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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…since I originally wrote this article in 2011, the world of Plasti-Dip has undergone a revolution. Dip went from something that only a few new about, to one of the more common and mainstream ways to modify your car. Along with this increased popularity has come an ton of innovations in the product itself as the manufacturer saw the potential for a lot of automotive use, and has come out with a ton more colors, finishes, and applicators. No longer are you limited to just a handful of colors in cheap aerosol cans that produce inconsistent results – the latest line of Autoflex coatings rival that of a professional paint job, while the entry-level Plasti-Dip offerings now have tons more finishes geared towards the automotive enthusiast.
Plasti-Dip Application Tips for Spray Cans & Quick DIY Applications (i.e. Emblems, Wheels):
- 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 either pre-dip spray or a pre-wax cleanser to remove any oils, wax, etc…like any paint job, spend twice as long prepping it as you did painting it for best 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.
- Use a minimum of 6 coats. If you’ve ever had trouble peeling off Plasti-Dip in the past, you probably didn’t use enough.
- 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…it is recommended to spray 4-5 inches away for the best results when using a spray can.
- 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.
Advanced Dipping Techniques for Whole Car Application or Advanced Finishes:
- Avoid using spray cans – the nozzles get clogged and your hand will get tired, resulting in sloppy and/or uneven application. Invest in a professional sprayer, such as these offered by DYC, and buy the dip by the gallon (it’s cheaper this way, too).
- Consider buying a kit that has everything you need (including the sprayer). Like I mentioned earlier, the more prep work you do, the better the result. This is true with pretty much anything in life, but especially true with any paint or dip applications. There are specialty products meant for pre-dip cleaning, or you can do a normal wash, clay bar, and then use a pre-wax cleanser product like you would as part of a normal paint polishing process. The important thing is to remove any residues, contaminants, etc. so the surface is perfectly clean and nothing will interfere with the dip curing/bonding.
- Consider a basecoat for parts that are going to have a drastic change in color, or are white or neon, to mask the originally color better. This is much like you use primer before painting. A light grey base coat is a good option as a primer/base coat.
- Use a topcoat for a gloss finish, and you can also add pearls to the topcoat if you want a metallic/OEM like finish more similar to paint.
- Disassemble any parts that are complex or will be difficult to get adequate product into all of the cracks and angles. For instance removing things like grilles, headlights/tail lights, etc. will help you get in all of the cracks better.
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:
- Pull it off – if you applied it right, it should peel right off.
- Dip Dissolver – if you applied it too thin, you’ll have trouble peeling it off. DYC creates a product specifically for removing stubborn dip called Dip Dissolver, which can be bought here.
- Pressure washer – another option is blast it off with a pressure washer. Don’t go overboard as you don’t want to damage the paint underneath, but if there are just some small areas that are difficult to reach then a pressure washer on low setting might do the trick.
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.
- The Entire Car – this is a great (and cheaper) option to repainting, or even vinyl-wrapping. It can be done regardless of whether your paint is brand new, or in pretty rough shape. If your paint is particularly faded, watch this video first for specific pointers.
Where to Get it:
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.
You can see the difference in finish is quite noticeable! Here is a close up of the texture compared to regular spray-paint:
A few more pics, just for the full effect:
Got any other tips, pointers or questions this guide is missing? Let me know in the comments!
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: https://www.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?
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 :D. 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.
Hey Nick, I have a quick question. It was recommended to me that when you tape off, you should lift the tape before the plasti-dip dries so you can have a crisp clean line. I do not get how you can do that when you have to let it dry between coats. Im about to start my project and do not want to mess up. How did you do your tape lines and did they peel?
You’ll want to lift the tape after laying down the last coat of plasti-dip, while that last coat is still semi-wet.
Nice guide man. I have a question though.
Twice now I’ve applied pdip on a hood cowl of my Jeep and I get very textured results. It’s not spraying distance because that is between 5 and 6 inches, but my guess is that it’s too hot outside? I live in Arizona and applied it twice while in my garage where I’m guessing it was around 100F. Could that heat make pdip “coagulate” so to speak before it even hits the part I’m painting?
Please help, as this will be the second time I’ve had to peel this off to repaint.
