How much should you stretch a vinyl when installing|TeckWrap
It is hard to avoid stretching a vinyl film during an application, as there are compound curves and recessed areas, especially when you have to bridge the material and feed it into a section. But when you stretch a vehicle wrap over 10%, it is easy to overstretch it.
Here is a quick way to measure how much you should stretch a car wrap when wrapping a steep recessed area. When you use a cast or calendar vinyl, it will ease your wrapping process.
Take measurements before wrapping
Before wrapping, take a strip of masking tape. Bridge it over the deepest part of the recessed area you are wrapping. If there is a body line, you can bridge it to the edge of the other side. Do not feed the tape into the area, though, just bridge it over. And make sure it is tight enough. You can then measure the length of this strip.
Then, take a knife and cut it at the deepest part of the area. Be cautious when you do it in case you cut the paint. Thus, be sure you use a shallow blade. And also, cut at a right angle towards the surface. Now, you can feed the masking tape into the recessed area. There is a natural gap between the cut. Measure the length of the gap as well.
Credible formula
By now, you can use a formula to get the idea in terms of how much you can stretch a vinyl film when wrapping this area. That is to divide the length of the complete masking tape by 100 and times the length of the gap created after cutting. In this way, you will get the result of how much percentage you can stretch during application.
As long as you can keep the stretch within this number, you will not overstretch the vinyl wrap. And the performance and durability of your finish are promising. Learn more wrap tips at teckwrap.com