Full wrap. Didn't do it myself (my airplane time is in short supply these days).

3M vinyl installed by Signz360  out of Washington, MO. The installer came to my hangar to do the work which is about 45 minutes away.  This was the first plane they did. The installer Jake is fantastic and the salesman Howie is outstanding too.

It was mostly hands off for me but I definitely needed to be around to answer questions and of course had to have panels off and clean plane to start.

It took them a little longer to complete than they thought but part of it was due to commute time to hangar and some pretty hot days. Plan on $5,500-$6,000 for two colors.

I'm very happy with the results and others around the airport are too.  It could definitely be done yourself/with a helper even without experience but of course it would take a lot longer and plan for some wasted vinyl as you learn by mistakes.

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Jim it looks great.  After painting my first homebuilt myself, I swore I would never do it again.  Something to be said for paying for expertise.  Well done and IMO money well spent to save time.

Thanks!!

Looks awesome. I 'm inot my second year with my partial 3m vinyl wrap and it still looks great and easy to maintain.

I recently tried using Lemon Pledge and a microfiber cloth to clean the vinyl and it works great and leaves a nice shine on it.

Thanks Gary! I'll try the Pledge too.

Looks great Jim,

Mine is scheduled to be wrapped this month. Don't have a quote back yet but this will be their first plane to wrap as well. Hope it turns out as nice as yours!

Glenn Davis

Thanks! Glad you're getting finished too.  Be sure to spray some primer and gloss paint on the cowling if you are going to wrap that too. The vinyl wants something glossy to stick to.  I can't wait to see it.

Looks great, Jim!  

When I had my plane painted, I fully-assembled my plane, broke it down for paint, and then did final assembly after paint.  Although I'm not contemplating doing a wrap anytime soon, I couldn't help but wonder about this question:

After your observing and helping prep for the wrap process, do you think a wrap would be quicker/better/less waste/less expensive if performed prior to final assembly, or as in your case with a fully assembled airplane, do you think it wouldn't make a significant difference in ease of the wrap, coverage, or expense?

John

N750A

Hi John, I thought about that quite a few times. I didn't have a real feel for a design early on and didnt want to commit early either. Some parts would probably be easier before assembly. You'd have to be certain all your rivets were done and final since the vinyl covers them. You could always drill through vinyl and then rivet then use paint to touch up. The wings might be hard unless you have a way of holding them by the spar so you can wrap around the leading edge. Smaller pieces would have to be held secure while you pull and stretch etc...
Even looking back on the process - for me - it feels like less trouble wrapping after all is complete - especially for a first time build.
You could definitely have less waste if you go with one color.

Do you think it is lighter, heaver or about the same as paint?

Thank you,

Mark

Lighter I think. 150 grams/ sq. meter.

Looks really nice.  Wonder about the longevity?  Some wrapped cars don't seem to hold up too good.  I had a camper that had vinyl accents.  It was really neglected.  The black held up real well but some of the other colors not so much.  Im guessing there are different grades of vinyl.  Is there any info you can share on that?

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