Emblematic of the decoration of the 1960s, adhesive film has regained new popularity today, thanks to advanced technology and innovative materials. The current offer is sufficiently developed to make covering a real alternative to painting, both inside and outside the deck cleaning in fairmont wv.
- The interior covering: redoing its fittings
- The exterior covering: replace the hull paint
Car tuning enthusiasts quickly adopted the covering technique, because it is both much less expensive than painting and, above all, much easier to implement: no special cabin, extremely simple tools and an offer of highly developed colors and finishes, with films capable of withstanding solar radiation for several years.
Give new life to boats
In deck cleaning in fairmont wv, it was the companies investing in sailing sponsorship that were the first to take an interest in decoration based on printable adhesive film, because this technique allowed significant savings in communication. Same benefit for the runners, who could, on the occasion of a change of sponsorship, modify the decoration in a few hours and without any damage to the planks.
Associated with financially and technically affordable materials, these new finishing techniques can also concern the average boater, who will find in the covering an excellent solution to give a (relatively) lower cost a facelift to his mount, outside and inside. To illustrate this process, more subtle than deck cleaning in fairmont wv. seems, we have followed a few steps in a renovation of a Guy Couach 1401 star.
There is no need to visit the shelves of DIY superstores, products meeting the requirements of nautical covering are not there! The adhesive must indeed meet many constraints, such as resistance to UV, scratches, cold, heat and water.
It must also be able to conform without wrinkles to complex surfaces, adhere without retracting, lay down as easily as possible, all at an affordable price. Only a few thin film specialists, the best known worldwide being of American origin, Avery Dennison (MacTac) and 3M, are able to reliably meet these technical requirements.
Vinyl or PVC films for the exterior
The film itself is most often vinyl, but there are also some ranges in PVC, particularly resistant outdoors. Its thickness varies between 70 and 200 microns, depending on the references and the type of application, flat or complex surface, but thicknesses greater than 100 microns will have reduced deformability on complex surfaces. The adhesive side is formulated on an acrylic base, deck cleaning in fairmont wv.remains neutral to the substrate and can be removed without damage.
Maintenance the advantages of adhesive – the benefits of covering
The trim of the exhaust housings is by far the most delicate part of the hull, as these two large laminated pieces have an intricate shape, rounded and in both directions at the same time.
The advertised durability of a covering varies greatly depending on the application, the color chosen and the navigation area. It takes a dozen years indoors and between four and eight years outdoors, up to twelve years in white or black.
Concerning the implementation, the first difficulty consists in controlling the tack (adhesion power of the film on the support) and in avoiding the formation of air bubbles during installation.
Each manufacturer offers its own technology, but tack control is often based on a network of glass microspheres which allow the film to slide over the surface during the positioning phase. A squeegee pass is then used to retract the balls into the thickness of the adhesive and to fix it in its final place.
Maintenance with deck soap and water
The evacuation of air bubbles is done more simply, thanks to a network of microchannels engraved in the adhesive. The maintenance of the coating is extremely simple, since it comes down to washing with deck soap and rinsing with fresh water, solvent-based, abrasive and strongly alkaline products being strictly prohibited.
The film does not have the hardness of a gel coat and is still quite sensitive to scratches, which will require additional protective measures to be taken when getting wet, mooring to a pontoon, or pairing. Local damage will nevertheless be easy to repair by sticking, after cleaning the damaged area, a new piece of adhesive film.
Maintenance the advantages of adhesive – the benefits of covering
The front part required a good dose of patience to be able to conform the film to the surface, with the joint use of heat, the primer and cutter pliers!
There is no doubt that a skilful and patient boater alone can put up with the installation of a small surface covering, such as an element of interior decoration or outboard cowl for example, for which there are some tutorials available online that can help carry it out.
But, without training or prior experience, the work runs the risk of going very badly at the scale of the deck or plating, which will require the installation and application of a large surface film in one piece. The same difficulties are found indoors, because the latter most often has a high geometric complexity that only a trained operator can master without difficulty.
The price of the film is not trivial (from 30 to 40 € per square meter or more), the financial risks are disproportionate compared to the savings made on the labor of a professional, who, unlike an individual, benefit of additional materials at the professional rate.
Maintenance the advantages of adhesive – the benefits of covering
Nothing is perfect in the world of construction and maintenance. The covering operation is no exception, which generates a significant volume of waste, mainly paper or protective film, not to mention scraps, rags and cleaning paper, cutter blades, etc.
Each deck cleaning in fairmont wv.presenting a particular case, a preliminary estimate is obligatory but, purely as an indication, a professional exterior covering costs approximately 250 € per linear meter of hull, installation and materials included. Longer and more meticulous, interior trim costs around € 500 per finished square meter.
- A simple operation – Change a covering
- Maintenance the advantages of adhesive – the benefits of covering
Unlike painting, which requires a lot of preparation and cleaning, replacing a covering is done quite simply, using a heat gun, which softens the film between 60 and 90 ° C and reduces the tack of the adhesive.
Maintenance the advantages of adhesive – the benefits of covering
The spectrum of colors and materials for the interior wrapping is very broad.
The inevitable residual traces will be removed using isopropyl alcohol without damaging the gel coat or interior surfaces. The waste will then be disposed of in a conventional treatment center.
The advantages of adhesive:
- the benefits of covering