Here’s a picture I took: http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1739/img20120707181607.jpg
I would guess a combination of ambient heat (the air), possibly surface heat (if the hood is hot), and then making sure the surface is 100% clean. You may want to consider cleaning the hood with acetone before to make sure there is no oil/grease/contiminants on the surface…otherwise, you may just need to wait until it cools off. I am also in Arizona, it sucks here in the summer, haha.
Good job man, very helpful.
HA! Im in Arizona as well!
Thanks, happy to help!
Everytime I read or watch a video on Plasti dip everyone is blacking out something. How does the plasti dip work with other colors? I have a dodge challenger grille which is already black. I want to make it silver or red (im still deciding) will that work just as well??
The color doesn’t really affect how the plasti-dip works or is applied at all, so any of those colors would be fine. Good luck!
Nick, I PD my car and the hood -trunk seems to have to much texture and the sides look ok, some spots look very smooth, u got any tips? I use a earlex 3500 sprayer, also do u know of any other thinner we can use that I can buy at local hardwhre store? Thanks
I’m not sure about the thinner – check out the forums at DipYourCar.com and ask there, i’ve only used the spray cans personally.
Can one use the dip on paint that is Peeling??? Even if it is sanded, will be able to peel off at a later time?
You can definitely use it on peeled paint, although the texture may show through. If you sand first it should still peel off fine, just make sure you put it on plenty thick!
Can mags be sprayed with Plasti dip? at the moment is light red & I would like to spray it neon green – will it last on the rims or for how long? How can I send a picture to you to show you?
thanks
Gummy RSA
Yes, it will hold up just fine on mag wheels. I had Plasti-Dip on my last set of wheels and it held up great: https://www.nickscarblog.com/cars/oem-lamborghini-gallardo-wheels-on-my-s4-new-photos
My plastidip has faded. When you said touch up, did you mean peel it off and re-do it? Or did you just apply new plastidip over the existing plastidip without removing the old?
Either way should be fine Dimitri
Is there a brushed aluminum finish?
I just want to help you out with some of the questions that have been asked on here. DipYourCar.com has a Youtube channel with most of these questions anwsered and more.
Yes, x2. DipYourCar is THE place to go for questions, they have far more expertise & experience than I. They also help support this blog, so I can’t recommend them enough!
Not that I’m aware of, but check out DipYourCar.com and see if they can’t make you something close…i
im thinking about plasti diping my car for the winter (since i just put a fresh coat of paint on it and dont want my investment getting messed up) since i cant afford buying a winter beater this year… i noticed you said you haven’t really been successful on removing the plasi dip?… what exactly did you mean by that? you can remove all the plasi dip like it was not even there right? or will there always be little spots that you can never get off? really love the idea of panting over something and protecting a good paint job then removing to have it perfectly preserved but…. what sounds too good to be true normally is? how hard is it to remove and can u tell the car was plasi diped after it is removed?
You shouldn’t have any problem removing it as long as you put it on thick enough. Get one of the Pro Car Kits from DipYourCar.com and putting it on (and taking it off) should be no problem. Cheers!
have a quick question, i plasti dipped parts of my car and ive been taking them off little by little but im having issues with the window trim area. The plasti dipped has seemed to have melted onto the window trim, the rubber part of it, and ive tried scrapping it off and using other ways of getting it off but nothing works right. Ive heard of using wd40, which i think i will try to get that off because it looks nasty, any suggestions how to get this off? Also the other pieces of the window trim that are like hard plastic not soft rubber like above, im guessing i put few coats on it and its kinda hard to talk off also, any suggestions for that?
Check out “Dip Dissolver” from DipYourCar.com, I hear that’s supposed to be helpful in these situations: https://www.dipyourcar.com/product.php?productid=86
Do you know if you can apply the Dip with a sponge brush or does it always have to be sprayed on?
Not sure. You can buy Plasti-dip in cans that looks more like “normal” paint (as opposed to spray paint) so I’m sure you could try it, but I’m not sure the texture of the finished product would be what you want…
I have a SUV it older and I want to give it a new look is there any way that I can use cans to spray it matte black the car is already black .I plan on getting about 30 cans just in case
Iz – CHeck out DipYourCar.com they sell kits to cover the entire car and that woudl be much easier than buying 30 cans…
I ended up with some horrible texturing. Will a closer, thicker, and slower spray application over the existing take care of it or do I have thin it out first as shown in a video by DipYourCar.com?
