Blacking out chrome with Plastidip
10-29-13, 11:24 PM
#1
Lead Lap
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Blacking out chrome with Plastidip
Has anyone done this to their front grill, or any part of the car?
If done on the grille, any pics? or DIY? thanks
If done on the grille, any pics? or DIY? thanks
10-30-13, 07:14 AM
#3
Lexus Test Driver
10-30-13, 10:41 AM
#5
Here's my car with the grill surround plasti-dipped:
Wasn't a fan, so went with gloss black vinyl instead:
My rear emblems are still plasti-dipped though:
For the vinyl work, I went to Impressive Wrap and they did a fine job! I know some other members have done the vinyl work themselves, but I can't remember who
To do the grill surround, you do have to remove your front bumper and disassemble the grill so that you can fully wrap the chrome. The bumper is fairly simple to remove, so the difficult part is just wrapping the odd shaped grill surround and not having any creasing.
Plasti-dip in my opinion doesn't look as good as the vinyl, as it has a rubbery finish. It's also quite messy and can get all over the place if you're not careful. Unless you do really thick layers of it, it's annoying and challenging to remove because it peels off a tiny little piece at a time (think string cheese-like).
Hope that helps!
Wasn't a fan, so went with gloss black vinyl instead:
My rear emblems are still plasti-dipped though:
For the vinyl work, I went to Impressive Wrap and they did a fine job! I know some other members have done the vinyl work themselves, but I can't remember who
To do the grill surround, you do have to remove your front bumper and disassemble the grill so that you can fully wrap the chrome. The bumper is fairly simple to remove, so the difficult part is just wrapping the odd shaped grill surround and not having any creasing.
Plasti-dip in my opinion doesn't look as good as the vinyl, as it has a rubbery finish. It's also quite messy and can get all over the place if you're not careful. Unless you do really thick layers of it, it's annoying and challenging to remove because it peels off a tiny little piece at a time (think string cheese-like).
Hope that helps!
10-30-13, 11:59 AM
#6
Lead Lap
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I prefer the matte look than gloss, simply because my car is white. It will look sportier.
Plasti dip is inexpensive compared to the others which will also require more work.
But if the matte/rubbery look isn't that grea I'm planning to just clear cost the plasti dip.
Plasti dip is inexpensive compared to the others which will also require more work.
But if the matte/rubbery look isn't that grea I'm planning to just clear cost the plasti dip.
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10-30-13, 03:41 PM
#9
The pursuit of F
DIY on emblems and grill
You probably just missed my thread but here's the DIY and more pics in my separate build thread. 
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...and-grill.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...and-grill.html
10-30-13, 07:58 PM
#10
I wanna see how it turns out? Been wanting to black out the chrome from day 1. Debating if I should do plastic dip or vinyl wrap. Plastic dip is a lot cheaper, but if it turns out looking good, i'll just do that
10-30-13, 10:24 PM
#11
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Here's my car with the grill surround plasti-dipped:
Wasn't a fan, so went with gloss black vinyl instead:
My rear emblems are still plasti-dipped though:
For the vinyl work, I went to Impressive Wrap and they did a fine job! I know some other members have done the vinyl work themselves, but I can't remember who
To do the grill surround, you do have to remove your front bumper and disassemble the grill so that you can fully wrap the chrome. The bumper is fairly simple to remove, so the difficult part is just wrapping the odd shaped grill surround and not having any creasing.
Plasti-dip in my opinion doesn't look as good as the vinyl, as it has a rubbery finish. It's also quite messy and can get all over the place if you're not careful. Unless you do really thick layers of it, it's annoying and challenging to remove because it peels off a tiny little piece at a time (think string cheese-like).
Hope that helps!
Wasn't a fan, so went with gloss black vinyl instead:
My rear emblems are still plasti-dipped though:
For the vinyl work, I went to Impressive Wrap and they did a fine job! I know some other members have done the vinyl work themselves, but I can't remember who
To do the grill surround, you do have to remove your front bumper and disassemble the grill so that you can fully wrap the chrome. The bumper is fairly simple to remove, so the difficult part is just wrapping the odd shaped grill surround and not having any creasing.
Plasti-dip in my opinion doesn't look as good as the vinyl, as it has a rubbery finish. It's also quite messy and can get all over the place if you're not careful. Unless you do really thick layers of it, it's annoying and challenging to remove because it peels off a tiny little piece at a time (think string cheese-like).
Hope that helps!
10-30-13, 11:22 PM
#12
10-31-13, 09:42 AM
#13
The vinyl is not permanent either. Even if you use a primer it will still come off. I did mine for about the same cost as a can of plasti-dip. As a bonus it is more durable. The dip isn't bad, just not quite as sturdy as the vinyl. I am not trying to be argumentative, just relaying my experiences. I dip'd the grill surround on my 2IS and chose not to go down that route again.
