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Plasti-Dip is awesome for DIY projects – it leaves a textured finish that looks very OEM, yet it is removable if you ever want to return your car back to stock, perfect for thing such as blacking out your emblems, grille, interior trim or car parts. An added benefit is that it is super durable, even more so then paint in many applications, such it is perfect for parts such as your front grille. As someone that has done quite a few projects with Plasti-Dip spray paint, I thought I’d offer a few tips & suggestions on how to get the best results – this is from a combination of my own personal experience, as well as from others that I have read online. Many of these pointers also apply to using standard spray paint, but with Plasti-Dip they are especially important….
Plasti-Dip Application Tips (for Spray Cans):
- Consider practicing on something unimportant first, just to get the hang of it. Something like a light switch cover, a piece of scrap wood, or something lying around in your garage.
- Clean whatever part you are coating very thoroughly – Start with soap & water, but then use acetone, paint thinner, or nail polish remover to make sure you get all of the finger grease & etc. off of it…
- If you’re not planning on removing the plasti-dip ever, consider sanding the part before coating it. While not necessary, sanding the part will produce better results…
- Your first few coats should be very light. You need to establish a base. Start with a very, very light spray over the part, so thin you can still see the original color under it. Wait about 15 minutes then do another light coat, but this time spray thick enough you can’t see the base color anymore.
- In your next few coats start laying it down thicker and thicker. Once you have a solid base built up, you can & should lay it on pretty thick – obviously you don’t want it to run, but you want it on thick enough it looks glossy.
- Shake the can a lot, and take breaks while spraying so you don’t get lazy and hold it one spot too long and create drips.
- Don’t try to spray too large of an area at one time – the nozzle will start to clog, resulting in drips and uneven spraying. If you’re going to do a large area, have multiple cans you can switch between so no one can is being used longer than 1-2 minutes.
- Allow 30-40 minutes between coats after your first two coats
- Be sure to spray it from multiple angles to get full coverage – I suggest propping the part up, and then making sure you can walk around it so you can hit it from every angle. If you don’t get full & even coverage, some areas of it make look darker or glossier than other areas.
- The closer you are, the smoother the texture. The further away you hold the can, the more textured it looks. Spray accordingly, but be forewarned that if you spray too far away it will be really annoying to clean…
- Let it dry for several days before trying to wash or clean it – it takes a little longer to fully cure and will be a little sticky or tacky to the touch in the meantime. If possible, I’d wait at least 24-48 hours before installing the part on your car to ensure it doesn’t chip prematurely.
- Keep the can upright when spraying, and be sure to clean out the nozzle by spraying it upside down when done. It is easy for it to clog, which will produce poor results.
- Temperature – like normal spray paint, avoid extreme temperatures such as it being really cold, really humid, or really hot. This will affect drying time and may also prevent it from curing properly.
- Over-spray – now this is the really awesome thing about Plasti-dip – you don’t really have to worry about over-spray that much…if you happen to overspray you should be able to peel it off.
- You can refresh your plasti-dipped items if they start to wear, fade or chip – after about a year my grille needed a few touch ups, so I just cleaned it and re-sprayed it from scratch, starting with a few light coats and then building it up, just like I originally did, and the results were stellar, making it look brand-new again.
- Always buy a few extra cans – since you spray it on pretty thick, you go through it pretty quickly. DipYourCar.com offers kits so you have everything you need to complete your project.
Plasti-Dip Removal Tips:
Equally as important as applying it, is how to remove it. Personally I haven’t been too successful in this area, but here are the most common ways to remove it:
- Pressure washer – blast it off
- Mineral Spirits or Acetone - disintegrate it
- Sandpaper – sand it off
Uses for Plasti-Dip on Cars:
You can use Plasti-Dip virutally anywhere except areas that get very hot such as the engine bay or around the brakes & wheels.
