Should You Paint or Wrap Your Vehicle?

Though paint and vinyl are both great ways to alter the appearance of your vehicle, they differ in the following ways:

If you wish to repaint your vehicle, the old paint will need to be removed first for optimal results. Once the old paint has been removed, multiple coats will need to be applied and given time to dry, resulting in a costly and time-consuming process. If you change your mind about the paint, you will need to repeat the process and try for a different color or design, further increasing costs.

With vinyl wraps, no paint removal is required to alter the appearance of your vehicle. Instead, a vinyl wrap is directly installed on top of your current paint, preserving the original appearance of your vehicle beneath the vinyl. This allows you to easily remove the wrap if you decide that you are unhappy with it or if you change your company branding down the road.

When painting your vehicle, the price of the project will vary based on the level of customization and complexity of the final design. While a single-color paint job is more expensive compared to a full wrap solution, complex jobs with multiple colors, images, logos, and text will cost considerably more due to the additional labor requirements. Vinyl wraps are far easier and cheaper to customize as all images, logos, and text can be printed on the same layer of vinyl. This means that vinyl truck wraps will remain fairly consistent in terms of price regardless of the design. Vinyl wraps can also be safely applied over windows while paint cannot, allowing you to customize more of your vehicle or use additional space for advertising your business.

Paint varies in durability based on the quality of the paint and how it was applied to the vehicle. While high-quality paint is durable, it requires significant washing and waxing to keep it looking great and free of chips or other imperfections. The durability of vinyl will also vary based on the quality of the materials used, though most reputable car wrap installers will only use high-quality materials. In terms of maintenance, vinyl wraps only require occasional cleaning with a cloth and soapy water to maintain their appearance and durability. This means that high-quality vinyl is as durable as high-quality paint while requiring less maintenance over time.

If you are deciding between painting or wrapping your vehicle, a vinyl wrap is a simple and easily reversible choice that often costs less than paint. This makes vinyl a great option for personal customization and business advertising alike.