I’d probably remove it and start over, rather than trying to spray on top of it. Otherwise I’d shoot Fonzie at DipYourCar.com an email and see what he thinks 😉
Sticker remover spray is great for rinsing and unclogging PlastiDip nozzles. Install PlastiDip nozzle onto remover and spray for a few seconds. Wait one minute for remover to dissolve PlastiDip remains and spray again to throw them out. Nozzle will be just as new.
I applied Plasti Dip Spray on a metal ballpoint. The soft touch is great but the coating is peeling off after a days use. I used two layers of spray. How do I prevent the coating from peeling off?
Thanks!
I’d suggest a thicker coating (4+ coats), although it may not be good for something that is handled regularly.
The fabric is starting to tear in the seats of my bass boat. I think I will sew up the tears and then spray plastic dip on them. Do you think this will work? Guess it can’t hurt to try. Also, should I wait till the weather is warmer or does it matter?
I said fabric on my bass boat seats but it a vynal material.
I don’t think that will hold up well, the Plasti-Dip is fairly durable but sitting up and down a lot will wear through it eventually. You might be better off to get seat covers or get them reupholstered.
I want to Plasti-dip a part of my civic would I have to remove the door? And would I sand it to get off the existing paint?
DO NOT remove the existing paint – the whole point of Plasti-dip is to cover the paint without harming it underneath, much like a spray-on vinyl wrap. I’m not sure why you’d need to remove your door either, unless you’re trying to dip the door jambs or something but even then you can probably spray it just fine by opening the door and masking off the interior…
What would you recommend on a golf cart to prep for PlastiDip other then purchasing your Pre Dip spray ??? What are the steps in prep in a golf cart for Plasti Dip
It’d be no different than prepping a car – clean it really good, maybe even clay bar it if the paint is rough, let it dry fully, then go to town 🙂
I am thinking about doing a custom graphic on my new 2014 JKU. I was thinking just the plain black Plasti Dip for the bottom quarter of the doors, possibly trying to do JEEP logo. Have you tried doing something like this? I just wonder how it would/could be done..
It’s definitely doable – Plasti-dip sprays on and can be layered much like paint, so just use a stencil and allow the base coat to dry before putting another coat over top of it for the stencil/logo and you should be all set. Best of all if you don’t like how it comes out you can always peel it off and redo it 🙂
I have a truck that sprays road oil. The truck has aluminum tank with spray bars. When i spray the oil
there is overspray that gets on my tank and cab of the truck. Can I spray plasti-dip on my tank and cab,operate the truck for about 3-4 months and then peel the plasti-dip off and reapply?
Will the asphalt on the plasti-dip harm it? Can I spray plasti-dip on ruber hoses?
It’s worth a shot, but I think oil will eat through the Plasti-Dip pretty quickly.
Definitely DO NOT spray outside when the pollen is thick in the air. I learned the hard way when the pollen got mixed in with the plasti dip. I was spraying my roof and had to take time with the larger area. The finished product was very rough and uneven and was extremely difficult to peel off afterwards.
You still want to treat this like paint when applying – start with a clean surface, spray on evenly, and ideally spray in an indoor area with minimal dust or contaminants – few will have access to a paint booth which would be best, but yeah…if it is windy out then it would be a bad day to apply. Sorry about your luck, if the finished product was rough and uneasy you may want to revisit how far away you’re holding the applicator from the surface as well.
I bought a 20’Ford E450 bus on ebay. We are converting it into a limo for the family and we will share it with the Special Children’s Network to take kids from our rural area into the city for programs. The bus is white and we want to Plasti Dip it black with glossier (the roof will remain white). How many cans of Plasti Dip spray would we need or how many gallons? We are all just volunteers working on this project and none of us have any experience. All suggested accepted.
Hit up DipYourCar.com and they should be able to get you bulk pricing, and they can help you guestimate how much you need too!
Ive dipped a few cars so far but a guy came to me wanting me to dip his headlights and make eye lids essentially. I was wondering how you would recommend doing so since im going to have to dead edge the dip against the blue fine line. I dont want to peel everything up when it comes to unmasking.
Thank you.
I’d try peeling away the tape while it’s still wet, that way the consistency is more paint like still…might require some trial and error though.