- Black-out Grilles – a cheap project that can really transform the look of your car…
- Black-out Emblems – de-chrome those ugly badges by spraying them with Plasti-Dip for a more stealth look. You can even do this with the emblem still attached to the car! Check out this thread on G35NYC.com for pointers on this
- Black-out window or chrome trim – much like the emblems, your overspray will peel right off the windows of your car and/or car paint, so you can use this to pretty easily cover your window trim.
- Interior Trim – I’ve seen several people Plasti-Dip interior trim pieces to match their OEM trim – the black textured look matches perfectly with a lot of common interior materials, making it seem as if it came that way from the factory
- Wheels – I’ve seen it done, but I wouldn’t recommend it as it will deteriorate over time. If you’re considering having your wheels powdercoated black, you could try Plasti-Dipping them to see how they look, and if you don’t like it you could always peel or pressure wash off the Plasti-Dip.
- Rear Valence – this one is iffy – the heat from your exhaust may eventually melt off the Plasti-Dip, so it really depends on how much power your car puts out and if you still have catalytic converters or not, but for many applications you’ll be fine.
Plasti-Dip Pictures
Like I said, the really cool part about Plasti-Dip is the finish & texture. Take a look at these pics I took comparing Plasti-Dip to matte black Krylon Fusion spray paint. You can see that the Plasti-Dip is less glossy, more textured, and has a really OEM look and feel to it. Add to that, it’s much more durable! My grille in standard spray paint started chipping within a week, but when coated in Plasti-Dip it lasted months!
For more pictures of completed Plasti-Dip projects, check out the DipYourCar.com Photo Gallery.
A light spray for the first few coats...be sure to hit it from every angle
Plasti Dip (R) vs Black Spray Paint (L)
You can see the difference in finish is quite noticeable! Here is a close up of the texture compared to regular spray-paint:
Plasti Dip (R) vs Black Spray Paint (L)
A few more pics, just for the full effect:
Plasti Dip Texture Close-Up
Plasti Dip vs Spray Paint Close-Up
Plasti Dipped RS4 Grille & Filler Plate - looks OEM!
Got any other tips, pointers or questions this guide is missing? Let me know in the comments!
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- How to fit an RS6 Grille on a B7 A4, S4 or RS4 (All Mesh – No Filler Plate)
- Audi RS4 Grille Installed – Pics & Info
Thanks for this. I was going to do the whole grille trim and filler plate this past weekend with Plasti Dip (per your post) but glad I put it off to read these tips.
Thanks Steve – you might want to consider practicing on something small and unimportant, like a light switch cover or a piece of wood or something, just to get the hang of how it sprays on! Actually – I should add that as another tip! LOL time to edit…
This is just what I need to see man,great information!
Thanks man! Be sure to let me know how your projects go!
Hey Nick – Quick question – On the front grill – the chrome surround around the grill does that pop off or does it involve taking the bumper off etc?? I’d like to plasti dip my chrome surround and any times you can provide are helpful. I have a crack in my surrond so I figure I’ll fix that at the same time. Your blog is good – I check it often. Thanks again bro!
Thanks Tony! Unfortunately you do have to remove the front bumper to pop out the chrome outer surround of the grille – there are little tabs you have to push in, and you can’t push in those tabs to release the chrome surround unless the grille is removed from the bumper. This post shows where those tabs are located on the backside of the grille: http://nickscarblog.com/diy/diy-black-audi-a4s4-grille
Thanks Nick! Another ?, I was looking at your flicker pictures and I saw one of your car in a parking garage and the taillights looked custom…almost clear or smoke…give me the rundown on those please….Just put my led plate bulbs in with the resistor, they look great just the resistor runs HOT so I gotta wrap it up in some high heat stuff. Appreciate your help, it’s nice to see yours since we have the same color. I follow you on twitter and I’m @Tonyshorrock. Thanks bro!
Thanks Tony – my tail lights are actually 100% OEM though, I think maybe the picture you are referring to is in black and white which makes them look different? I’ve considered a light smoke but to be honest I kind of just like them how they are – I wish there was an LED tail light that looked OEM, the ones I’ve seen look nice but not quite OEM enough for me.
would this be good on rims?