10-31-13, 10:21 AM
#14
Thank you
As bfrd mentioned, vinyl isn't permanent and it does seem to be more durable than the plasti-dip, though I do suppose it depends on the application in both cases.
My grill surround was plasti-dipped poorly and the coats were not applied evenly- this caused there to be some areas of thin layer, where the plasti-dip basically started to peel and reveal the chrome beneath. As I mentioned previously, when a thick coat isn't applied evenly, if you do try to remove the plasti-dip, it becomes a royal pain in the you know what because it peels off like string cheese, one thin little strip at a time
As for the vinyl, it also heavily depends on the application. If the grill isn't removed and properly wrapped, the edges may start to curl and peel off, again, revealing the chrome beneath. Also, the vinyl may tear if it's stretched too thin (quality of vinyl matters here too- I always go with 3M or Oracle), and if not applied properly it may crease, which doesn't look so great.
So both have their pros and cons-- i think it comes down to preference. Plasti-dip has a certain textured, almost rubber-like finish to it, whereas the vinyls you can get smooth, satin, matte, glossy, etc. finish.
The vinyl is not permanent either. Even if you use a primer it will still come off. I did mine for about the same cost as a can of plasti-dip. As a bonus it is more durable. The dip isn't bad, just not quite as sturdy as the vinyl. I am not trying to be argumentative, just relaying my experiences. I dip'd the grill surround on my 2IS and chose not to go down that route again.
My grill surround was plasti-dipped poorly and the coats were not applied evenly- this caused there to be some areas of thin layer, where the plasti-dip basically started to peel and reveal the chrome beneath. As I mentioned previously, when a thick coat isn't applied evenly, if you do try to remove the plasti-dip, it becomes a royal pain in the you know what because it peels off like string cheese, one thin little strip at a time
As for the vinyl, it also heavily depends on the application. If the grill isn't removed and properly wrapped, the edges may start to curl and peel off, again, revealing the chrome beneath. Also, the vinyl may tear if it's stretched too thin (quality of vinyl matters here too- I always go with 3M or Oracle), and if not applied properly it may crease, which doesn't look so great.
So both have their pros and cons-- i think it comes down to preference. Plasti-dip has a certain textured, almost rubber-like finish to it, whereas the vinyls you can get smooth, satin, matte, glossy, etc. finish.
10-31-13, 02:08 PM
#15
The pursuit of F
Thank you
As bfrd mentioned, vinyl isn't permanent and it does seem to be more durable than the plasti-dip, though I do suppose it depends on the application in both cases.
My grill surround was plasti-dipped poorly and the coats were not applied evenly- this caused there to be some areas of thin layer, where the plasti-dip basically started to peel and reveal the chrome beneath. As I mentioned previously, when a thick coat isn't applied evenly, if you do try to remove the plasti-dip, it becomes a royal pain in the you know what because it peels off like string cheese, one thin little strip at a time
As for the vinyl, it also heavily depends on the application. If the grill isn't removed and properly wrapped, the edges may start to curl and peel off, again, revealing the chrome beneath. Also, the vinyl may tear if it's stretched too thin (quality of vinyl matters here too- I always go with 3M or Oracle), and if not applied properly it may crease, which doesn't look so great.
So both have their pros and cons-- i think it comes down to preference. Plasti-dip has a certain textured, almost rubber-like finish to it, whereas the vinyls you can get smooth, satin, matte, glossy, etc. finish.
As bfrd mentioned, vinyl isn't permanent and it does seem to be more durable than the plasti-dip, though I do suppose it depends on the application in both cases.
My grill surround was plasti-dipped poorly and the coats were not applied evenly- this caused there to be some areas of thin layer, where the plasti-dip basically started to peel and reveal the chrome beneath. As I mentioned previously, when a thick coat isn't applied evenly, if you do try to remove the plasti-dip, it becomes a royal pain in the you know what because it peels off like string cheese, one thin little strip at a time
As for the vinyl, it also heavily depends on the application. If the grill isn't removed and properly wrapped, the edges may start to curl and peel off, again, revealing the chrome beneath. Also, the vinyl may tear if it's stretched too thin (quality of vinyl matters here too- I always go with 3M or Oracle), and if not applied properly it may crease, which doesn't look so great.
So both have their pros and cons-- i think it comes down to preference. Plasti-dip has a certain textured, almost rubber-like finish to it, whereas the vinyls you can get smooth, satin, matte, glossy, etc. finish.
Agreed. I have experience with both vinyl and plastidip and my first choice for durability, look, feel, consistency will always be vinyl. However, when factoring in time, complexity of the job, and cost, doing the front grill and emblems with plastidip makes the most sense. However, my roof, and front air dams are wrapped in vinyl and I would never do that in plastidip.