Very informative article. I just ordered a new spoiler for my ’14 Dodge Dart. It will come unpainted and the local paint shop wants $125.00 to paint it…sounds like I can do this with a can of Black PD and the glossifier…under $15.00! 🙂 I’m gonna give it a try…
Thanks for the info/tips Nick, we have recently been introduced to Plasti Dip in South Africa and will be trying it out on one of our clients Audi TT’s Wheels next week.
Holding thumbs it comes out as we intend it too.
Can I plasti dip instead of a box liner?
It’s pretty resilient, but I don’t think that would hold up if you’re using your bed a lot.
I have just recently gotten my car plasti dipped. I was under the impression that the entire are was going to be dipped. When I open my doors and trunk I can still see the white of my car from the original color. Like they didn’t even try to dip it. Is this common in painting your car this way? I am once again very new to this.
Thank you
It’s not entirely uncommon, and they may have even done this intentionally so that the dip didn’t wear off in the jambs and areas where it rubs a lot.
I just bought a mustang and the interior was plasti dipped. and now there are a bunch of spots starting to peel. should i try to remove it all or just sand down the tears and paint over it?
Yeah, I think that is your best bet – or you could remove it and redip…if its a small area you could try to touch up, but it doesn’t sound like that is the case…
My apologies if my question has been answered before, but can I use the spray on the plastic wheels of a Big Wheel for better traction?
Plasti-dip is pretty durable, but its not THAT durable. It might work in the short term but if it is rubbing against concrete on a regular basis, it will peel off eventually.
I got my car dipped and it’s already showing white scratches. How do I orevent this from happening?
What do you mean by white scratches? Is that the paint color underneath showing, or is something white rubbing against the car and leaving paint on top of the dip? Do you do touch free car washes or are you using a mit or an automated wash?
Thanks for the reply. We just had it plasti dipped in a blue color, matte, about two weeks ago. It is showing white scratches and a few areas are a bit peeling. It is our first time so we are not sure how it’s supposed to be in regards to a good job being done or the durability and scratches. We washed the car after one week in a touchless car wash. The small scratches can be from a key, branch, etc. they are showing up white.
@Payas – it should be a lot more durable than that, did you dip it yourself or have it done somewhere? I wonder if it was applied too thin?
Hi nick, i am new to all of this but i plasti dipped the interior of my car yesterday. Really pleased with the results, although i am wondering how to clean it? It seems to be gathering small pieces of dust from the cloth/rag? Is there anything inparticluar i can use? Ive seen on the dipyourcar site they do a dip washer but that has to be dripping wet to clean the plasti dip from what i have read. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
If the rag is leaving behind fibers, you may want to try a soft sponge instead, or find a towel that doesn’t leave behind fibers like this one: http://www.detailedimage.com/wax.php?id=19305&url=detailedimage.com/CarPro-M53/Suede-Microfiber-Cloths-P941/16-x-16-S3/
hey nick. are you able to make multiple colours? i have a bike that i want to do but think it would look pretty ordinary if all the fairings are 1 colour, or even if i colour each fairing piece their own colour it wouldnt look that great. thanks buddy
Yeah, it’s just like spray paint, so you can mask off areas to paint them different colors, or you can do a base coat all one color then layer a second coat on top of it to change the color of a different section. Should be just fine!
I’ve never had a problem with plastidip being to close to a heat source. I’ve painted several bikes with the dip almost touching exhaust and no issues. Also rims are a great place to dip I’ve had the same dip on my wheels for over a year…and it survived 2 tire changes and a severe canadian winter. Use turtle wax ice to make the dip smooth and easier to clean and wipe with a microfiber rag and window cleaner…ive also had some really good results with a pretty thick first coat…and building from there…the thicker the dip the better! Just a few of my own tips all gained from experience. Happy dipping!
Will acetone harm the hood of your car if you’re looking to plasti dip a portion of it?
I wouldn’t advise it, but if you must then try to limit the amount of time it touches any paint to just a few seconds then wipe entirely clean. But you should probably avoid completely and use something a little less harsh like bug & tar remover.
I just did plastidip on my Pontiac G6 grill and was wondering if using the glossifier how much longer would it make the grill Last and hold up in cold whether.
Good question John – I would direct that question to the guys at DipYourCar.com, they’re the experts on glossifier and can give you advice there. To the best of my knowledge it’s really intended just to give a glossy finish as opposed to enhancing durability or cold temperature tolerance, so I’d only add it if you’d prefer a gloss finish over a matte one…
Nick can you dip interior light bulbs like a dome light or map lights?
