Wrap vs Paint

[Brawwp]

Just got an online quote of $3500 to wrap an extended express. That seems very high. What does a good paint job cost?

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by Brawwp

Just got an online quote of $3500 to wrap an extended express. That seems very high. What does a good paint job cost?

Prices are all over the place for custom vehicle paint. You could pay anywhere from a few grand to 10. It just depends on the painter, and in my experience how well you know the painter.

[Tienckb]

Only thing for me about not wrapping is how to deal with Arizona pinstripes

[vintageracer]

WRAP IT!!

It's the only way to go!

$1500-$4000 depending upon how elaborate a design you choose, how much of the van you wish to wrap and the quality of the wrap materials used by the designer/installer.

The choice of wrap material used by the installer is everything! Cheap wrap material with little to no UV protection in the material or an overlay and the wrap will have a life of far less than 5 years. Good quality wrap material with a UV overlay will last for years far longer than a cheap wrap with no UV overlay!

Is a wrap cheaper than paint?

Depends upon the painter, the materials the painter uses and your location which will dictate the cost of labor.

MAACO will be $1000-$2000 depending upon the MAACO location to paint a van. Their paint job will last 2-3 years at best unless you spend a lot "MO MONEY" with them for better materials and then is still a crap shoot.

A paint job on a van at a quality body shop using quality materials expect to spend $4000-$10,000 for a basic one color paint job.

NO WAY would I paint a used van and especially a new van in today's world.

A wrap will provide you much better long term appearance most likely outlasting your ownership of your van, takes 2-3 days to install (Paint will be 4-8 weeks), is removable if you desire or want to sell and will give you design opportunities that is only limited by your imagination that would cost you $10,000-$30,000 to duplicate with a Custom paint job!

Will a wrap last?

I have a Featherlite aluminum trailer that I had wrapped in 2003 that has sat outside every day since 2003. It STILL looks pretty damn good if you ask me after 18 years of service! I know if I would have repainted that trailer in 2003 that trailer would have once again looked like schidt many years ago.

That's why I wrapped the trailer.

The original factory paint job looked like schidt and I was not going to spend money on an inferior product (Paint) again that has already failed once before!

[BroncoHauler]

While I've never enjoyed earning desert pinstripes while 4 wheeling, I can't imagine what the result would have been if my vehicle was wrapped.


Herb

[IanF]

What is reason for paint or a wrap? If the paint and bodywork are in good shape and you just want a color change, then a wrap can do that. If the underlaying paint is in poor condition, then every imperfection in the finish will show through the wrap.

A wrap saves money when you want some type of complex graphic pattern that would need multiple layers of paint and taping to accomplish. Otherwise, paint can cost the same or often less. The prep for either to look good is surprisingly similar.

[THaley]

I used Monstaliner on both of my vans. I think its the best bang for the buck and the finish stands out. Its a lot of work to do it yourself, and you will get out what you put in. Skimp on prep, finish will show it. I just did my 01 and sprayed it in a paint booth. I could not be happier. No rock chips, pin stripes, nothings. Its essentially an epoxy paint that is tintable so you can do a variety of colors. If you have questions reach out, I have done 4 vehicles with Monstaliner and have learned a ton through the experience.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/monstalinermasters/

When I was shopping vans, I looked at one that had an older wrap. To put it nicely, it just looked like trash. I know they have a self life, but this one only made it a couple years and already looked terrible. Do it once do it right, cry once. I can't see paying $4k every few years for a quality finish. You can easy monstaliner for way less and have it last a life time.