Main > Main Forum

Covering a cab with vinyl instead of painting - good idea?

Pages: (1/7) > >>

nitz:

Working on refurbing my beater cab and was thinking of a vinyl covering instead of painting. Has anyone here done this? Would love to see pics and get advice on what exactly to buy and how to do it.

I realize most people paint because it's cheap and looks good, but the thing is, I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building and really have no space outside to work on it. I could handle painting it inside - it's the sanding off the old crap paint that's already on it that I don't want to do indoors. Also, I'm not too confident in my painting skills and am afraid it might end up looking crummy.

I've seen cabs around with (what I think is) printed vinyl side art and they look good to me. I know Game On Grafix does this (not sure it's vinyl but judging by others comments, it's high quality anyway), and I do plan on ordering a marquee and bezel from them when I'm ready, but it understandbly is pretty expensive to get enough art printed to cover both sides and the kickplate of a cab.

I would be happy with just a solid color covering of some sort and then possibly put some small side art over that. There's a place locally that sells vinyl covering in all colors and in sizes plenty big enough and at reasonable prices, but it looks like it's more for upholstry - it seems kinda thick to try to cover a cab with it. The stuff I've seen in the wild is so thin it looks like it could be painted on if it wasn't so detailed. That's the kind of material I want!

Soooo, short story long ;D I'm just wondering if anyone has tried this and how it's turned out and what kind of vinyl or other covering I should be looking for. Thanks! :)

wweumina:

You are still going to have to sand back first.  Most vinyl coverings will still show imperfections on the underneath surface. It does look very good though.  One word of advice when applying is to apply diagonally.  Makes it a lot easier to avoid bubbles.

jpresto:

I think i'm about to attempt the same. UAII cabinet. Going in an office so decided not to go the art route but wanted to spruce it up a bit. Lining the two top sides with vinyl fabric, possibly control panel as well. This is the distributor: http://www.unitedfabrics.com/do/productList?categoryId=3&p=39 Some great vinyls - one i'm going with is a square metallic pattern, tons of vintage patterns.

It's 54" wide, cab panels are exactly that. Should be thick enough that excess t-molding will cover it perfectly.

Not sure about process yet. Will try some sort of spray glue. May attempt to trim with razor or router. Plan on testing in next week or two on a sample. Will share my findings.



Marsupial:

why don't you use laminate?

wonderalex:

Personally I think it's a great idea - pricey (painting is cheaper) - but visually impressive.

I'll be doing precisely what you're asking next week on my bartop and later on my full-sided cab - but I'm not using vinyl, rather I'm printing my graphics onto a plastic material (I forget the name in English - but it's not vinyl) that will be laminated with a ploy-carbonate semi-gloss finish.

My bartop is made of melamine so the surface needs nothing more than a good cleaning before the application (I'll post pictures when it's done).

My full-sized cab is another matter -  it's in rough shape with many nicks and bumps from rough handling.

For a permanent application the printer recommended that I patch & sand the surface to remove any deep nicks, big bumps and loose paint before application - making sure that the surface is very clean (no dust) and even as possible. For best results he recommended I use a primer - but only if I had to do a lot of sanding or hit bare wood. So applying the full decal (or vinyl in your case) won't be much easier than painting.

I'm likely going to forgo the primer and just go with some minor patching, a light sanding and a deep clean before application. I can handle the mess of sanding - due to poor ventilation spray painting must be kept to a bare minimum so if I prime it will be with a roller.

My guess is that you could get away with similar, removing the loose paint with a wire brush or good scraper - use a painter's drop cloth or an old table cloth to catch the flakes. Then clean the surface before applying the vinyl. To be safe I'd ask GameOnGraphics about the adhesive backing they use and what they recommend. 

Be seeing you,

WonderAlex



Pages: (1/7) > >>

Go to full version