I really wouldn’t recommend that…
Nick, I’d like to use the “Camo Green” spray cans on some accent pieces of my Jeep. Unfortunately the color seems a bit bright. Is there a way to “darken” it up a little? I don’t know, use black as the base coat or something? Thanks.
DipYourCar.com can do custom colors if you’re really not happy with it, but generally it dries a little darker than when it is wet, so give it a few coats and let it cure before you fully decide on the color. The base coat doesn’t really matter since it’s not like paint in that regard.
Hi, I want to respray my citi golf 1 but was wondering if the logo citi1.4 and chico could remain somehow, plz let me know…thanks
With plasti-dip you could just spray the whole car and peel off the dip from the logo, or you could remove the logo entirely if you’re going to paint the car, then buy a new emblem/logo or reattach the old one with new adhesive…
hello nick how are you, i’ve read your review about plastic dip, i own a skoda rapid, not sure if you heard of it or not, i wanted to spray the grills and the upper part from the trunk, also the side skirts on both sides, i was asking if i could get it from eBay or amazon or somth. i wanted to ask you will one spray be enough or shall i get more, also about the clear one i might spray both bumpers because they get scratched regularly, so i wanted to take your opinion on the clear one too, will it coat it a little and protect it? Thanks
You’ll definitely want more than one can, and when in doubt order extra as the key to a good Plasti-dip application is to put it on thick enough that it will peel off easily – too thin of a coat and it’s tricky to do. I’d get one can for the grille, one can for each side skirt, and one can for the trunk spoiler/extra in case you need it.
Hi Nick,
Is it okay to exterior detail or 5 steps the car before using plasti-dip?
Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem – it’s actually probably a good idea. Getting the first coat to stick might be a little trickier but just start with very thin, light coats to build it up.
Yeah, I was thinking that maybe the paint will have a hard time to sticking to the car but it is good to know that is possible so I think it’s much easier to peel it off and also protect the original paint. Thanks again.
The car I want to plasti dip had a previous paint job that was done improperly. This has led to peeling in various areas revealing the original paint. How should I go about this in order to have the smoothest surface Pre-dipping? Sanding?
A little peeling or texture can be covered up through plasti-dip, but if it’s pretty bad you might want to sand or even just try buffing the paint with an orbital to see if that can get it smooth enough.
I was just wanting a estimate on how many gallons I would need to do my rig (peterbilt 386). It’s white currently and would like to switch to flat black
4 gallons is recommended for a truck/SUV, so I would go for at least 5 to be safe.
I have painted my jeep with matte color , the color looks matte , but after spraying hardener and matte clear coat (as said by paint shop keeper) I got gloss on my jeep. so can I now directly use plastic or matte clear over my car for matte look or should i sand i again .
Well, you won’t need to sand it off either way. I would give the matte clear a shot, although give everything a few days to dry and make sure the gloss doesn’t kind of go away on its own first.
I didn’t feel confident using acetone on the car since I couldn’t remove what i was wanting to Dip so I came up with using isopropanol and it worked great.
Hi Nick, we would not recommend to sand of Plasti Dip. It’s just scratching the surface below. Since Plasti Dip is the only dip, which keeps flexible for years, you just can peel it easily off. Te use of thinner or liquids like isopropanol is an alternative, if the peeling wouldn’t work. Best regards from Germany 🙂
Thanks Jost – I removed that recommendation per your suggestion.
Hi
can you sprayon and then tape it for a strip or two tone?
Yep, that works great!
If my car is black, and I don’t plan to change the color, can i simply do top coat with black pearls?
That should work, but hit up DipYourCar for their advice before you place your order.
Plasti Dip paint’s look is totally awesome. There is a Spanish brand called Full Dip which I’ve been using lately for my motorcycle project and Im terribly happy with it.
Yeah, the autoflex and glossifier has really changed the game for dip. Amazing stuff!
Hi I’m JC, we own a plastidip installations shop, I was surfing and saw ur blog, I thought it needed to be said, your photos of the finished product is a miss representation, you have texture in nearly all your pictures, plastidip shouldn’t have texture it finishes out very slick. Just as slick as any OEM finish out there, I know this blog has been around along time and this may have been brought up before if so, I apologize, I also apologize for my hacking your blog…..
