Plastic Sheeting For Painting Cars

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Pb57

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I see there are several manufacturers of the plastic sheeting for taping off cars for paint with 3m being the most expensive. Is there really a difference in everyones product or do I go for the cheapest. I was thinking of the 16' x350' size. What are you guys using? Thanks Paul
 
Stick with Norton or 3M or what your local paint jobber has in stock at his store. Off brands bought online may not be corona treated or have other issues.
 
I use the Norton and like it. One thing I learned the hard way (rookie mistake) is that you have to unfold it completely, even if you don't need the full width. The way it come folded from the factory, some of the "paint this side" are folded under and you end up painting the "don't paint this side."
 
How are you guys masking off doorways, window openings, etc. with plastic? I put tape on the inside of the pinch weld, so the adhesive is facing the exterior of the car, and then masked from the outside. Then I cut the plastic away from the edges and put tape around the edges on the outside to cover up the loose end of the plastic.

Is there a better way to do this or is this pretty much the way everybody does it?
 
Shoot, I just looked at the Norton Plastic I got and it's not the blue. It's clear and has the corona finish on it. hope it works as well as the blue.
 
what's the difference between the blue and clear Norton sheeting? they both sound the same in their description.
 
Good question, after I bought it was mentioned the blue is the best. I checked and found the blue for the same size was 20 bucks higher. I know they are both coated with corona so the paint doesn't flake off I think.
 
DanMcG said:
what's the difference between the blue and clear Norton sheeting? they both sound the same in their description.
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Honestly IDK. I think the blue is treated on both sides. We used the Norton clear for years at the last Shop I was at. Never had an issue. Been using 3M for the last couple of years as my Jobber has it cheaper than the Norton. If you are doing anything that is mid size or larger, get the 16' wide plastic as it will cover mid to large size cars and pickups. The 12' only is good for small cars and the 14' is marginal for larger stuff.
 
Lizer said:
How are you guys masking off doorways, window openings, etc. with plastic? I put tape on the inside of the pinch weld, so the adhesive is facing the exterior of the car, and then masked from the outside. Then I cut the plastic away from the edges and put tape around the edges on the outside to cover up the loose end of the plastic.

Is there a better way to do this or is this pretty much the way everybody does it?
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If there is a better way than that I would also be interested. Here is Brian demonstrating it.
Masking openings
 
I tried the "sticky side out" method. Works, but if any plastic touches the sticky at the wrong time, trying to remove it usually ends up with a tear.

So now I just tape the perimeter, sticky side down, cut the plastic with sharp scissors, to approximate size, leaving about 6 inches extra and then fold the excess to the inside and tape the edge of the plastic down to the taped perimeter.

The plastic can be tightened up with a heat gun on low, very carefully. It will melt through with too much heat.
 
Link Chev posted of Brian masking off openings is how it's done. You can pull the plastic off the tape by gently pulling on it back over on itself. Not hard to do once you get the hang of it. Use a razor blade to trim and pull the excess of the tape by pulling it back and over on itself.
 
Lizer said:
That’s what I got from Chad too. This is my first time ever using plastic sheeting. Have you used anything besides it?
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Hud is all I have used, I have never had a problem with it. It clings and has good strength for the use.
 
Chris_Hamilton said:
Link Chev posted of Brian masking off openings is how it's done. You can pull the plastic off the tape by gently pulling on it back over on itself. Not hard to do once you get the hang of it. Use a razor blade to trim and pull the excess of the tape by pulling it back and over on itself.
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When I trim the excess, there's still maybe a 1/4" to 1/2" of loose tape left if I can't get the razor blade right along the tape. I was putting tape along the outside edge as well to hold this little loose flat down so it doesn't get in the paint when spraying. How do you treat this part of it?
 
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