Occasionally we are asked this question, and the follow up question is: “Do you want your wrap to stick?” Seems curt, I know, but there’s science behind the question.

The most common scenario is a customer has a vehicle that needs paint work, but the customer would prefer a wrap rather than paint. The unfortunate truth is that the adhesives on the wrap are designed to adhere to the paint (technically clear coat) that the OEMs are spraying the vehicles with. 3M will not even warranty a wrap if the paint is from a body shop due to the variances in paint make up. So knowing that all the research and development behind the wrap adhesives are based on OEM automotive paint, it would be reckless to wrap a vehicle without paint at all.

While we have had success with wrap adhesives adhering to some bare metals, the best success is when the substrate is coated with a paint that is compatible with the adhesives on the film. Unfortunately, we have seen far too many fail stories and very few successes when it comes to wrapping vehicles that are not properly painted. I realize it’s a tough pill to swallow for those wanting to wrap and skip the paint step, but in the end we all want a successful wrap that lasts for years to come, and we get there by doing every piece of the project the right way.