Paint Bumpers - vinyl wrap or plasti dip?

[goblue4016]

Hi - i am looking at color matching my bumpers to my black silverado - i have seen pictures of plasti dipped bumpers but i haven't read much on a vinyl wrap until recently - has anyone done the vinyl wrap? does it match better than plasti dip and glossifier?

[Mike1220]

I'd do vinyl. Should hold up better. Dip is good but should only be a temp solution for something like the bumpers IMO. They just take too much of a beating from rocks on the road

[ikaika1984]

Mike1220

 

Im assuming temporary "dip" jobs should only be for a period no longer than a year? How does vinyl over chrome workout? I was thinking about dipping my grill surround, but I'd hate to have to fix it up in about 6 months or so... Looking for a more permanent color match solution...

 

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[Mike1220]

Mike1220

 

Im assuming temporary "dip" jobs should only be for a period no longer than a year? How does vinyl over chrome workout? I was thinking about dipping my grill surround, but I'd hate to have to fix it up in about 6 months or so... Looking for a more permanent color match solution...

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

for us dip is a lot better than vinyl in the OCD category. While there are vinyls that are close, none match it enough to keep away the OCD. for black its a great option but for WDT my vote goes to dip or true paint. Dip is great to use to try and make sure you are gonna like having something painted a certain color before you go out and spend money on a permanent job. Also dip holds up well. But its more easily scratched and for black its harder to match cause you'll need a lot of glossifier which is more easily scratched than plain dip IMO. PM me

[ikaika1984]

Will do, thanks brother.

 

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[willyr1er]

Vinyl is the way to go in my eyes

[goblue4016]

Vinyl is the way to go in my eyes

What type and brand of Vinyl did you use? its looks good! how close of a match is it?

[willyr1er]

I used Avery SW900 supreme gloss black. Color is very close, not perfect. The only time I see a difference is when the sun is going down and in direct sun. The vinyl makes a huge difference, I original used oracal 651, I liked the look but way too many folds and bubbles. So I decided to try the real car wrap vinyl, $100 for 10ft x 60in, it gave me enough vinyl to do the front and rear with extra incase I messed one up.

[goblue4016]

I'm going to do some research but how did you install the vinyl? I've never done it before.. My friends all done the plasti dip but I don't really like it, because well it looks plastic lol

 

I wonder if the vinyl or plasti dip will mess with my parking sensors

[Jonflores1982]

If you want a more permanent option so you don't have to re-do more than once I would recommend powder coating. I tried vinyl, plasti dip and paint which were all a waste of money basically. Powder coating gives you so many color options to match and it's inexpensive... I got both my bumpers done for $400 at a local shop. No chips, no discoloration ....

[willyr1er]

Installing the vinyl wasn't too hard to do. The good vinyl will let you lift and reposition if needed, it also has grooves formed into the adhesive to allow air bubbles to be pressed out. The vinyl is also very conformable to stretch around and into curves and corners.

 

I had a friend to help, 2 squeegees, heat gun (helps with the hard curves and recesses), and new razor blades for trimming.

 

I spent 1/2 the time getting any parts off the truck that were in the way, (I don't have parking sensors, but am pretty sure you can remove them from the bumper), I also jacked the front up to make it much easier to see and work on the front bumper. Cleaning was a big part too, I cleaned the whole bumper 2 times completely with acetone to remove all the grease and grim that I could. From there it was install time, we just took our time and started from the center and worked out.

 

@Jonflores1982 I really like power coat, for sure more durable, but harder to remove if you want to change the color. I plan on removing the vinyl when I sell the truck, more people seem to prefer chrome bumpers, so it will be easy to revert back. Did the shop that did yours media blast the chrome off or was it applied on top? Either way it looks good!

[Jonflores1982]

Yes bumpers were sandblasted so good bye chrome..... LoI. I guess it all depends on the look you want but FYI to all painting over is definitely not the way to go....

[TXTruk15]

Yes bumpers were sandblasted so good bye chrome..... LoI. I guess it all depends on the look you want but FYI to all painting over is definitely not the way to go....

 

Who did it for you in DFW? I'm in DFW area and think that powder coating is the way to go on the chrome bumpers...

[Jonflores1982]

There's a place in Carrollton called ECF Inc. 9722421988 great people once I brought in bumpers ( bare metal all plastic removed ) had them back in about 3 days. This is definitely the way to go as paint doesn't stick well to chrome and vinyl is just a temporary deal as well.

[Giantfan1232]

I would powder coat...Im with the other person who posted a picture of color matched bumpers but chrome grille/headlights..its a clean but stock look still..I was in the same boat as you on wanting to color match bumpers..I went to Auto body places, Vinyl wrap places, dealership, and finally powder coating places..

 

A couple auto body places told me powder coating would be the best way to go because its durability and price...they said its hard to paint over chrome because it doesn't stick well and could chip easily if driving a lot more than the norm...I paid $170 for both bumpers to get powder coated and paid $130 to have bumpers removed and reinstalled after color matching..only reason why I paid to have bumpers removed/reinstalled is because I didnt want to deal with it...hope this helps.

 

If I knew how to post a picture of my truck on here I would to show you..