I think the beauty of plasti dip is that you can make it either texture. It’s pretty hard to get the slick finish out of a spray can though…
hey nick ..sprayed car yesterday…lots of issues ! frozen gray kit…first 2 coats came out awesome…im using HVLP gun …im not sure what happened ? dip started coming out in fine clumps…almost like it was drying b 4 it even hit the car?..wanted to know what psi should the gun be set at? I live in florida so it was around 75 so temp was good humidity was about 48 % …then top coat came out spider webbing …it was horrible….needless to say I was totally devastated! lol…car is straight gun metal gray now …looks ….eeehhhhh? actually had to take a 320 grit sand pad to knock off rough texture ….any guesses ?…thanks
My guess is either the humidity or something wrong with the mixture. Sorry to hear about your experience.
Hi Nick,Thanks for your guide, I’d dip my old, beat to crap, Subaru in that blue, lol. Just cover the rust right over and it’ll look new
Well it depends on how bad that rust is on how well you can cover up without prep work, but essentially yes that isn’t a bad idea at all!
I’m buying side window vent visors for my truck. They don’t make any stick on ones in matte, only clear smoke. The in channel mounted ones are matte but that can cause problems with window operation. I see no problem dipping them flat black? They are plastic after all.
Seems like a perfect use for Plasti-Dip…should work great.
Nick, not sure if it was mentioned, but I had a question related to Dip Dissolver and I would love to hear your ideas. I sprayed the front quarter panels, hood and front in of my MINI Cooper before doing a drive across the USA. I rattle canned it, because I was concerned about protection and not looks. That said, it was too thin to just pull off and rubbing it off with a microfiber rag is a beast. I tried Goo B Gone and that helped a little. I bought Dip Dissolver and wanted to use it before I started reading the label. It says it can damage rubber and black plastics on the car? How accurate is that? My grill and inserts on the front of the car are all painted black plastic. Also the fenders have molded and unpainted plastic (not the dense hard plastic, just the typical fender stuff).
Have you (or anyone else for that matter) used this product and will it damage my car or fade any of the plastics?
It’s impossible to tell, so test in a small and inconspicuous area. My 2c is to use this on all of the painted surfaces, because scrubbing that off with microfiber is going to leave swirl marks and marring in the paint. For the rubber areas test first, if not use microfiber for those areas to chafe it off since you don’t need to worry about swirls.
The other option is to throw a few more coats of Plasti-dip on so that its thick enough to peel off the ol’ fashioned way.
Hi nick I’m wanting to add green nebula pearl to clear plastidip mixed with glossifier for a satin look . My cars current colour is yucca green which isn’t a million miles away for the nebula green . Can I spray it straight over the top of my stock colour giving you can spray clear straight over stock as a protective measure thanks in advance
I would think that should work, but test it out on a small area first like a spoiler and see how it looks. It might need a base coat depending on how the greens work together.
Hi Nick, I don’t have a garage…can I just dip my car outside in direct sunlight.
You could, but I’d recommend doing it on a day that is overcast, or early/late in the day when the sunlight isn’t so harsh. Part of it depends on temperature too – if it’s cooler, that will help. You don’t want the dip to dry too quickly and not bond with the additional layers.
Hey Nick, any idea if plastidip will adhere to a previously coated surfaces (something like ceramic pro)? I wanted to plastidip my wheels but they were professionally coated by a detailer.
You’ll want to remove the ceramic pro first if you want it to stick; however, removing ceramic coating from wheels is tricky – normally you’d remove with a polisher, but with wheels it’s hard to use a machine, so you might need to just use a microfiber pad and cutting compound and polish it off by hand.
Hi Nick, getting a new Polaris Slingshot. I want to change the color soon as I get it. If I use the DYC Proline Primer for the initial coats can I use another company’s base color like House of Color; do you know? Then I’d like to use a clear coat by AllKandy Wet Wet. Any help you can or could give me on this would be greatly appreciated. I don’t think Dip Your Car would give me any other answer other than only there products work with their products. lol
So you want to put real paint on top of Plasti-dip? On one hand, I don’t see why that would be an issue as long as you’re careful with the overspray. On the other hand, it sounds like an expensive way to do Plasti-dip – why not just paint it at that point?