It’s possible, but I don’t think it would hold up long term given the extreme heat the wheels are exposed to from the brakes. It’s worth a shot, but chances are you will have to re-do it every so often to keep the wheels looking nice…
Hey Nick, came across this guide and I find it very informative. I don’t own an Audi, rather a 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. One of the biggest complaints is the chrome ring that goes around the nose, and a lot of owners Plasti-Dip theirs. I tried it last weekend and I think I’m doing something wrong, there was a lot of runoff and bubbling in certain areas. I loved the look of the overall texture, but I was disappointed with my work. I could be having issues with spraying too close or too far away, or spraying in one area for too long. Granted, it’s been a long time since I’ve even used spray paint!
What should the rule of thumb be for the distance between the item you’re spraying and the can itself? Should I spray fast or slow, in a steady line or back and forth? Thanks!
Bubbling could be caused by the surface not being clean enough, or the temperature/humidity conditions as well. Make sure you are cleaning the area very carefully to remove all oil & grease, using something like acetone or nail polish remover on the coats. You ideally want to spray in a temperature that isn’t too hot or cold with low humidity as those will effect the quality too.
As far as spraying distance – for the first few coats you can spray a little further away to ensure you’re getting nice and light base coats (maybe 12-24 inches away from the object). As you start to spray thicker in your next few coats you can move a little closer. The further away you spray from the object, the more textured the item will appear, whereas the closer to the item you get the more smooth the surface will be.
Hopefully that helps!
Awesome guide!
I am just wondering how this rubber coating feels to the touch? Does it actually feel slightly rubbery or is it more akin to a flat mat paint?
Cheers,
Somewhere inbetween, depending on how thick you put it on. It’s definitely not as smooth as paint, sometimes a little rubbery or gritty, but no where near sandpaper or griptape consistency. It feels like a textured plastic piece, much like you’d see on many bumpers or trim pieces normally, except that it maybe feels slightly stickier. Hope that helps? Definitely test it out on an inconspicuous item first, like a piece of scrap wood lying around, and then you can get an idea if you like it or not, but IMO it’s great for automotive applications like this.
Do you have any idea what percent relative humidity is acceptable? Or dewpoint and temperature? I contacted PlastiDip company with this question, and got a generic, unhelpful reply, so I am wondering what your experience is. Iowa is pretty humid in the summer
Thanks for the great explanation and tips, Nick!
I have no idea Fred, other than to say to try to avoid it. I know with spray paint they say keep it under 70% if possible. Plasti-dip dries pretty quickly – if its a small part you can find a 1-2 hour long window to spray it outside, then you can move it inside to dry where I assume its air conditioned. Or get a dehumidifier for your garage and spray there, if possible.
Good suggestions, Nick. Thanks again.
how does plasti dip hold up during winter weather?
We don’t really get winters here, but I haven’t heard of anyone having issues – its basically just a rubber like material and should hold up fine, unless you leave salt caked on it for extended periods of time (which would damage your paint too). I know there are plenty of folks in Canada that have done this and haven’t heard them complain about excessive wear due to winter…
hey Nick
great blog bro
im thinking of plasti diping the hood on my car it has some minor scratches and chips will the they show through once ive sprayed them with plasti dip? and any other issues you could see with using plasti dip to spray my hood?
Scratches shouldn’t show unless they’re really deep, ditto chips – the textured, matte finish of plasti-dip hides the minor stuff really well. I think you should be fine really, I’ve seen people who have plasti-dipped their entire car and its held up well. The only area I’d be concerned with is under the hood (if you’re planning on doing that) as I’m not sure how it would hold up to all of the heat, but the topside of the hood should be fine…
Awesome blog w/ great tips. I may be planning a plastidip project & would really like your opinion & any tips you might add.
