A couple weeks ago we made a post about how one of our customers clearcoated the vinyl. We decided to do a little experimenting ourselves in order to try and get a great result. What we found to work best was Valspar Clear Gloss Enamel, which you should be able to pick up at any local home improvement store:
You can see a few samples on the right-hand side of the above picture, here’s a closer shot followed by an explanation of the differences:
As you can see, the piece on the left is DI-NOC as it comes with no clear coat. The other two pieces were clear-coated, the middle has just one coat, while the right piece has three coats. The pictures make it hard to show how it really looks in person because it’s highly dependent on the lighting. You’ll need to take a look at the video below for a better idea. We also tried doing another with five or six coats, but it starts to get a bit blotchy and fills into the texture.
We only tested on these sample pieces so we’re not sure how it will hold up over time or once installed. Upon inspection it seems like it would be just fine. With the three coats it starts to bend back a little (although it’s still bendable without issues), I would suggest clearcoating once the material is installed rather than before. This may seem obvious, but I just want to make that apparent. Make sure and mask off any areas prior to spraying that you don’t want cleared.
For spraying techniques take a look at the below video:
Tags: clear, clear coat, clearcoat, gloss, glossy, valspar, Video
I’m planning to put Di-Noc on my Jetta’s hood, and I love that I can use clear coat (Valspar) to get that shiny look. One question, though.
How would the clear coat hold up against weather, car washes, road grit, etc?
The clearcoat was simply an experimentation we did on our part to see how it would look. We haven’t installed it on anything outside of a sample piece of DI-NOC, so we’re unsure of how it would hold up over time. I would look to the Valspar product (or whatever else you use) to see how it would do, I would assume fairly well. As always, test on a small piece first if you’re ever unsure.
I just bought a 24″x48″ piece and I am planing on clear coating the DiNoc once I install it on my application. Valspar clear is different from PPG 2 stage Clear which I will be using. You mentioned that more than 3 coats, the paint started to “fill in” the texture. But isn’t that what one would want? to make it look like real CF that was resined then clear coated?
You should simply test on a smaller piece to see if it comes out the way you personally want it. The different brands, number of coats, etc are all variables and we can’t say whether one way is more perfect than the other as everybody is looking for their own thing. That’s we always recommend to test first
Do you know any store chains that sell the spray? All I can find are paint containers / cans of it.
Home Depot or Loews should definitely carry that.
This touches Dangeris question…
would you be able to actually resin this DINOC or clear coat only? Id like for it to be as close to the real thing as possible. any tests with resin??
We’ve never tested with resin, so you would have to try on a sample piece and see how it works out.
Is there any distributors of the 3M CF Di Noc Vinyl in the Syracuse area? I really want to see what it looks/feels like in person before I purchase any. If not, is there any free sample pieces I can order? Thanks
We don’t have distributors setup, we ship worldwide, including Syracuse of course. We sell samples for $8 shipped, I highly recommend getting one if you have any concerns.
have you ever experimented with an epoxy resin clear coat to give it the wet look?
We have not tried that at this time. If you want to try we recommend just doing so on a small sample piece first.
Can you put a urethane based clear coat (automotive grade) over this vinyl as if it were a base coat?
We have been told by customers they’ve done that successfully, but as with anything always test first.
What clear coats did you end up testing. Also you wouldn’t happen to have the end result with clear coat on a vehicle or at least a bigger piece with some angles would you?
We only tested with the samples and the clear enamel above. You would need to test clear coats on your own unless another customer wants to chime in with their experience.
I coated a small trim piece with epoxy (Poly Epoxy from Aircraft Spruce) using a paint brush. Then I covered it with plastic wrap and let it dry. It looks pretty much like real carbon fiber made the same way.
Hello, I was wondering if it was ok to apply wax to the film? It is on the roof of my Mcoupe. It looks REALLY cool! Just wanted to preserve it as much as possible… Thanks! Luis
Hi Luis,
It may be ok, you’ll want to test on a small piece or area first to make sure it does not cause a problem.
Has anyone used the epoxy resin over it?
I’ve painted over it and with more coats the more carbon fiberish it becomes in terms of looks.
I’m going to try applying a resin over some pieces…
Ive had my hood done and it looks really good. but I think it will look even better encapsulated in a lot of automotive grade clear coat then buffed out. I have an appointment next weekend to do this. hopefully it comes out as good as I vision it.
Ive clearcoated the DiNoc w/a 2k urethane clear coat. My past experience in resins,epoxies,clearcoating vinyls over the past 20 years I’ve found that one main product used within most automotive clearcoat refinishing systems will have a negative reaction to what everyone’s main goal here is…Adhesion! I’ve found that a 2K clearcoat (2 part, clear plus a hardner) that DOES NOT NEED TO BE REDUCED (or thinned) has less chance of creating the bonding to de-laminate itself. FAST activating hardner w/NO reducer,just a 4-1 mix ratio! Solvents in most reducers today will have a opposite effect for adhesion ( softening the bond) therefore actually making the vinyl become soft.
I had my entire hood wraped and I thought it would look great if I clearcoated it, so I took it to my painted and it came out horrible. the color is all blend in and just looks black. the only explanation I could find if perhaps the film creates the different colors by the way it refracts light as a result of the texture of the film. once the film is cleared it loses that texture and is no longer able to refract light in different directions. my only advice is do not clear this stuff. it will be a major disappointment. trust me on this.