Vinyl wrap on circular table-top... Advice please!

[MikeyG]

Hi there!
I'm looking into using wrap vinyl to cover items for exhibition stands (counter tops, walls, etc. – see my earlier post!).
I've got a sample of some printable white wrap vinyl, which I'm about to have a test with on a circular 'coffee table' top, which is 600mm diameter.

What I'd like to know, before I get 'wrapped up' in doing it (see what I did there?!), is what do I do with the underside of the material.
I reckon I should cut about an 800mm diameter circle, and lay over the top, which should be no problem, and using heat I should be able to stretch the vinyl around the 1" thick edges, but what do I do with the reverse side bits? Should I cut slits in the vinyl once fitted to the top and sided, almost to the edge, then overlap these on the underside one by one? (Hope that makes sense...)

Anyway, anyone with any experience of doing this - maybe even on vehicular parts - I really welcome your help!

Thanks!

 

[worthy1]

Hi Mikey,

It would depend on what you are looking to get out of the coffee table. If you are not concerned with people seeing underneath then yes cutting slits and folding under would be done. You would not just trim it at the bottom edge as you run the risk of if (and it most likely will) lifting and pulling back on itself in those 'stressed' areas.

There are a couple of ways you could do it:
- As you mentioned
- Doing the top in one piece with the sides in another. This has less stress but the join is usually more visable with white.
- Lay the top on flat, heat around the sides and pull to stretch. Let cool and then work one area at a time by heating it again to shrink back onto the table edges. This is the standard for doing mirrors and other complex curves now due to it shrinking back to a % that has less stress in it. This may allow you to then trim nicely around the bottom with a less risk of it trying to pull back.

Good luck, its good to always see other uses then just vehicles.