I have a 09 Infiniti G37 and would like to plastidip the taillights, after the plastidip I would like to remove the rings around the leds and also the reverse light and side reflector, so basically it would be a blacked out tailight exept for the halos of red for the brake/turn lights and the side and rear reflectors. I was wondering if I shot the tailights w/ pdip then waited for it to fully cure I could then cut out the circles w/ an exacto knife and remove them from the rest of the cured plastidip. Would this work or is removing it in precise sections hard to do? Also, I would prefer a glossy finish to match the gloss black car paint, could I add clear plastidip over the entire tailight at a later date to give it some gloss?? Thanks for any help, I think it’ll work and if so it’ll be much easier & cheaper than vinly overlays or having them painted at a shop.
Hey Brad – I think you’ll be fine, as as you know by now if the results don’t turn out the way you want you can always scrape it off and try again. You should be fine cutting out whatever pattern you’d like with an exacto knife, just cut slow because if you screw up you’ll need to redo the entire light with plasti-dip (there really isn’t any good way to do touch ups IMO). I haven’t used the clear plasti-dip personally, but from what I’ve read it is a lot shinier than regular plasti-dip – I doubt it will be as shiny as the clear coat on your OEM paint, especially on a luxury car like an Infiniti, but I think it would probably be close enough.
Hi,
Can anyone enlighten me as to what thinners are used (to thin)
I can get access to acetone, synthetic or cellulose.
Thanks!
Not sure, do you really need to thin it though?
[...] any flaws as well as protect the grille a little better since its a rubberized coating. Read my tips on using plasti-dip on cars here. If you want to use paint, that’s fine too, but make extra sure you did an excellent job [...]
I’m in the process of re-finishing an electric guitar with P-D.
So far it looks awesome!
I’ve held off on this stuff for a while as my A4 is black and I would prefer a gloss finish. I just stumbled across this bit of info though, and it looks like I may be able to achieve a glossy look with these new Plasti Dip Enhancers:
Introducing the new Plasti Dip Enhancers!
I’ve already ordered some, so I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Cool, definitely let me know how it goes!
Bubbling or uneven finish is most often caused by not allowing the previous coat enough time to flash off.
So then you spray a second (or third or…) coat over the piece but the solvents and such are still off-gassing from the first coat, they have to work their way out.
Patience, grasshopper, patience.
Spray in shade so it doesn’t flash off to quickly, spray then walk away for 30 minutes.
watch some TV or make lunch, anything but that second coat.
Take your time. Plasti Dip is incredibly user friendly, only you can screw it up.
I live in Argentina where it is not possible to get the spray cans, I think because of the preassurised nature of the product vs planes, and I wonder if there is a way to modify the viscosity of the liquid plasti-dip (the one that comes without pressure) that I guess could be air carried, to use in a conventional spraying gun. Thank you!
I have no idea to be honest…
i recently scratched my rim and it had plasti dip on it. To make it smooth like it was before will plasti dip fix this? please help
You may need to remove it from the entire wheel and then respray. Contact http://www.dipyourcar.com/ and see if they have any ideas for you
Hi nick please tell me how much thinner i need for 2 gallons, planning on dipping my ’99 A6
I’m not sure, I’ve been using the spray cans which are pre-mixed. I’d follow the directions on the can…
mmm i cant seem to find it googled so much already, feeling dizzy. Could you help me find it out
. Im trying to order plastidip from uk, but i have no idea how much thinner goes in there 
where can i fund Matt orange
I’m not sure, I would contact DipYourCar.com as I know they can provide some custom colors and finishes. I know that is not a color/finish that is readily available at a local hardware store (they normally stock black, white and maybe red).
Hey Nick,
I’ve been searching a lot and am a bit curious, if I plasti dip my car red for example, will the finish be matte or glossy? Or is the matte finish only with black?
Great post btw
Thanks! Standard finishes are matte, although if you put it on really thick it can look semi-glossy. If you want the gloss finish, you can buy the “glossifier” add-in to leave it with a gloss finish.