we do during the actual install with these?
For the most parts, we shall hold our squeegee no matter what we are doing. The correct way to do is putting four fingers on one side, and thumb on the other, grabbing it firmly and tight. Make sure your fingers are as close to the front edge as possible though. Otherwise, it is hard to put enough pressure on the front to squeegee, and your material might end up not sticking to the substrate as well as you expect.
Generally, there are three angles we will use to squeegee:
- 90-Degree Angle: For wrapping something very flat;
- 60-Degree Angle: Also good for a flat substrate, but it is safer than 90-degree. It implies there is less squeegee area, thus lower chance to create wrinkles;
- 45- Degree Angle: This is standard for wrapping curves.
For vehicle wrapping, we mostly apply a 45-degree angle during the install as there are curves. If use 60 or 90 degrees angle, it might cause a lot of wrinkles on edge.
Last but not least, remember that the angle you apply must be consistent as you squeegee across the film. And again, press hard enough and firmly to make sure the material stick correctly and evenly on the substrate.
If you can bear all these in mind, you will not be far from a perfect finish. Happy wrapping ;)
