Vinyl wrap tips - How to Make a Great Cut in Hot Temperature

When talking about aftercare and maintenance for vehicle wrap film, we often highlight one point, which is for people based in areas of high elevation are especially in need of regular cleaning of vehicle wrap film.

This is because in areas like this, for instance, mountain areas, the air is getting thinner, and the UV damage is increased versus exposure at sea level. Also, as temperature rises in these areas, vehicle wrap film would perform differently. Its life span varies in this case, depending on how good the owner takes care of it. This means better care would be a must for vehicles there.

On other aspects, if you are wrapping a vehicle in areas like this, or somewhere with a hot climate, it gets a little trickier than usual as well, because the hot temperature would affect the performance of vehicle wrap film to some extent. This has been frustrating for some wrappers that are working in a really warm space, for example, places like Brazil or Texas in the US.

In an environment where it is hot, the material gets warmed-up as well. And if you make your cut whenever it is warm, and there is any kind of curve, even though you make sure your blade is particularly sharp, your cut turns out pretty uneven. This can fatally ruin a perfect install also if you do everything correctly.

So how to avoid this happening, and what can we do to deal with the situation where your vehicle wrap film is getting warm as the workspace temperature is high? In this case, a little freeze spray can save your day. Wrappers can purchase this at most hardware stores, which is very convenient.

In a color change install, usually, wrappers make a couple of relief cut when it comes to a tricky section like the gas tank area so that they can feed the film in properly. However, if the workspace is 25 Celsius (which is around 78 degrees), the material becomes a bit aggressive because of the hot temperature. And this is not a great place for a cut.

This is the time when wrappers should give it a quick shot of freeze spray. Spray the liquid around the wrapped area, which is the gas tank surface in this case. This is going to lower the vehicle wrap film temperature magically. Once the material cools down, the wrapper should set it up quickly and make a quick cut.

The lower temperature would last for about one to two minutes. This depends on how warm the workspace is. But one to two minutes is long enough for wrappers to make a proper cut-out of the material.

Once you have made your cut, you can tear the excess film away. And it is now safe to apply the film as usual, even if the material is back at normal temperature already. So the step of using freeze spray has got you out of the crisis. This makes a dramatic difference, especially when it comes to trickier sections like mirrors, bumpers, and fenders.

This is a great trick for wrappers, which are mostly based in areas or workspace like this. It is good to have a freeze spray in hand. As for installers who rarely meet a situation like this, it is also good to learn so that you can bare this quick solution in mind when this happens at work.

Last but not least, let’s keep in mind that whether you are working in hot space or not, it is better to pay more attention and be more cautious whenever you figure your wrap material is getting warm, as the property of film might change a little bit when temperature rises and the adhesive is warmed-up, just as we mentioned above.

If it is not because of natural factors, and if possible, it is recommended to keep your workspace at room temperature, as it will keep the vehicle wrap film at its best condition. Not only this, it will help the install process become smooth and more affectedly. At least you do not have to spend time worrying about your cut becoming uneven.