Install vinyl on rolling garage door

[gnubler]

Customer wants a logo & lettering installed on a rolling overhead garage door. The door is bare metal, not painted. Slats are 2.5" tall (see image). A couple questions:

Material would be a premasked cast cut vinyl. Would you install it, remove the premask, and then slit the vinyl at each gap? My first thought was to slit it while the premask was still on and push it into the gap with a squeegee. Then I came across this thread that suggested making two slits at each gap, or even making a cutting jig for bigger jobs.

Roll up / slat door vinyl install tips

Hoping some of you have experience / tips / tricks for installing graphics on roll-up / slat doors on vehicles such as the firetruck pic attached. Beer & pop distributing vans & trailers utilize this same style door. First firetruck we did, I applied the vinyl SOLID over the slats, then just...

www.signs101.com

Question 2: It's getting cold here. Would you attempt to do an install on bare metal like this when the daily high is around 45F? I don't have a good feeling about it...cold fingers, up on a ladder making a number of slits through the material.

 

[Dan360]

We've done a few of these doors, full wraps. Do an adhesion test, 1 of the bare metal ones we did needed high tack. Install, remove mask and then cut. If that's the type with a hard 90 degree edge, double cut, the ones that roll in we slice in the middle and tuck (Prime first to be safe and you need to clean in there really well). We used 180 and 180LSE for garage doors.

I wouldn't install below material spec temperature without something signed first. The only time we've had peeling problems was with one that the customer insisted we install in colder temps.

 

[signheremd]

We have done a lot of roll up doors on fire trucks. You have to make two slits at each joint - one above and one below the joint. If you just slit it in the middle the vinyl will catch water and dirt and pull away. We always trim them 1/32 or so inward from the joint so that shrinkage is not an issue. Clean the door good with alcohol before installation.

As far as temperature, I would defer to the vinyl specs. But would think 45 would work - especially if the space is heated. Wouldn't hurt to post form heat as well.

 

[Gino]

Beings this is a garage door, I imagine you are doing the outside surface, since you mentioned cold. Put on in one solid piece, carefully remove tape and slit as you see fit. From that picture, it's hard to tell if you have enough surface to fold over top & bottom of each panel.

 

[Stacey K]

I would put it on as one pice and slit. Will take you some time though lol

You can always brinhg a small heater to warm up your hands then use a torch or heat gun to go over all the vinyl once you are done.

 

[gnubler]

If that's the type with a hard 90 degree edge, double cut, the ones that roll in we slice in the middle and tuck (Prime first to be safe and you need to clean in there really well).

This door has the rolled in/beveled slats...meaning when the door is closed it's not a flat surface. So I think my idea of one slice and tuck as mentioned above will work.

Yes, this is an exterior door facing east. I'll convey all this info to my customer. Thanks, everyone!

 

[JBurton]

If you indeed get the job and figure on doing it while it's 45 degrees outside, don't use Arlon SLX! It is like sticking air egress vinyl with rapid tac, it just falls down over and over until it gets heated, which is a nightmare in a wrapping scenario.

 

[gnubler]

I'll do an adhesion test on my house cast vinyl, which is 3M 7125. The design is a single color.

 

[Stacey K]

Ya what JBurton said!!! That SLX is no fun when it's chilly out lol